Episode 18 - Selcukhan Unekbas and Pankhudi Khandelwal: Killer Acquisitions, Interoperability, the Google Adtech Decision and more

In this episode, Anush Ganesh is joined by two doctoral researchers from the European University Institute: Selcukhan Unekbas and Pankhudi Khandelwal, both working under the supervision of Professor Nicolas Petit. Selcukhan's research examines how competitiveness, innovation, and capabilities should reshape European merger law. He discusses his empirical work on killer acquisitions, which found limited support for the theory that large tech companies acquire rivals to eliminate them, and explains the Dynamic Competition Initiative's proposal for a "Dynamically As-Efficient Competitor" test that would protect entrants capable of matching incumbent efficiency in the future rather than requiring them to demonstrate current efficiency. Pankhudi's research explores how interoperability frameworks from the financial sector can inform digital markets regulation. She explains why the DMA's compliance model gives gatekeepers too much discretion and what lessons the Commission could learn from India's Unified Payments Interface. The episode also covers Pankhudi's work with Professor Petit on judicial approaches to duties to deal under Article 102, examining how courts have navigated the tension between the strict Bronner test and the need to address platform abuses The conversation turns to the Commission's landmark Google Adtech decision ( SCiDA blog for reference - Google AdTech Decision: The Commission’s Landmark Self-Preferencing Case and the Path to Structural Remedies), which found that Google's vertically integrated advertising technology stack created inherent conflicts of interest. Selcukhan and Pankhudi offer complementary perspectives on whether behavioural remedies can work and what structural or technical solutions might address Google's conflicts.