LinkedIn co-founder asks Harris to replace FTC’s Lina Khan

LinkedIn co-founder and billionaire Democratic donor Reid Hoffman is urging Vice President Harris to replace the head of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) if elected in November. 

Hoffman suggested that FTC Chair Lina Khan, who has led the Biden administration’s aggressive antitrust push, is operating “outside the scope” of her job and argued that she is “a person who is not helping America.” 

“I would hope that Vice President Harris would replace her,” Hoffman told CNN, adding, “Antitrust is fine. … Waging war is not.” 

The LinkedIn co-founder was quick to back Harris’s bid for president on Sunday, after President Biden announced he was stepping aside and endorsing his vice president.  

“Kamala Harris is the right person at the right time,” Hoffman said in a post on social platform X, adding, “I wholeheartedly support Kamala Harris and her candidacy for President of the United States in our fight for democracy in November.” 

Hoffman has been a vocal supporter of both Biden and Harris at a time when former President Trump has managed to make inroads in typically deep blue Silicon Valley. 

However, Silicon Valley is not a fan of Khan, as major tech companies have often been the subject of FTC scrutiny. 

Hoffman is not alone in his calls to oust Khan. IAC Chair Barry Diller, who has donated to Biden and the Democratic Party, said on Friday that he would also lobby on Harris to replace the FTC chair. 

“I think she’s a dope,” Diller told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”