Breaking the Big Tech Monopoly to Give Veteran Small Businesses a Fair Chance

Entrepreneurship is the number one avenue for regular people to build real wealth and create the freedom for themselves to build a better life and prioritize their families. As an advocate for veteran small business owners, I see firsthand how difficult it is for many returning service members to actually get started in California.

California’s high taxes and maze of agencies and regulations are enough to make many simply give up and try in another state that’s more welcoming. But another obstacle that’s newer — and just as serious — is the power of Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, Meta, and Apple.

These companies have become so big and monopolistic that they can arbitrarily obstruct an entrepreneur from succeeding or can suddenly take an action that devastates their business, all with very little if any recourse for the business owner since they hide behind “terms of service” and it’s nearly impossible to speak to a real person.

It’s at a point where it’s nearly impossible for small business owners to effectively run their business without access to the tools run by Big Tech, so they’ve become like a shadow government — unelected, unaccountable, and unreachable. When an entrepreneur has a problem with them, it’s not even possible to get a straight answer.

As conservatives we know the value of hard work, building something from nothing, and being able to reap the rewards of what you create without Washington or Sacramento breathing down your neck. That’s the foundation of a free economy, and I’ll always stand by it. But here’s the deal: when a handful of trillion-dollar monopolies get so powerful they can silence your voice, cut off your customers, or destroy your business overnight, that’s not a free market anymore. That’s not less government, that’s a shadow government run by corporations. And when that happens, we need guardrails in place so that entrepreneurs—especially veterans trying to start over—have a real shot.

Some of the situations small businesses run into are based on ideology. Some are based on pure profit. And typically there is no alternative for the businesses affected. Decisions by unseen and unknowable algorithms can make or break a business. These algorithms determine if you can reach your customers or if your products show up high on Amazon’s website or on Google’s shopping page.

And let’s be real: much of who wins and loses is tied to politics. Think of how Apple and Google cancelled the conservative social media app Parler, supposedly on the basis of January 6th, when FBI data later showed it was Facebook that played the bigger role.

What makes it worse is California law leaves these monopolies unchecked. Other states and the federal government at least have rules that stop a single giant from swallowing an entire market. California does not. That leaves entrepreneurs here exposed — higher costs, crushed competition, lost jobs, and shuttered storefronts.

That’s why we need real reform. Updating California’s antitrust laws isn’t about punishing success — it’s about restoring competition. It means making clear that one dominant company can be held accountable, not just when they collude. It means setting guardrails against bullying suppliers, manipulating marketplaces, or copying and killing smaller competitors.

Veterans, families, and small business owners don’t want handouts. We’re not afraid of competition. But we do expect a fair shot. Right now the deck is stacked against us, and it doesn’t have to be this way.

If California wants an economy where Main Street still matters, then leaders on both sides of the aisle need to step up and act. The future of small business — and the future of opportunity for veterans returning home — depends on it.