Are Google, Apple, Yahoo Conspiring to Keep Down Salaries?

Buried in the Washington Post is a fascinating article about a Justice Department probe of possible collusion by Google, Apple, Yahoo and Genetech to suppress hiring of high-tech workers. 

According to the Post, "The Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether some of the nation's largest technology companies violated antitrust laws by negotiating the recruiting and hiring of one another's employees."

The companies are accused of forming a cabal which agrees not to recruit away "top talent" from each other, while raiding other companies outside their group -- which is blatantly anti-competitive behavior designed to both drive down compensation for high-tech employees, while damaging companies outside their group. 

"This could be collusive restraint on trade, which could have a serious impact on competition," said Albert Foer, president of the American Antitrust Institute, per the Post. 

This and other investigations of unfair trade practices by Silicon Valley companies may be byproducts of the Obama administration bringing in Justice Department officials that are more savvy about high-tech concepts such as the network effects of collusive practices. Google and Apple are already being investigated for the impact of their interlocking boards, an apparent violation of SEC regulations, and there reports that cellular carriers' efforts to block applications from running across networks is also under scrutiny.