Exclusive: Americans say large tech companies have too much power
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Seven in 10 Americans believe that Big Tech companies and their CEOs have too much power, according to results of a survey from the Little Tech Association, shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The findings, while clearly aligned with the group that commissioned the poll, highlight growing concern about the influence that a few companies have over society in the age of artificial intelligence.
The big picture: New on the scene, the Little Tech Association has about 200 tech company members, with Y Combinator, Proton, Replit and Yelp as the founding members and largest funders.
- Among its first actions was a letter last week urging the U.S. not to ban access to Chinese open-source models.
By the numbers: The poll, a YouGov survey of around 1,200 adults, found that 71% believe the tech companies have too much power, with just 2% saying they have too little power.
- More than two-thirds of Americans (68%) said they support state and federal agencies using existing antitrust laws against tech companies, with only 3% opposed.
- Nearly the same share (67%) supported bipartisan efforts to strengthen such laws, with just 4% against these kinds of moves.
- Ninety percent of Americans reported being concerned with how large corporations are collecting and using their personal data, with 48% describing themselves as "very concerned."
Between the lines: The findings cut across political lines and many of those people calling for tighter regulation are also regular users of the tech products of the companies in question.
- Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed (72%) said they have used AI in the past three months. Of those, more than 3 in 5 said they had had a positive experience with AI.
- Fewer than 1 in 5 said they trust Big Tech to manage the development and deployment of AI.
- Nearly half of those surveyed lacked trust in any institution to do so, including small businesses, large tech companies, state and local elected officials, Congress and the Trump administration.
What they're saying: "Americans have made themselves clear," said Harry Godfrey, executive director of the Little Tech Association. "They love what technology can do, and they are deeply uneasy about how much power a handful of giant companies now hold over it."
- "The public does not want the future of AI decided by the same handful of companies that already dominate the internet," said Godfrey. "Americans are telling us they want competition, not consolidation."
Reality check: The founding ethos of the new group is to make sure small tech companies' interests are heard and checks are put in place to limit Big Tech power.
The fine print: YouGov interviewed 1,275 respondents from July 6 to 13, 2026 and the results were then balanced to be representative of the U.S. adult population, with the survey having a margin of error that is plus or
minus 3.2 percentage points.
