At big tech hearing, non-denials speak louder than words

Bezos testifies as US Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Zuckerberg, Pichai and Cook listen during a US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law hearing on ‘Online Platforms and Market Power’ in this screengrab made from video made as the committee meets on Capitol Hill, in Washington, US. — US House Judiciary Committee via Reuters

At Wednesday’s hotly anticipated congressional hearing on Big Tech CEOs, much of what they said was predictable: We’re not that big; competition is fierce; consumers love us.

What they didn’t say might be more interesting. Given the opportunity to dispute that they used their enormous power to outmanoeuvre smaller challengers, the tech titans repeatedly demurred.