Reading Notes of The EU's Digital Market Act

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is the EU’s flagship regulatory framework for the competition and market-power problem of Big Tech platforms. The European Commission describes it as one of the first tools to comprehensively regulate the gatekeeper power of the largest digital companies. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and this post is not legal advice. These are my personal reading notes on the EU Digital Markets Act — it’s for academic purposes only, and all mistakes are my own. Readers should consult the official legal text and, where necessary, a qualified lawyer for legal advice. Some related regulations are the Digital Services Act (DSA), GDPR, general EU competition acts, AI acts etc. Related: notes on The EU Digital Markets Act: A Report from a Panel of Economic Experts (February 9, 2021). TL;DR: The EU Digital Markets Act is an ex ante regulatory regime for large digital platforms that act as unavoidable gateways between businesses and users. ...

June 13, 2026 · Ariana Tang

Joffery (and SF Ballet)'s new co-comissioned Onegin

The new ballet is emotionally direct, superbly choreographed, and beautifully staged. It’s a full reinvention — new score and all — yet the story and its spirit stay faithful to Pushkin. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — the extra ⭐️ for a modern recreation of a classic that doesn’t fall apart just because the director wanted to flash some avant-garde nonsense. ...

June 12, 2026 · Ariana Tang

Are we cooked?

Economic theory was never about mathematical muscles. Still, formally verifiable code based proof assistant (math AI) would greatly shape how we do our work in the future. Some reference to begin with: Fortune Exclusive: Economists have been teaching an unproven proof for 50 years. AI just solved it https://fortune.com/2026/06/01/axiom-math-econlib-antitrust-economic-theory-verified/ Lean Programming Language https://lean-lang.org Axiom AI https://axiommath.ai/ Harmonic’s Aristotle AI https://aristotle.harmonic.fun/dashboard/docs/overview Cooooooked.

June 11, 2026 · Ariana Tang

A Thousand and One Nights

This is my 1001th blog post! Here’s The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship from Rimsky’s Scheherazade — like the thousand (and one) nights. they’re long, exhilarating and at times exhausting. Like in the orchestra, you lose count, maybe pick it up with a little help from the clarinets, and keep going.

June 10, 2026 · Ariana Tang

The Resurrection of Price Theory in the Age of AI | Economic Essay by Prof Yuyu Chen (PKU)

The New Economist published an essay by Professor Yuyu Chen (PKU): 陈玉宇:价格理论的复归(人工智能时代的一篇经济学散文) The Resurrection of Price Theory (An Economics Essay for the Age of Artificial Intelligence) New Economists WeChat Subscription Account Well, first of all, price theory is never “gone” (studying it right now). But I agree with most of the views of the essay and I think Prof Chen’s points are solid and insightful. Markets as discovery machines is vital for uncover the true value of AI — assuming the institutional and distributional conditions for open markets will hold during precisely the transition that puts them under maximum stress. ...

June 9, 2026 · Ariana Tang

3rd Chicago Booth Market Design Conference

Here’s the program of the Market Design Conference at Chicago Booth — see how AI even got its own independent session: Program | 3rd Chicago Booth Market Design Conference Algorithmic Collusion Algorithmic Coercion and Faster Pricing — Alexander McKay (University of Virginia) Calibrated Learning in Bayesian Games and the Limits of Algorithmic Collusion — Martino Banchio (Bocconi University) Behavioral Market Design Opt In? Opt Out? — Alex Chan (Harvard Business School) Water Markets ...

June 8, 2026 · Ariana Tang

Conrad Tao Chicago Recital Review

The better your technique, the freer you are. Well, Conrad Tao seems can do just about anything he wants. Just look at the program — the gilded 1920s reimagined. Program Gershwin The Man I Love Schoenberg Klavierstück, Op. 33a Gershwin Clap Yo’ Hands Berlin [arr. Tao] All By Myself Tao Improvisation on Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, Var. 15 Arlen [arr. Tatum] Over the Rainbow Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43, Var. 18 Strayhorn [arr. Tao] Lush Life Joplin Maple Leaf Rag Schoenberg Klavierstück, Op. 33b Korngold Randy and Drake from Kings Row Gershwin I Loves You, Porgy Gershwin I Got Rhythm ...

June 7, 2026 · Ariana Tang

The technical part in Rochet & Tirole (2006)

Two‐sided markets: a progress report (Rochet & Tirole, RAND Journal of Econmics, 2006) has 5172 citations according to Google Scholar as of June 2026. Though I would have defined two sided platforms differently and focus more on the two sided structure’s nature rather than using price effects “a market is two-sided iff reallocating the fee between sides changes outcomes” (sweet, right?) — It’s genuinely groudbreaking. Anyways, here’s a reading note for the technical part of the paper: ...

June 6, 2026 · Ariana Tang

Alsop conducts CSO and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra

It’s summer — jazz up: Two orchestras on stage for CSO + Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Program John Adams The Rock You Stand On [CSO Co-commission] Copland Suite from Appalachian Spring Marsalis Selections from Symphony No. 4 (The Jungle) Ellington C Jam Blues [Jun 4 Encore] Adam’s work is a moderately modern, refreshing opener. Much better than some early-season avant garde stuff that baffled me. Especially, Appalachian Spring sounded great. Alsop brought out a great deal of balletic moves from the music. The orchestra, especially precussions, was very responsive and syncopated. The first half was a smooth, compelling performance. ...

June 5, 2026 · Ariana Tang

Regulation of Gatekeepers

Sprinkles of exquisite insight: The EU Digital Markets Act: A Report from a Panel of Economic Experts (February 9, 2021). Cabral, L., Haucap, J., Parker, G., Petropoulos, G., Valletti, T. and Van Alstyne, M., The EU Digital Markets Act, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2021, ISBN 978-92-76-29788-8, doi:10.2760/139337, JRC122910. Introduction … Hence this report is not to be interpreted as a commentary on the economic regulation of digital platforms: such a general theory simply does not exist. Rather, our hope is to present useful economic arguments that can make the DMA stronger when dealing with large and dominant digital platforms. ...

June 4, 2026 · Ariana Tang