00:00 — Introduction
00:09 — The Oldest Law in the Room
01:34 — Killing the Future Competitor
01:34 — The Deal That Hasn't Happened Yet
01:34 — Wrap Up
Sources:
- National Archives - Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/sherman-anti-trust-act
- CNBC - Visa Abandons Takeover of Plaid After DOJ Raises Antitrust Concerns: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/visa-abandons-takeover-of-plaid-after-doj-raises-antitrust-concerns.html
- CNBC - DOJ Seeks to Block Visa's $5.3 Billion Acquisition of Plaid: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/05/doj-files-antitrust-lawsuit-to-block-visas-plaid-acquisition-.html
- Goodwin Law - Visa Abandons $5.3B Acquisition of Plaid: Killer Acquisitions: https://www.goodwinlaw.com/en/insights/publications/2021/01/01_14-visa-abandons-acquisition
- American Bar Association - Adobe/Figma Merger: An Epitome of Potential Competition Theory?: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/antitrust_law/resources/newsletters/adobe-figma-merger/
- Wing Venture Capital - Observations on the Adobe-Figma Acquisition Termination: https://www.wing.vc/content/observations-on-the-adobe-figma-acquisition-termination
- Yahoo Finance - SpaceX Strikes $60 Billion Deal for the Right to Buy AI Coding Startup Cursor: https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/article/spacex-strikes-60-billion-deal-for-the-right-to-buy-ai-coding-startup-cursor-143350832.html
- TechCrunch - SpaceX Is Working With Cursor and Has an Option to Buy the Startup for $60B: https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/21/spacex-is-working-with-cursor-and-has-an-option-to-buy-the-startup-for-60-billion/
- CNBC - Microsoft Looked at Buying Cursor Before SpaceX Deal: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/22/microsoft-looked-at-buying-cursor-before-spacex-deal-sources-say.html
- Economic Liberties - It's Not Just Figma: Blocked Deals and What Happened Next: https://economicpopulist.substack.com/p/its-not-just-figma
Full interactive experience at thehigheriq.com: skip between stories, test your recall, and get personalized briefings.