Google, Yahoo get antitrust look focused on hiring laws

SAN FRANCISCO -- Justice officials are in the early stages of a review into whether tech companies broke antitrust laws by agreeing not to hire away top talent, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

"The government has said it will enforce anti-competitive laws against dominant companies," says Gary Reback, a Silicon Valley attorney. "Still, I'm curious: What started this particular investigation?"

The hiring review is the latest action by the Obama administration to closely scrutinize possible anti-competitive actions in the tech industry. Last month, Justice initiated a review of the board ties between Apple and Google.