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Fierce Competition

Fierce Competition

Written by: Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
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From Skadden, Fierce Competition is a podcast for corporate counsel of multinational organizations who face the challenges of navigating antitrust policy and enforcement around the world. This is not another U.S. or Eurocentric antitrust podcast. We’re covering global antitrust issues, impacting the most complex industries. In today's fast-paced global economy, staying informed about antitrust developments is more crucial than ever. From digital antitrust, to the uncertainty of enforcement, to the disparity with how jurisdictions handle mergers, Skadden’s global Antitrust and Competition Group will provide you a nuanced analytical perspective of what's happening in this ever-evolving landscape, one episode at a time. If you’re enjoying Fierce Competition, be sure to subscribe in your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss any future episodes. Additional information about Skadden can be found at Skadden.com. Fierce Competition is a podcast by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Affiliates. This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended and should not be construed as legal advice. This podcast is considered advertising under applicable state laws.Copyright 2026 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • AI Under the Antitrust Lens: Enforcement Trends in the EU, UK and U.S.
    Jan 9 2026

    AI dominates headlines from both a deal and antitrust enforcement perspective. Antoni Terra, counsel in Skadden's Brussels office, moderates a discussion on recent developments and trends across Europe and the U.S. in the AI space with colleagues Mike Menitove, partner in Skadden's New York office, and Iacovos Antoniou, European counsel in Skadden's London office. The panel explores key merger control issues, the EU Digital Markets Act and U.K. Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act, and ongoing litigation such as the U.S. Department of Justice’s challenge to Google's search business.

    💡 Meet Your Host 💡

    Name: Antoni Terra

    Title: Counsel, Antitrust/Competition

    Specialty: Antoni’s practice focuses on complex merger control matters requiring EU, U.K. and international approvals.

    Connect: LinkedIn

    💡 Featured Guests 💡

    Name: Mike Menitove

    What he does: Mike represents clients in antitrust and complex litigation matters across a broad range of industries, including health care, agriculture, technology and sports, among others.

    Organization: Skadden

    Words of wisdom: “U.S. regulators have expressed concerns about resources, inputs and the scale needed to compete in the generative AI space.”

    Connect: LinkedIn

    Name: Iacovos Antoniou

    What he does: Iacovos advises on all aspects of EU, U.K. and international competition law, including merger control, antitrust investigations and compliance with Articles 101 and 102 TFEU.

    Organization: Skadden

    Words of wisdom: “Competition enforcement in the AI space is here to stay and potentially become more prevalent. So, it's definitely a good time to zoom in on competition principles and understand the regulatory direction.”

    Connect: LinkedIn

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    41 mins
  • Antitrust Collusion in Labor Markets: Enforcement Trends on Both Sides of the Atlantic
    Aug 6 2025

    Gone are the days when companies could simply agree with a handshake not to poach each other's IT staff. Today, violations in the labor market are receiving heightened scrutiny and are being addressed with greater severity. Host Bill Batchelor is joined by three Skadden colleagues to discuss the rapidly evolving enforcement landscape. Jim Fredricks, antitrust/competition partner in Washington, D.C., breaks down the U.S. prosecution strategy. Aurora Luoma, antitrust/competition partner in London, and Margot Sève, white collar defense and investigations partner in Paris, describe the environment in Europe. Tune in for valuable insights on why it is essential for clients to address labor law issues within their compliance programs.

    💡 Meet Your Host 💡

    Name: Bill Batchelor

    Title: Partner, Antitrust/Competition

    Specialty: Bill has 20 years of EU and U.K. competition law experience and focuses his practice on investigations, including abuse of dominance, cartels and vertical agreements.

    Connect: LinkedIn

    💡 Featured Guests 💡

    Name: Aurora Luoma

    What she does: Aurora has a broad practice covering key areas of competition law, including international merger control, antitrust investigations, state aid and sectoral regulation. She particularly focuses on complex global mergers in the EU and U.K.

    Organization: Skadden

    Words of wisdom: “We've seen the U.K. competition authority make statements that tie in enforcement in the labor market to wider policy priorities. So, in a recent speech, the CMA’s chief executive, Sarah Cardell, emphasized that well-functioning labor markets are widely recognized as an important driver of economic growth.”

    Connect: LinkedIn

    Name: Jim Fredricks

    What he does: Drawing on over two decades of experience as an antitrust prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice, Jim counsels and defends clients in all types of antitrust investigations and prosecutions, as well as other complex and multijurisdictional actions brought by government enforcers, including price fixing, bid rigging, market allocations, no-poach agreements, algorithmic pricing and criminal monopolization.

    Organization: Skadden

    Words of wisdom: “The United States is very clear in its position that wage fixing, no-poach are irredeemable in the same way as price fixing and customer allocations. And so, the per se rule applies, which means, as a matter of law, it's unlawful regardless of any...

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    34 mins
  • Regulating the Digital Age: Antitrust Enforcement in the EU and US
    Jun 30 2025

    The antitrust landscape in both the EU and U.S. is rapidly evolving as legacy legal frameworks, including Article 102, are being adapted to address digital platform dominance and new forms of monopolistic behavior. With the arrival of Teresa Ribera to the European Commission and a new U.S. administration, enforcement priorities are shifting toward digital markets, with a particular emphasis on speedy investigations, compliance and innovative theories of harm that go beyond traditional price and output concerns. Host Bill Batchelor unpacks the latest developments with Skadden colleagues Michael Frese and Justine Haimi. The discussion highlights recent high-profile cases involving Google, Apple and Amazon, examining the use of commitment decisions and the growing influence of the Digital Markets Act.

    💡 Meet Your Host 💡

    Name: Bill Batchelor

    Title: Partner, Antitrust/Competition

    Specialty: Bill focuses his practice on conduct investigations, including abuse of dominance, cartels and vertical agreements.

    Connect: LinkedIn

    💡 Featured Guests 💡

    Name: Michael Frese

    What he does: Michael has more than 10 years of experience advising companies on all aspects of EU competition law and various areas of EU and national market regulation, including the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act.

    Organization: Skadden

    Words of wisdom: “In August 2024, the commission issued draft guidelines and exclusionary abuses. These guidelines were meant to help undertakings self-assess their practices, but also to provide guidance to courts. One is hard pressed to find clear guidance in these draft guidelines other than the notion that the commission should have wide discretion.”

    Connect: LinkedIn

    Name: Justine Haimi

    What she does: Justine represents clients in connection with the antitrust aspects of litigation, mergers and acquisitions and advisory matters. She has worked with clients across a diverse range of industries, including health care, medical devices, insurance, consumer goods, telecommunications, energy and pharmaceuticals.

    Organization: Skadden

    Words of wisdom: “President Trump has appointed Andrew Ferguson as chairman of the FTC and Gail Slater as the assistant attorney general responsible for antitrust at the DOJ. Both agency heads have stated that they plan to continue investigating big tech and more vigorously crack down on monopolies, but we may also expect to see some shifts in enforcement from the prior...

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    28 mins
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