https://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mlkjc6rfck2fThe monopoly round-up is out. I profiled a nasty private equity rolling up of bowling alleys called Bowlero, and the Lina Khan generation of antitrust lawyers trying to stop them in their tracks. As goes bowling, so goes America. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-what-challenging11 May 2026 05:13 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlkjc6rfck2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mlj3uohevs2z“Can I afford the tax? Yes. Will it deter me? No. But I think it’s shameful,” he said. “I provide a lot of money to people who are blue-collar workers who work for me, servers in restaurants." Never change, Epstein class. You're perfect the way you are. https://www.ft.com/content/3283eaab-e9cf-41e6-a028-5a02fb6f4615?syn-25a6b1a6=110 May 2026 15:41 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlj3uohevs2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mlerj5wqek2sHere’s a Trump related merger that’s could screw 1.5 million small businesses. You don’t know these companies, Cintas and Unifirst, but their products are everywhere. Make America Scammy Again. https://open.substack.com/pub/mattstoller/p/fine-print-how-uniform-rental-contracts?r=g9qw&utm_medium=ios08 May 2026 22:25 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlerj5wqek2shttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mlefgon73k2zYou will want to read this fascinating story about market power in the uniform rental contract space. It may not sound relevant to you, but I guarantee it is. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/fine-print-how-uniform-rental-contracts08 May 2026 18:48 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlefgon73k2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mleb5lx6dk2tObama has been doing paid speaking gigs at corporate events, with no one tracking it. Here he talks to an audience of CEOs for the lobbying/pr firm Consello. He's the former President and this is how he chooses to spend his time? He doesn't need the money. Just sad.08 May 2026 17:32 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mleb5lx6dk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mlbmxncvks25Mark Ruffalo and I wrote an oped for the NYT on Trump allies buying up the media via acquiring Warner Brothers and CNN, but it's really about how fear of oligarchs is overtaking America. And there's a lesson in how solidarity helps us fight back. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/opinion/hollywood-merger-fear-paramount-warner-bros.html07 May 2026 16:25 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbmxncvks25https://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mkx5zzg4ec24No, Biden did not kill Spirit Airlines. Trump did. There are other villains too. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/who-killed-spirit-airlines03 May 2026 12:31 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkx5zzg4ec24https://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mjkqlxgh7c23Ken Paxton: "BREAKING: I just secured victory against Live Nation in court to end its illegal monopolization and make live events more affordable."15 Apr 2026 20:34 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkqlxgh7c23https://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mjknpfcr5k2tBOOM! When Trump tried to sabotage the Ticketmaster antitrust case, the state attorneys general kept it going. And won. The antitrust revolution goes onward.15 Apr 2026 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjknpfcr5k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mjibwrb53k22The Google antitrust remedies are actually going to lead to advertisers getting cash back. If you spent more than $10k on Google ads, you can file for damages here. The lawyer is Ashley Keller, he's a super creative antitrust litigator. adsrefund.com https://adsrefund.com/14 Apr 2026 21:06 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjibwrb53k22https://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mjhwsmm6bs2vOh look David Ellison's Paramount is already retaliating against people for opposing his takeover of Warner. https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/journalism/paramount-pulls-ads-the-ankler-richard-rushfield-block-the-merger/14 Apr 2026 17:47 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjhwsmm6bs2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mjf22xsfds2o🔥🔥🔥A thousand writers, directors, and actors signed a letter opposing the Paramount-Warner merger. That's a HUGE deal, since there was massive fear in the industry. It was organized by @markruffalo.bsky.social who I will now call the mayor of Hollywood. https://www.thewrap.com/media-platforms/film-studios/open-letter-against-paramount-warner-bros-jj-abrams-david-fincher-kristen-stewart/13 Apr 2026 14:07 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjf22xsfds2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mjajmej44s2zToday I released an investigative piece on something most people don't think about until they really need it - ambulances. The price of ambulances has skyrocketed since 2012. Why? It's likely... private equity. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/code-red-why-your-city-cant-affordor11 Apr 2026 19:02 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjajmej44s2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mj66frohe22a@josephpolitano.bsky.social thinks 'antitrust = good' because he doesn't get law. Paxton is aggressive on antitrust. That's not a recommendation - antitrust can be used for bad ends too. Paxton is a better and more creative lawyer than Pam Bondi, but I don't want Trump with better lawyering. [contains quote post or other embedded content]10 Apr 2026 20:36 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj66frohe22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3miouwfk32c2aYes, health insurer and Silicon Valley owned AI companies are taping therapy sessions and using that data. It's a creepy situation driven by health insurers not wanting to pay for mental health care. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/yes-therapy-sessions-are-being-used04 Apr 2026 18:37 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3miouwfk32c2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3migqwx47ks2bActually banning buybacks for defense contractors is a good idea. Nearly all capital for the industry is provided by the government. An increase of buybacks and shareholder returns drove a weaker defense base. https://www.acq.osd.mil/asda/dpc/pcf/docs/finance-study/FINAL%20-%20Defense%20Contract%20Finance%20Study%20Report%204.6.23.pdf [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 Apr 2026 13:04 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3migqwx47ks2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mhvoozramk27Boom. https://www.npr.org/2026/03/25/nx-s1-5746125/meta-youtube-social-media-trial-verdict25 Mar 2026 18:09 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhvoozramk27https://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mhjpsvbexs2nTrump personally intervened to pardon Ticketmaster and preserve its monopoly. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/lobbyists-antitrust-trump-davis-f6a02e04?st=7PHU9h&reflink=article_copyURL_share20 Mar 2026 23:57 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhjpsvbexs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/matthewstoller.bsky.social/post/3mhgvmwztek22Democrats are actually targeting the censorship machine, aka our corporate media. Eight state enforcers just filed a case to block the merger of the broadcaster giants who had Jimmy Kimmel thrown off the air. https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/boom-state-enforcers-attack-the-censorship19 Mar 2026 21:03 +0000at://did:plc:yzmo3kmhhazep4mbfapy2mng/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhgvmwztek22