Rory Van Loo
@vanloo.bsky.social
Law professor at Boston University focused on digital technologies, consumers, markets, and regulation. Previously consulted at McKinsey after law school, made sandwiches in Paris during college, and sold newspaper subscriptions door-to-door in 5th grade.
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
My paper with @vanloo.bsky.social and @lanemiles.bsky.social showing that more than 15% of US companies have potentially illegal interlocking board members is now published in the Columbia Law Review
columbialawreview.org/content/anti...
columbialawreview.org/content/anti...
ANTICOMPETITIVE DIRECTORS - Columbia Law Review
“The practice of interlocking directorates is the root of many evils. It offends laws human and divine.” — Justice Louis Brandeis. Introduction Antitrust law prohibits competing corporations from shar...
columbialawreview.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:08 PM
My paper with @vanloo.bsky.social and @lanemiles.bsky.social showing that more than 15% of US companies have potentially illegal interlocking board members is now published in the Columbia Law Review
columbialawreview.org/content/anti...
columbialawreview.org/content/anti...
Glad to join @jessicasilbey.bsky.social and Woody Hartzog in discussing @rcalo.bsky.social's important new Law & Technology book. Insightful comments, great company, and lots of laughter.
September 9, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Glad to join @jessicasilbey.bsky.social and Woody Hartzog in discussing @rcalo.bsky.social's important new Law & Technology book. Insightful comments, great company, and lots of laughter.
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
Lane Miles, @vanloo.bsky.social, and I have a new blog post in the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
Overlapping Directors as a Competition Problem,
corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/29/o...
Overlapping Directors as a Competition Problem,
corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/29/o...
Overlapping Directors as a Competition Problem
Antitrust law prohibits competing corporations from sharing board members—called “interlocking directorates”—and has for more than a century. ...
corpgov.law.harvard.edu
August 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Lane Miles, @vanloo.bsky.social, and I have a new blog post in the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
Overlapping Directors as a Competition Problem,
corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/29/o...
Overlapping Directors as a Competition Problem,
corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/08/29/o...
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
My newest empirical study, with Rory Van Loo and Lane Miles, finds that more than 10% of companies in the US share board members with a direct competitor, a per se violation of the antitrust laws
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
ANTICOMPETITIVE DIRECTORS
In search of answers for declining competition, antitrust scholars have in recent years devoted considerable attention to a few institutional owners—such as Bla
papers.ssrn.com
June 17, 2025 at 8:32 PM
My newest empirical study, with Rory Van Loo and Lane Miles, finds that more than 10% of companies in the US share board members with a direct competitor, a per se violation of the antitrust laws
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
Watch #BULawProf @vanloo.bsky.social testify before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary today during the "Big Fixes for Big Tech" hearing. Prof. Van Loo will speak before the subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights.
➡️ www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
➡️ www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
Big Fixes for Big Tech | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
www.judiciary.senate.gov
April 1, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Watch #BULawProf @vanloo.bsky.social testify before the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary today during the "Big Fixes for Big Tech" hearing. Prof. Van Loo will speak before the subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights.
➡️ www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
➡️ www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
Big week for Big Tech antitrust. TODAY, Senate hearing - w @kint.bsky.social, @vanloo.bsky.social, + more - on break 'em up: www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
Weds @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy's Little Tech fest w/ @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu + US enforcers: www.linkedin.com/posts/luther...
Weds @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy's Little Tech fest w/ @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu + US enforcers: www.linkedin.com/posts/luther...
Big Fixes for Big Tech | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
www.judiciary.senate.gov
April 1, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Big week for Big Tech antitrust. TODAY, Senate hearing - w @kint.bsky.social, @vanloo.bsky.social, + more - on break 'em up: www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
Weds @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy's Little Tech fest w/ @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu + US enforcers: www.linkedin.com/posts/luther...
Weds @ycombinator.com.web.brid.gy's Little Tech fest w/ @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu + US enforcers: www.linkedin.com/posts/luther...
I’m looking forward to testifying tomorrow in the Senate! www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
Big Fixes for Big Tech | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
www.judiciary.senate.gov
March 31, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I’m looking forward to testifying tomorrow in the Senate! www.judiciary.senate.gov/committee-ac...
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
Volume 92.2 is now live, featuring pieces by @bdgesq.bsky.social & Aziz Huq; Jonathan Gould & @vanloo.bsky.social; Kathryn Judge & Lev Menand; @stomarova.bsky.social & Brian Richardson; Christina Parajon Skinner; Yesha Yadav & Joshua Younger; and David Zaring. lawreview.uchicago.edu
March 3, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Volume 92.2 is now live, featuring pieces by @bdgesq.bsky.social & Aziz Huq; Jonathan Gould & @vanloo.bsky.social; Kathryn Judge & Lev Menand; @stomarova.bsky.social & Brian Richardson; Christina Parajon Skinner; Yesha Yadav & Joshua Younger; and David Zaring. lawreview.uchicago.edu
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
Jonathan Gould and @vanloo.bsky.social discuss Congress’s capacity to confront future threats. Noting that the playing field is tilted against Congress taking action, they propose mechanisms that Congress should utilize to regulate the risk of major crises when it has the opportunity.
March 3, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Jonathan Gould and @vanloo.bsky.social discuss Congress’s capacity to confront future threats. Noting that the playing field is tilted against Congress taking action, they propose mechanisms that Congress should utilize to regulate the risk of major crises when it has the opportunity.
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
#BULaw is proud to be tied at #5 for law schools with the highest number of Top 100 Legal Scholars of 2024, with #BULawProf @vanloo.bsky.social at #14, Scott Hirst at #20, and @hartzog.bsky.social at #48.
Learn more ➡️ papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Learn more ➡️ papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
February 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
#BULaw is proud to be tied at #5 for law schools with the highest number of Top 100 Legal Scholars of 2024, with #BULawProf @vanloo.bsky.social at #14, Scott Hirst at #20, and @hartzog.bsky.social at #48.
Learn more ➡️ papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Learn more ➡️ papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Should be a fun conference tomorrow at Harvard on the state of consumer contract law:
January 24, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Should be a fun conference tomorrow at Harvard on the state of consumer contract law:
True story. I finished well over 500 distinct books this year outside of work. Here’s how.
1. Made regular trips to the public library to fill my backpack after a quick glance, sometimes with awesome librarian help.
2. Read a few each night to my 5-year-old daughter.
Happy new year!
1. Made regular trips to the public library to fill my backpack after a quick glance, sometimes with awesome librarian help.
2. Read a few each night to my 5-year-old daughter.
Happy new year!
December 30, 2024 at 12:41 PM
True story. I finished well over 500 distinct books this year outside of work. Here’s how.
1. Made regular trips to the public library to fill my backpack after a quick glance, sometimes with awesome librarian help.
2. Read a few each night to my 5-year-old daughter.
Happy new year!
1. Made regular trips to the public library to fill my backpack after a quick glance, sometimes with awesome librarian help.
2. Read a few each night to my 5-year-old daughter.
Happy new year!
A warm Bluesky welcome to Chinmayi Sharma (@chinmayisharma.bsky.social), who is doing interesting and valuable research on trustworthy AI and other tech law topics.
December 17, 2024 at 2:56 PM
A warm Bluesky welcome to Chinmayi Sharma (@chinmayisharma.bsky.social), who is doing interesting and valuable research on trustworthy AI and other tech law topics.
Yes, reducing unwanted marketing emails should be bipartisan--like stopping robocalls.
It would be nice on the policy front if Congress/the FTC prevented vendors from harvesting/subscribing customers to marketing emails simply because they’ve made a purchase. Yes, I aggressively use a decoy email for
retail. They worm their way into the main acct anyway (through Apple Pay, etc).
retail. They worm their way into the main acct anyway (through Apple Pay, etc).
December 13, 2024 at 12:04 PM
Yes, reducing unwanted marketing emails should be bipartisan--like stopping robocalls.
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
It would be nice on the policy front if Congress/the FTC prevented vendors from harvesting/subscribing customers to marketing emails simply because they’ve made a purchase. Yes, I aggressively use a decoy email for
retail. They worm their way into the main acct anyway (through Apple Pay, etc).
retail. They worm their way into the main acct anyway (through Apple Pay, etc).
December 13, 2024 at 2:47 AM
It would be nice on the policy front if Congress/the FTC prevented vendors from harvesting/subscribing customers to marketing emails simply because they’ve made a purchase. Yes, I aggressively use a decoy email for
retail. They worm their way into the main acct anyway (through Apple Pay, etc).
retail. They worm their way into the main acct anyway (through Apple Pay, etc).
Reposted by Rory Van Loo
December 10, 2024 at 9:11 PM
Delighted to see my inflation article up. It asks whether we should rely so heavily on Fed interest rate hikes, which risks great sacrifice. Another option is to first fight as much inflation as possible through policies that strengthen the economy.
southerncalifornialawreview.com/2023/12/27/i...
southerncalifornialawreview.com/2023/12/27/i...
January 3, 2024 at 1:43 PM
Delighted to see my inflation article up. It asks whether we should rely so heavily on Fed interest rate hikes, which risks great sacrifice. Another option is to first fight as much inflation as possible through policies that strengthen the economy.
southerncalifornialawreview.com/2023/12/27/i...
southerncalifornialawreview.com/2023/12/27/i...
In a heartbreaking year, some bore a heavier burden. I was inspired by those deeply connected to tragic world events who still somehow continued to function, be kind, and give to others. One of my hopes for the coming year is that the world gives them more back.
December 29, 2023 at 1:17 PM
In a heartbreaking year, some bore a heavier burden. I was inspired by those deeply connected to tragic world events who still somehow continued to function, be kind, and give to others. One of my hopes for the coming year is that the world gives them more back.
Excited to share something I co-wrote in the Chicago Tribune, reporting findings suggesting that Amazon buries the best deals low in search results.
(w/ Nikita Aggarwal) www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/comm...
(w/ Nikita Aggarwal) www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/comm...
December 20, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Excited to share something I co-wrote in the Chicago Tribune, reporting findings suggesting that Amazon buries the best deals low in search results.
(w/ Nikita Aggarwal) www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/comm...
(w/ Nikita Aggarwal) www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/comm...
A warm welcome to my tech colleague and friend Ngozi Okidegbe, who just joined Bluesky!
@ngoziokidegbe.bsky.social
www.bu.edu/law/profile/...
@ngoziokidegbe.bsky.social
www.bu.edu/law/profile/...
November 16, 2023 at 1:06 PM
A warm welcome to my tech colleague and friend Ngozi Okidegbe, who just joined Bluesky!
@ngoziokidegbe.bsky.social
www.bu.edu/law/profile/...
@ngoziokidegbe.bsky.social
www.bu.edu/law/profile/...
The biggest accomplishment of my academic year so far: doing my daughter’s (and my) first ballet bun.
When I asked the teacher who requested it if she had any feedback: “(Pause) Well, it lasted the whole practice…I really appreciate the effort.”
When I asked the teacher who requested it if she had any feedback: “(Pause) Well, it lasted the whole practice…I really appreciate the effort.”
November 9, 2023 at 2:16 PM
The biggest accomplishment of my academic year so far: doing my daughter’s (and my) first ballet bun.
When I asked the teacher who requested it if she had any feedback: “(Pause) Well, it lasted the whole practice…I really appreciate the effort.”
When I asked the teacher who requested it if she had any feedback: “(Pause) Well, it lasted the whole practice…I really appreciate the effort.”
We’ve posted the updated “Amazon’s Pricing Paradox.” It examines how Amazon’s search algorithm and interface design influence prices. It’s relevant to the recent FTC antitrust case but adds another layer. Comments welcome!
ssrn.com/abstract=443...
@nikitaggarwal
ssrn.com/abstract=443...
@nikitaggarwal
September 27, 2023 at 12:33 PM
We’ve posted the updated “Amazon’s Pricing Paradox.” It examines how Amazon’s search algorithm and interface design influence prices. It’s relevant to the recent FTC antitrust case but adds another layer. Comments welcome!
ssrn.com/abstract=443...
@nikitaggarwal
ssrn.com/abstract=443...
@nikitaggarwal