The top antitrust enforcer at the Federal Trade Commission is stepping down from his role next month, Chairman Joe Simons announced Friday.
Bruce Hoffman, director of the Bureau of Competition, will depart the agency in November after more than two years in his position. Ian Conner, who has served as Hoffman’s deputy since September 2017, is set to succeed him.
During his tenure, Hoffman spearheaded the creation of the Bureau’s Technology Enforcement Division, formed in February 2019 to monitor competition in U.S. technology markets. His departure comes amid a recent push by the government into the potential antitrust actions of Big Tech companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon.
Notable among Hoffman’s 42 challenged mergers in his role was the FTC’s win in its monopolization case against telecommunications giant Qualcomm.
“Bruce has done an outstanding job leading the FTC’s vigorous antitrust enforcement efforts for the last two years,” Simons said in a statement. “His keen insight and tireless work have benefited American consumers by strengthening and advancing the Commission’s competition agenda.”
Before joining the FTC in July 2017, Hoffman was global co-head of Shearman & Sterling’s Antitrust Group. Previously, he led the global competition practice at Hunton & Williams, representing clients in the supermarket, funeral, and music industries, among others.
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