Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech? Live Debate from Open to Debate and Johns Hopkins’ SNF Agora Institute

On December 4th in Washington DC, Open to Debate and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University will host the fourth debate in their ongoing partnership, “The Hopkins Forum.” The event will bring together two teams of tech policy and economics experts to debate both sides of the following question: “Tech Titans or Tyrants: Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech?”

Arguing Yes will be Bharat Ramamurti, former Deputy Director of the National Economic Council in the Biden-Harris Administration, and Matt Stoller, a public intellectual who writes about the American anti-monopoly tradition. Arguing No will be Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, and Geoffrey A. Manne, President and Founder of the International Center for Law & Economics.

The debate will take place on Thursday, December 4th, at 6:45 PM ET at Hopkins Bloomberg Center (555 Pennsylvania Avenue NW) in Washington D.C. Media are invited to attend and can email raypadgett@shorefire.com for access. The event will be recorded for later broadcast on the Open to Debate public radio show and podcast.

The event follows the launch of The Hopkins Forum earlier this year with live debates in both Washington DC and Baltimore. In the first debate, Jeff Sessions, Jeff Flake, Cristina Rodriguez, and Jamal Greene debated the future of the Supreme Court. In the second, former Congressman and CIA officer Will Hurd and State Department veteran Susan Thornton debated the US-China A.I. arms race. In the third, former CDC director Tom Frieden, influencer Doctor Mike Varshavski, former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and emergency medicine physician Dara Kass debated whether COVID was a public health failure. Five more debates in the Hopkins Forum series, including this coming event, will be produced through 2026 in DC and Baltimore.

DEBATER BIOS

ARGUING YES:

Bharat Ramamurti, Founder of The Bully Pulpit; Former Deputy Director of the National Economic Council
Bharat Ramamurti is the author of The Bully Pulpit, a Substack on politics, the economy, and a progressive vision for America. He also served as Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and Advisor for Strategic Economic Communications in the Biden-Harris Administration. In that role, he helped shape the Administration’s economic message, worked with Congress to secure the enactment of several landmark pieces of economic legislation, and helped lead the Administration’s efforts on student debt, competition policy, broadband, artificial intelligence, social media platforms, financial regulation, and more. Before joining the Administration, he was appointed as a Member of the Congressional Oversight Commission for the CARES Act by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He previously served as the top banking and economic policy advisor for Senator Elizabeth Warren, including during her presidential campaign. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.

Matt Stoller, Director of Research at the American Economic Liberties Project
Matt Stoller is a public intellectual who writes about the American anti-monopoly tradition. He is the author of the Simon and Schuster book Goliath: The Hundred Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy. Stoller is the Director of Research at the American Economic Liberties Project. He is the co-host of the podcast Organized Money and publishes an email newsletter called BIG.

ARGUING NO:

Jennifer Huddleston, Senior Fellow in Technology Policy at the Cato Institute
Jennifer Huddleston is a senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute. Her research focuses on the intersection of emerging technology and law with a particular interest in the interactions between technology and the administrative state. Huddleston’s work covers topics including antitrust, online speech and content moderation, and data privacy. Her work has appeared in a range of outlets including USA Today, National Review, the Los Angeles Times, CNN, RealClearPolicy, and The Dispatch. She has published in law journals including the Liberty University Law Review, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, George Mason Law Review, Oklahoma Law Review, and Colorado Technology Law Journal and provided expert testimony before Congress and state legislatures related to her research. Huddleston has a JD from the University of Alabama School of Law and a BA in political science from Wellesley College.

Geoffrey A. Manne, President and Founder of the International Center for Law & Economics
Geoffrey A. Manne is the president and founder of the International Center for Law and Economics (ICLE), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center based in Portland, OR. He is also a visiting professor of law at IE Law School in Madrid and a distinguished fellow at Northwestern University’s Center on Law, Business, and Economics. He previously taught at Lewis & Clark Law School. Prior to teaching, Manne practiced antitrust law at Latham & Watkins, clerked for the Hon. Morris S. Arnold on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, and served as a research assistant to Judge Richard Posner. Manne holds AB & JD degrees from the University of Chicago.

ABOUT OPEN TO DEBATE
Open to Debate addresses a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. We are the nation's only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing multiple viewpoints together for a constructive, balanced, respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded people to engage with others holding opposing views on complex issues. We know debate works to find common ground: On average, 32% of the Open to Debate audience changes their mind on contentious topics after hearing a debate. That’s the power of debate done right, and at scale, it can change the direction we’re headed in America. Open to Debate is broadcast as a weekly public radio program, carried on NPR stations including WNYC (#1 in the nation). Open to Debate is made available as a podcast, video series, and digital platform, and records episodes with live audiences nationwide. Learn more at opentodebate.org, and subscribe to Open to Debate’s Substack to access more than 350 debate archives, explore exclusive content, and engage with our community.

ABOUT THE SNF AGORA INSTITUTE
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University is an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through research, teaching, and practice. Founded in 2017 with a visionary $150 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the institute draws inspiration from the ancient Athenian agora—a space for open debate and deliberation—to bridge divides, expand civic engagement, and foster informed, inclusive, dialogue as the cornerstone of robust democracy.

SNF Agora organizes its work around three pillars:

• Discovery: Advancing transformative, multi-disciplinary research to address democratic decline and identify sources of resilience.
• Design: Collaborating with practitioners to develop usable knowledge that transforms academic insight into real-world impact.
• Dialogue: Creating spaces for inclusive civic discourse, public convenings, and educational programs that empower citizens to engage meaningfully in democracy.

Through its work, the SNF Agora Institute empowers citizens with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas to participate meaningfully in civic life. Its scholars and practitioners collaborate to address challenges to democracy, bridge divides, and cultivate democratic resilience through research, innovative interventions, and public engagement. For more information about the SNF Agora Institute, visit www.snfagora.jhu.edu.

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For more information on Open to Debate, please contact Ray Padgett (raypadgett@shorefire.com) or Mark Satlof (msatlof@shorefire.com) at Shore Fire Media.