*By Michael Teich* Big-time media mergers have renewed a policy debate in Washington over how much corporate control in a few powerful hands is too much, said Axios tech reporter David McCabe. By rejecting the Justice Department's antitrust argument against AT&T's $85 billion deal for Time Warner, a federal judge may have redefined the rules of competition in an age defined by broadband internet, streaming video, and a flood of new content. The government unsuccessfully argued that the combined companies would unfairly hurt video competitors. Instead, the judge's approval of the merger may pave the way for AT&T to better defend against new content players such as Facebook, Google, and Netflix. "Over time we may see an internet experience controlled by a shrinking number of companies," McCabe said Wednesday in an interview with Cheddar. AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner is expected to lead to an increase in media mergers and acquisitions. McCabe said the deal is the "green light," especially for vertical deals combining companies that are not direct competitors. "It’s an extra jolt of confidence to executives who are looking to make a deal in this space without the regulatory friction," McCabe said. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/at-and-t-deal-raises-worries-of-internet-oligarchy-2).

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Musk loses crown as world’s richest to software giant Larry Ellison
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison wrested the title of the world’s richest man from longtime holder Elon Musk early Wednesday as stock in his software giant rocketed more than a third in a stunning few minutes of trading. That is according to wealth tracker Bloomberg. A college dropout, the 81-year-old Ellison is now worth $393 billion, Bloomberg says, several billion more than Musk, who had been the world’s richest for four years. The switch in the ranking came after a blockbuster earnings report from Oracle. Forbes still has Musk as the richest, however, valuing his private businesses much higher.
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