https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/an-odd-settlement-on-rent-fixing
AI GENERATED
"Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court." —Proverbs 22:22
Matt Stoller's article explains that RealPage, a company owned by private equity, makes software that helps big landlords raise rents and keep apartments empty to make more money. The U.S. government sued them for price-fixing, but the case was settled in a way that mostly lets RealPage keep doing what it wants. The settlement bans some data-sharing and limits certain features, but loopholes mean landlords can still get tips and use past data to raise rents. Stoller warns this could keep rents high and shows weak enforcement of antitrust rules.
"Rulers who are not just oppress the poor, but those who defend the law bring justice." —Proverbs 29:4
Trump comes into this story because Gail Slater, the head of the DOJ Antitrust Division at the time of the RealPage settlement, was a Trump appointee. Stoller argues that under her leadership, the DOJ settled the case in a way favorable to RealPage, rather than aggressively enforcing antitrust law.
Essentially, the connection is:
The Trump-era DOJ had the power to fight algorithmic rent-fixing.
The settlement was perceived as weak, signaling that the Trump administration "blessed" RealPage's practices.
This ties Trump indirectly to the ongoing influence of private equity over rents.
