Figma's Big Win: A Lesson in Letting Startups Shine

Figma's initial public offering (IPO) has been a huge success. But here's an interesting twist: Lina Khan, who used to lead the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), sees this as a big win for her approach to regulating big tech companies. Back in 2023, Adobe tried to buy Figma for a whopping $20 billion. But the deal fell apart. Why? Well, there were concerns that this deal would hurt competition. Khan was a big part of that scrutiny. She believed that letting startups grow on their own, instead of being swallowed by bigger companies, is good for everyone. Khan's stance wasn't popular with everyone in the tech industry. Some thought she was too tough on big companies. But she argued that her approach was good for founders and innovation. She believed that more competition is better than just a few big players. Now, with Figma's successful IPO, Khan sees this as proof that her approach was right. She says it's a win for employees, investors, and the public. But not everyone agrees. Some, like Wedbush Security analyst Dan Ives, think Figma's success is all about the company's own innovation, not because of any regulatory scrutiny. This whole situation raises an important question: Is it better to let startups grow on their own, or is it okay for big companies to buy them up? It's a debate that's far from over.