The Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether hiring practices by major technology firms violated antitrust laws, reports the Washington Post. The investigation is targeting Google, Yahoo, Apple, and many other firms.
The investigation is trying to determine if companies in the technology industry made an agreement with one another to not recruit each others employees. The Department has issued civil investigative demands to get documents and information from the companies, but the investigation is in its early stages.
Fun fact: The New York Times notes that, in 2001, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor ruled against Exxon and other oil companies for colluding in hiring decisions to suppress wages.
UPDATE: The WSJ Law Blog’s headline for the story is: “Breaking News: DOJ Trusbusters Probing Big Tech’s Hiring Practices” while technology blog TechCrunch goes with “Once Again, the Justice Department Is Confused. Tech Companies Steal Employees From Each Other Every Day.”
