Byers Market: Will Facebook executives be deposed?

Plus: Bob Iger joins Facebook boycott, Andrew Sullivan brings back a classic, and Roger Goodell faces a new protest.

View in browser July 20, 2020 By AHIZA GARCÍA-HODGES in San Francisco & DYLAN BYERS in Los Angeles Good morning. 📺  President Donald Trump grew combative in an interview that aired Sunday with Fox News' Chris Wallace, who fact-checked his claims on the election, race relations and the country's coronavirus response.   ⚾️  Watch for big news from Fox Sports today regarding how it's reimagining the digital fan experience.    Join the Market: 🗞️ Newsletter | 🎙️ Podcast Zach Gibson/Getty ⚖️  Antitrust watch Will Facebook executives be deposed?   Moving the Market: Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg may soon face increased scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission, which is considering deposing them in its investigation into whether Facebook violated U.S. antitrust laws.    • "Top Facebook officials are preparing for potential depositions and some are worried about the possibility, a person familiar with the matter said," WSJ's Brent Kendall and Emily Glazer report.   •  Facebook and the FTC didn't respond to a request for comment. The FTC considered deposing Facebook execs in its prior inquiry into alleged consumer-privacy violations but ultimately declined to do so before reaching a $5 billion settlement.   The big picture: The possibility of depositions further escalates the government's recent scrutiny of Big Tech. Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google are facing multiple investigations by the FTC, House Judiciary Committee and Department of Justice, which are each conducting their own antitrust probes.   •  "Facebook is increasingly preparing for the possibility that the government may seek to limit how its products and platforms interact or force the company to divest parts of its business — and is ready to litigate those points, people familiar with the matter" told the WSJ.   The latest: The FTC's current probe is exploring whether Facebook took part in unlawful monopolistic practices, such as whether it sought to buy up potential threats and limit future competition.    •  Facebook is also the subject of an antitrust investigation by multiple state attorneys general.    What's next: The potential FTC depositions come as Zuckerberg is preparing for his testimony before the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee on July 27 along with the top executives from Amazon, Apple and Google. Lionel Bonaventure/Getty 📈  Conflicting interests Fiona Scott Morton's tech ties raise questions   Big in the Bay: Yale economist Fiona Scott Morton, a well-known antitrust expert, has warned that tech giants are hurting competition and innovation while also advising two of the biggest names in tech on their antitrust probes, Bloomberg's David McLaughlin reports.    •  Scott Morton is advising Amazon and Apple but didn't disclose those connections in recent papers about how the U.S. could bring antitrust cases against Google and Facebook. (Scott Morton said she only takes on clients she thinks aren't violating antitrust laws.)   The big picture: "As antitrust probes intensify, the potential for conflicts could multiply as regulators and companies hire experts who can play a crucial role in shaping cases involving claims of anti-competitive behavior."   🇺🇸  Trump vs. TikTok  🇨🇳   "President Donald Trump's reelection campaign pushed ads on Facebook this weekend that accuse the Chinese video app TikTok of spying on Americans," CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports.    •  "We get that election rhetoric gets heated, which is why we don't accept political ads on our platform. What's more interesting is that Facebook is taking money for a political ad that attacks a competitor just as it's preparing to launch a TikTok copycat," a TikTok spokesperson told CNN. Facebook declined to comment. Allen J. Schaben/Getty 🐭  Into the fray Bob Iger joins Facebook boycott   Talk of Tinseltown: Bob Iger has "dramatically slashed" what Disney spends on advertising on Facebook, joining more than 1,000 companies boycotting the social media platform's handling of hate speech, WSJ's Suzanne Vranica reports.   •  "Disney was Facebook's top U.S. advertiser for the first six months of 2020, research firm Pathmatics Inc. estimates." According to the firm, Disney spent an estimated $210 million on Facebook ads for Disney+ in the U.S.   •  News of the move follows an NYT article about how Hollywood was staying away from the boycott. It's unclear how long Disney will be pulling back for and, unlike other companies taking part in the boycott, Disney didn't announce the move publicly.   The big picture: "Facebook has around $70 billion in annual advertising revenue, generated from over eight million advertisers. It would take a sustained boycott from its biggest advertisers to put a significant dent in the company financially."   •  While some companies reduced their ad spending overall because of strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies opted not to cut their Facebook ad spending since the platform is valued as a very effective marketing tool.    But, Disney is a powerful player in terms of both its Facebook ad spend but also its role in Hollywood.   What's next: Disney's other divisions are also re-thinking their Facebook ad spends. Market Links   • Lachlan Murdoch faces outrage from Black staff (DB)   • Dara Khosrowshahi commits to being anti-racist (The Hill)   • Jeff Bezos settles suit with ex-VP who joined Google Cloud (BI)   •  Jeff Maggioncalda's Coursera raises $130M (The Information)   • Mary Trump sets sales record for Simon & Schuster (WSJ) T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty 🗣  Redux Andrew Sullivan brings back the Dish   Big in the Beltway: Andrew Sullivan, an influential conservative writer who left New York Magazine last week, is bringing back his bloggy website, the Dish, as a weekly subscription-based newsletter.   •  The big picture: Sullivan's departure follows the release of the "Harper's Letter," in which about 150 prominent public figures criticized America's rising "intolerance of opposing views" and reignited an important debate over the state of public discourse.   •  "There is a growing federation of independent thinkers and writers not subject to mainstream media's increasingly narrow range of acceptable thought," Sullivan wrote in his last New York column.   What's next: Sullivan's new Weekly Dish first edition lands Friday. Isaac Brekken/Getty 🏈  Sports report Roger Goodell faces protests from players    Leading the league: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's plan to start the season amid the ongoing pandemic is being questioned. Star players, including Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Macolm Jenkins and J.J. Watt, took to social media to raise their safety concerns.   •  Unlike plans being followed by the NBA, MLS and NHL, the NFL's plan doesn't employ a bubble but instead relies on players self-isolating responsibly.    •  Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's highest-ranking infectious disease specialist, has cast doubt on the NFL's plan to proceed with its 2020 season with games in 22 states and fans in the stadiums.    The big picture: Sports leagues are moving forward with plans to restart, but new cases continue to crop up daily across nearly all professional and amateur sports, and some athletes have said they intend to sit out the season.   •  The television industry depends on live sports and no sport is more valuable for broadcasters and advertisers than the NFL, which means it's essential that it come up with a viable way to start and stay in play.   What's next: More meetings between the league and the NFLPA are expected in the coming days, ESPN reports. The NFL has already shortened its 2020 preseason to two games. 🎞  What's next: Reed Hastings wants a hit movie franchise. Netflix has had blockbuster movies. Now it's on the hunt for its "Lord of the Rings" or "Star Wars."   See you tomorrow. Follow Dylan Byers Follow Ahiza García-Hodges Get the NBC News Mobile App Privacy Unsubscribe