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Andrew N. Ferguson

Andrew N. Ferguson

Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission of the United States

Appears in 6 stories

Born: 1986 (age 39 years), Harrisonburg, VA
Party: Republican Party
Office: Commissioner of the United States Federal Trade Commission
Education: University of Virginia

Notable Quotes

The FTC must get out of the way quickly when a merger would not violate antitrust laws, to avoid bogging down innovation and interfering with the free market.

All of Big Tech is going to remain under the microscope. We're going to hold Big Tech's feet to the fire.

Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country's History. (Trump's statement)

Stories

Federal Trade Commission settles with Match Group over OkCupid's secret data pipeline to a facial recognition firm

Rule Changes

Oversaw the settlement authorization

In 2014, OkCupid quietly funneled nearly three million user photos, along with demographic and location data, to Clarifai, a facial recognition startup backed by OkCupid's own co-founders. Users never consented, and OkCupid's privacy policy said this wouldn't happen. When a New York Times article exposed the arrangement five years later, OkCupid publicly denied it.

Updated May 30

Sysco bets $29 billion on Restaurant Depot to reshape food distribution

Money Moves

Will oversee antitrust review of the deal

Sysco, which delivers food to roughly one in every six restaurants in America, announced on March 30 that it would buy Jetro Restaurant Depot—the nation's largest cash-and-carry wholesaler—for $29.1 billion. The deal combines Sysco's truck delivery with Restaurant Depot's 166 warehouse stores, where independent owners load items and pay cash, creating a company serving over a million customers.

Updated May 30

Federal Trade Commission's expanded merger notification rules face legal challenge

Rule Changes

Leading FTC's appeal of the district court ruling

The Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notification form went largely unchanged for 48 years. When the Federal Trade Commission tripled its compliance burden in 2024, business groups sued, and a Texas federal judge just agreed.

Updated May 29

US merger notification thresholds rise amid regulatory turbulence

Rule Changes

Serving as FTC Chair since January 2025

The United States raised the federal antitrust review threshold to $133.9 million on February 15, 2026—up from $126.4 million the previous year. Companies planning mergers or acquisitions above this threshold must file premerger notifications with the FTC and DOJ and await government clearance before closing.

Updated May 29

Arm Holdings faces global antitrust scrutiny over chip licensing

Rule Changes

Oversees the Arm probe under a Republican-led FTC

Arm Holdings designs the chip architecture found in roughly 99% of smartphones and a growing share of data-center processors. On May 6 it reported record quarterly results. Five days later, Bloomberg revealed the Federal Trade Commission had opened an antitrust probe into how the company distributes those designs.

Updated May 20

The great AI deregulation

Rule Changes

Appointed January 20, 2025

The FTC just tore up its own rulebook. On December 22, 2025, the agency voted 2-0 to reverse a year-old enforcement action against Rytr, an AI writing tool accused of enabling fake reviews.

Updated May 16