Outgoing agency head was a determined antitrust enforcer during her tenure, but some detractors say she was a bully with unchecked power

Lina Khan was installed as the US’s top antitrust watchdog with a mandate to turn the page on an era of light-touch enforcement. According to her critics, Khan was a “bully” with “unchecked power”. But, by her reckoning, this new era brought “off the charts” success.

In Silicon Valley and beyond, industry leaders argue she went too far. Some officials inside the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complained the agency was hamstrung by mismanagement. And now, as Khan prepares to step down, her successor has made no secret of his plan to break with her agenda.