In Memory of Randy Picker (1959–2026) — ‘From Mainframes to Mandates’
Randal C. “Randy” Picker, the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, died unexpectedly on Aug. 15, 2026. In his memory, we are sharing his lecture from ICLE’s “Substance Over Slogans: Competition and the Wealth of Nations,” held in Rome on March 13, 2026. In “From Mainframes to Mandates,” Randy draws on primary sources ranging from ENIAC to Apple Silicon to trace 80 years of the computer industry and examine how antitrust, intellectual property, and firms’ design choices have opened platforms to competition—or closed them off. His lecture makes the case for skepticism toward reflexive structural remedies and close attention to what allows competition to flourish, and we share it with admiration and gratitude.