A handful of technology companies — Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft — control essential infrastructure of modern life: how we search for information, how we communicate, how we shop, and how we consume news. This concentration of power is unprecedented and largely unregulated.
Gen Us covers tech monopolies because they shape information access in ways that directly affect every other issue we cover. When Google controls 90% of search, its algorithm decisions determine what information people find. When Meta controls the primary social platforms, its content moderation policies function as de facto speech regulation.
We analyze antitrust actions and their outcomes, document how algorithm changes affect news distribution, trace tech company lobbying on regulation, and investigate how Big Tech's market dominance enables data practices that would be impossible in a competitive market.
The reporting trail
New evidence joins the permanent record here, so each investigation remains connected to the larger system.
Despite millions in corporate spending intended to bury his populist platform, Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan primary by focusing on labor demands rather than the identity politics favored by pundits.
Leaked filings show AI giants successfully lobbied to strip liability clauses from federal law, shielding them from future legal consequences.
Bluesky isn't just a social network anymore; it's a commercial gamble. By installing a True Ventures partner as CEO, the 'open' protocol is signaling a pivot to compete directly for Meta's revenue.
Internal documents show the Navy circumvented federal competition rules to award Microsoft a massive cloud contract. This 'sole-source' move effectively locks out innovators and costs taxpayers billions in potential savings.
A 300% surge in lobbying spending reveals Anthropic's plan to 'regulate' the AI industry by mandating safety costs that only venture-backed giants can afford. It’s a classic case of regulatory capture disguised as ethics.
The June 2026 primaries just sent a shockwave through the establishment. 29-year-old attorney Melat Kiros unseated Rep. Diana DeGette, a Colorado political fixture for three decades, signaling a total breakdown in the party's old-school leadership model. While some pundits blame age, FEC filings tell a different story. It's about the money. Challengers like Kiros, Darializa Avila Chevalier, and Claire Valdez are winning by trashing the corporate-funded playbooks that have kept the party's center stable for years. With New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani using his platform to fund these federal insurgents, the movement is gaining teeth, even as the media ignores how popular policies like Medicare for All actually are with the public.
The DoD bypassed legal bidding to funnel $11.13 billion to Microsoft via Dell. Experts warn this 'software monoculture' creates a catastrophic single point of failure for national defense.
While the federal government tries to rush AI infrastructure into existence for national security, local towns are digging in to protect their resources. In April 2026, the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority cut off water for new projects, and voters in Festus, Missouri, actually ousted council members who approved data centers against their wishes. These local revolts aren't just about red tape: they're about noise, millions of gallons of wasted water, and rising electricity bills. As tech giants rake in tax breaks, the cost of the grid upgrades they require is being dumped onto residential ratepayers. This is the growing gap between the promises of a digital future and the reality of local economic strain.
People often call prediction markets 'gamified' politics, but a February 2026 CFTC advisory points to something much darker: campaign staffers and officials using private data to bet on their own elections. While many focus on how 'unregulated' these bets are, big names like CNN and the Associated Press have already signed deals with the platforms. By June 15, 2026, ProPublica had to ban its staff from betting on news altogether. It is a massive shift. We aren't just looking at a hobby anymore. We're looking at a multi-billion dollar system that pays insiders to hold back the truth until they've placed their bets.