FTC Chair Lina Khan Criticized for Management Abilities, Several Staff Members Resign

In 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Lina Khan to be the lead for the Federal Trade Commission or FTC, and even though it seemed to be a great idea at the time, Democrats have now changed their mind.

Democrats Call Out Lina Khan

The New York Post reported that Lina Khan's management style had been criticized by the staff of FTC, who is not contented with her leadership. They've also voiced their concerns about the risks posed by her ambitions.

Khan, who gained recognition in 2021 for her incredible testimony against Amazon, has promised to fight monopolies in the tech industry prior to being the FTC Chair.

Khan was not only picked by President Biden for the position but she was also backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

She should have been the dream candidate, yet FTC source revealed that Khan's academic brilliance does not translate into management ability and that her lack of experience has agency staff members quit their jobs.

Office of International Affairs director Randy Tritell handed in her resignation in early June after 24 years with the antitrust law agency.

Tritell had taken issue with Khan's management style and had seen several members of his team reassigned to work on mergers.

FTC spokesperson Peter Kaplan did not comment on Tritell's resignation but said that the 1,100-person agency has had to identify creative ways to reallocate internal resources to help with the workload.

FTC staff are worried that internal conflict could affect the 33-year-old's ability to execute her agenda at a time when the agency is already struggling with several high-profile projects, according to The Washington Post.

These include an antitrust lawsuit seeking to force Meta to sell off WhatsApp and Instagram and a probe of Amazon that includes scrutiny of its recent purchase of MGM that may lead to a lawsuit with FTC.

Eileen Harrington, the former executive director of the FTC for 27 years, called Khan a "rising star" who was given too much responsibility.

Harrington pointed out that the Democrats have put her in a position of running an important federal agency when she has no experience at all.

Several Staff Members Resign

FTC staffers revealed that Khan almost doesn't meet with rank-and-file employees, unlike the previous FTC chairs.

She is also accused of favoring law professors over experienced staffers and litigators who understand how the federal agency is run and knows all of the important details, according to CBS News.

Harrington said she got complaints from her friends at the agency right after Khan took the position in 2021.

Khan took time to introduce herself to staff compared to the previous chairs and was accused of having a dismissive attitude toward career employees.

Harrington added that staff members complained that they were only getting criticism and dismissal from the chair's office, and some employees even called Khan "abusive" and a '"tyrant." That was when the staff members began resigning from their positions.

Kaplan clarified the accusations against Khan and said that she did meet the leaders of each FTC team in her first two months in the agency.

The FTC spokesperson also met with the full staff of almost every office in the agency and gave them opportunities to ask questions and share suggestions.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster