Our Curious Amalgam

We are re-releasing this episode in tribute to Prof. Randy Picker, who passed away on August 15, 2026. In 2020, Randy joined co-hosts Anora Wang and John Roberti for an episode on the 13-year-long U.S. antitrust case against IBM brought in 1969, exploring how U.S. antitrust dealing with tech ranges from early government cases involving punch cards to government probes into today's platforms, and how antitrust enforcement can impact the technology landscape for decades later. Years later, the episode holds up remarkably well - the questions Randy raised about whether the antitrust past would repeat itself in the tech world remain just as central to today's platform antitrust cases and debates over Big Tech enforcement. We share Randy's episode again in celebration of his generosity, insight, and decades of contribution to antitrust scholarship.
With special guest:
Randal C. Picker, James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School

Related Links:
Randal C. Picker, renowned legal scholar, 1959-2026
Hosted by:
Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank; Anora Wang; and John Roberti, Zaiger Linden Roberti & Pepe

Several U.S. states have recently passed legislation aimed at AI pricing tools that use consumer or competitor data. What is driving this spate of legislation, what different approaches are the states taking, and are the states sufficiently accounting for possible unintended consequences? In this episode, hosts Sergei Zaslavsky and Alicia Downey talk to Orrick partner Shannon Yavorksy about the pros and cons of AI pricing and the emerging regulatory patchwork in this area. Listen to this episode to hear about the latest developments in AI pricing regulation and what the future might hold.
With special guest:
Shannon Yavorksy, Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
 
Related Links:
Shannon Yavorsky & David Curtis, Algorithmic Pricing Under Scrutiny: What You Need to Know (June 9, 2026)

Hosted by:
Sergei Zaslavsky, O'Melveny & Myers and Alicia Downey, Downey Law

For nearly 50 years, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act has given antitrust enforcers a chance to review deals above a certain value before they can close. What happens when the government concludes a transaction was structured intentionally to slip past that review entirely? On this episode of Our Curious Amalgam, we speak with Evan Miller of Vinson & Elkins about HSR Act avoidance and the FTC's record-setting $12 million settlement with Edwards Lifesciences and Genesis MedTech over Edwards Lifesciences's acquisition of JC Medical from Genesis. We discuss how the JC Medical deal was valued and structured, how the parties' failure to file played a role in the FTC's separate challenge to Edwards's contemporaneous JenaValve acquisition, what deal teams should consider when assessing a transaction close to the HSR threshold, what the settlement signals about the FTC's current approach to premerger notification enforcement, and more.
With special guest:
Evan Miller, Vinson & Elkins LLP
 
Hosted by:
Lexi Michaud, Fried Frank and Jeny Maier, Axinn

State legislatures across the country are taking aim at subscription traps and deceptive cancellation practices — but what does effective consumer protection actually look like at the state level? Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General and former Director of Consumer Protection at the Consumer Federation of America, speaks with Anna Olson and Anora Wang about the growing wave of state click-to-cancel legislation targeting subscription traps and dark patterns. Listen to this episode to learn what makes a strong state law, how enforcement actions actually unfold, and what the patchwork of state protections means for consumers and businesses alike.
With special guest:
Erin Witte, Senior Counsel to the New Jersey Attorney General

Related Links:
New Jersey Office of Attorney General
Hosted by:
Anna Olson, Drake University Law School and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter

Singapore's Competition and Consumer Commission — CCS — has been enforcing competition law for roughly two decades and more recently consumer protection laws as well. How does a small, open, trade-dependent city-state design and enforce a competition regime that punches above its weight — and what does that mean for global practitioners? Mr. Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive of the CCS overseeing Legal Enforcement, joins Subrata Bhattacharjee and Anora Wang to discuss Singapore's enforcement arc, its voluntary merger regime, the agency's push against dark patterns and unfair trade practices, and how CCS navigates its role as a neutral hub in an increasingly fractured geopolitical landscape.
With special guest:
Loke Shiu Meng, Assistant Chief Executive, Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS)

Related Links:
CCS's media release on the issuance of the Fast Track Guidelines
CCS's media release on revisions to our Merger Guidelines
Singapore High Court Decision in CCS v. CNL Logistic Solutions Pte Ltd and Gilmon Transportation & Warehousing Pte Ltd [2026]
CCS's media release on the High Court Decision
Hosted by:
Subrata Bhattacharjee, Borden Ladner Gervais and Anora Wang, Arnold & Porter