Academic and Legal Career of Zephyr:
Zephyr Teachout is a Professor of Law at Fordham Law School, where she teaches courses on corporate law, antitrust, and white-collar crime. Her research focuses on the intersection between corporate power and democracy, with notable works such as “Corruption in America” (published in 2014), where she argues that the U.S. Constitution contains an anti-corruption principle abandoned by the modern Supreme Court, and “Break ’em Up” (2020), a manifesto advocating the dismantling of monopolies in sectors like technology and agriculture.
Additionally, Teachout served as Special Advisor for Economic Justice in the New York Attorney General’s Office (between 2021–2022), leading initiatives against abusive financial practices and corporate concentration of power.

A Political Career: From Primaries to Activism:
Teachout has sought to influence change from within the system to advance her core ideas and push for the reforms she believes the system needs:
She ran for Governor of New York (2014), competing against Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primaries and obtaining 33% of the vote with a progressive platform that included banning fracking and publicly financing elections.
She ran for the U.S. House of Representatives (2016), where she lost to Republican John Faso in New York’s 19th district, despite support from Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer.
She was a candidate for New York Attorney General (2018), receiving the endorsement of The New York Times, but lost the Democratic nomination to Letitia James.
Her political approach combines legal activism with citizen mobilization, exemplified by her participation in Occupy Wall Street, where she advocated for decentralizing economic power.

Her Conceptual Contributions to the Neo-Brandeisian Movement:
Teachout is a central figure in the resurgence of the Neo-Brandeisian movement, which seeks to redefine antitrust not merely as a tool to lower prices, but as a mechanism to protect democracy and reduce inequality. In summary, her main contributions to the movement can be stated as follows:

• Critique of “consumer welfare”: She argues that the Chicago School’s focus on prices and efficiency ignored harms such as political concentration of power and the erosion of small businesses.
• A structural vision: She proposes antitrust laws that prevent mergers consolidating control of critical sectors (e.g., technology, pharmaceuticals) and promote a decentralized economy.
• Practical impact: Her work inspired FTC actions under Lina Khan (whom we will discuss in another note), such as lawsuits against Meta and Amazon, and regulations banning non-compete clauses.

One of Her Most Important Principles: The Defense of Morality in Markets:
In her essay “Antitrust Law, Freedom, and Human Development,” Teachout links economic structures with citizens’ moral freedom. Using literary examples like Middlemarch, she argues that monopolies reduce individuals’ capacity to act ethically by creating extreme dependencies (e.g., workers tied to single employers). For her, a decentralized market fosters more participatory communities and robust civic debates, both essential for a healthy democracy.

Her Media Influence and Columnism:
Since 2025, Teachout has been a columnist for The Nation with the section “Anti-Monopolist,” where she analyzes cases such as Elon Musk’s maneuvers and the concentration of power during the Trump era. Her first article, “Pay Less Attention to That Man in Front of the Curtain,” criticizes the theatricality of current politics and calls for focusing on hidden power structures. She has received several recognitions for her editorial activism, being included, for example, in Time 100 influence lists and named “Person of the Year in Regulation” by the Financial Times in 2024.

In conclusion, Zephyr Teachout embodies the fusion of legal scholarship and political activism. Her legacy not only redefines antitrust but also reimagines how economic power shapes ethics and democracy. As she herself asserts: “Corporate concentration is not a market error; it is a failure of law.” In a world where technological and financial giants dictate global agendas, her voice remains a beacon for those seeking to balance the scales of power.