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FTC is investigating OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI companies over product risks

210 points · 160 comments · dgellow

  1. Cipater · · focus · HN ↗
    They just need to hire the right lobbyists, get a meeting at the White House, agree on the terms and call it a settlement.

    And if the FTC chair is not agreeable, they will be threatened by said lobbyists and eventually be fired.

    If this sounds far-fetched, it is exactly what happened to Gail Slater, then-head of the DOJ's antitrust division and her deputies in 2025 over HPE’s bid to acquire Juniper.

    Wall Street Journal archive link: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.ph&#x2F;IMer9" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;archive.ph&#x2F;IMer9

    1. AndrewKemendo · · focus · HN ↗
      This is just how business is done with the government nothing new here or even hidden really.

      Should this be the way it happens? No

      Is it? Yes

      The main thing I’ve seen recently is people learning how the world works then being shocked when it’s nothing like what is sold publicly

      1. CookieCrisp · · focus · HN ↗
        I was incredibly more naive and idealistic 2 years ago. Seeing the world more accurately than I did before has been quite the shock
        1. AndrewKemendo · · focus · HN ↗
          That’s awesome!

          I am legit curious though: what changed specifically in your information gathering process that revealed these things?

          For example pretty much everything happening now has been well described by Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn specifically about American politics since the 1960s. I mean similarly for the entire black community and don’t forget Martin Luther King was killed because he was trying to organize sanitation workers.

          Chris Hedges has been reporting about the state of things daily for two decades now. Similarly for Jacobin magazine.

          Ron Paul (whatever you think of him) was talking explicitly about this corruption in the context of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the bail out of the banking market in 2008.

          Ross Perot famously described how Nafta was a big sellout to the multinational corporations and would devastate US industry - on stage at the 1992(?) presidential debate and everybody just made fun of him because he was short and had slightly larger ears because he was an older guy.

          1. altmanaltman · · focus · HN ↗
            The US president sells early access to his official tweets at $100k per month. Things have definitely gotten worse even if they were shit to begin with.
          2. forshaper · · focus · HN ↗
            Well a lot of this is simply published. Like, from reading a bill, agency rules, memos, whatever. Most of it is not hidden, except by...boredom? Like you had to be interested for whatever reason to go looking for it. Or embedded somehow in one of the institutions where you can see what the people at the bottom of the institution can see, without wanting to make a career out of it. Since if you decide that, then there&#x27;s no incentive to notice.
          3. CookieCrisp · · focus · HN ↗
            I spent three months in another country where I didn’t apeak the language very well. Hard not to see life’s brutal realities from that position
      2. lovich · · focus · HN ↗
        There’s no denying that this administration has taken corruption to a new level
        1. AndrewKemendo · · focus · HN ↗
          You might want to look into teapot dome
          1. SmasherEpilepti · · focus · HN ↗
            The teapot dome wasn&#x27;t the president making policy decisions specifically to enrich himself. The man involved conducted his illicit affairs in secret, and went to prison for it.

            The blatant nature of it now and complete complicity of large swaths of the government in the corruption are a level that has never been seen before. The Teapot Dome scandal involved the equivalent of tens of millions of present day dollars. The actions of the president alone now are what would have been considered dozens of individual career-ending scandals only a couple generations ago.

            1. scottyah · · focus · HN ↗
              At the state&#x2F;city level, California and Los Angeles have much more blatant corruption. From the High Speed Rail to LA&#x27;s billions of homeless money (now some invoices showing house purchases, ubers to and payments at strip clubs). I think more politicians are just shameless about it lately. Karen Bass was reelected anyway, and Gavin is gaining support in a run for presidency even. Buying votes has never been easier.
              1. lovich · · focus · HN ↗
                I don’t think there’s anything done in those states as blatant as Trump coin. Or the Qatari plane he already said is being moved to his foundation after his term.

                You’re pointing at failed projects that may or may not have corruption(I’d like to see the receipts and from a mouth other than nick shirley) compared to explicit, I’m taking this money.

                Or the IRS deal, or 1000 other in the air open corruption

                1. scottyah · · focus · HN ↗
                  <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.justice.gov&#x2F;opa&#x2F;pr&#x2F;two-defendants-employed-la-area-homeless-nonprofits-arrested-federal-charges-alleging-misuse" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.justice.gov&#x2F;opa&#x2F;pr&#x2F;two-defendants-employed-la-ar...

                  <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.latimes.com&#x2F;california&#x2F;story&#x2F;2026-09-16&#x2F;la-homeless-services-federal-charges" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.latimes.com&#x2F;california&#x2F;story&#x2F;2026-09-16&#x2F;la-homel...

                  <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;calmatters.org&#x2F;housing&#x2F;homelessness&#x2F;2026&#x2F;09&#x2F;la-homeless-services-federal-charges&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;calmatters.org&#x2F;housing&#x2F;homelessness&#x2F;2026&#x2F;09&#x2F;la-homel...

                  It&#x27;s so crazy how politicized fraud has gotten. Diehard Dems offhandedly dismiss Nick Shirley and DOGE even though all they look for is proof of fraud. If someone is doing that for free, why on earth would you want to stop or dismiss it before any evidence or reporting has been delivered? There&#x27;s no shortage of it from either side, why defend the scummy parts of your party vs trying to root it out?

                  1. lovich · · focus · HN ↗
                    Yea none of this is as blatant as the public corruption Trump has done.

                    You understand what I mean by blatant right? Like this shit you linked didn’t have advertisements.

                    I dismiss Nick Shirley because he crows about corruption that was already being prosecuted as somehow being novel and the few bits I’ve listened to from him honestly made me think he might be a bit slow.

                    I dismiss DOGE because it accomplished next to nothing, if anything, lied about its accomplishments, and helped Musk get rid of shit that was against his private goals. DOGE was also corruption. Saying all they did was “… look for is proof of fraud” is factually incorrect.

                  2. SmasherEpilepti · · focus · HN ↗
                    &quot;for free&quot; is doing a lot of heavy lifting. By all reasonable measures, DOGE has cost far more than it has saved, and the vast majority of its recommended cuts were entirely political.
          2. lovich · · focus · HN ↗
            Don’t need to. Already knew of it. You may want to look into it if you think it’s comparable to this admin.
          3. pixelatedindex · · focus · HN ↗
            Teapot Dome had an investigative Congress who actually did their job. Plus Fall went to prison. Neither of this is going to happen today.
      3. e3dd · · focus · HN ↗
        Erm this is reality period forget about the govt.

        Do you do things without expecting something of benefit in return e.g. work?

        Humans are conditioned to be like this. Govt indeed cares what you can do to extend its power and reach.

        Not rocket science.

        Thats why Ive never understood people who resist - you will be far better off in assisting and getting ahead of it to try and shape it. Then you MAY have a chance. Resisting it? Youre just delaying the inevitable I&#x27;m afraid. Funniest part is a lot of these resistors assist people like Zuck. Absolutely hilarious.

        If people truly had a backbone the labour class wouldn&#x27;t so easily get rag-dolled but they do. Putting your freedom and well-being on the line takes a lot - you need to lose everything to do that.

        1. AndrewKemendo · · focus · HN ↗
          Don’t forget the part where massive swaths of people who won’t risk anything at all, sneer at those that lost it all, because they aren’t perfectly aligned on some pet topic.
          1. e3dd · · focus · HN ↗
            I agree. Yes.

            Btw I&#x27;ve already accepted my role as an assister. Haters come at me. See you on the other side!

            I&#x27;ve long accepted that people by-on-large cannot be helped, western society has knowledge and understanding in abundance and yet... they lack self-control and self-respect. They need someone to instill it in them.

            Peter Thiel&#x27;s recent remarks on being evil is better than being bad captures this reality of life quite well.

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