Should America’s Tech Giants Be Broken Up?

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

originally posted by: seasonalShould America’s Tech Giants Be Broken Up?

No. If you'll recall at one time, we had companies like: Xerox, PanAm, Commodore Computers, Blackberry, Polaroid, Atari (which is trying to make a comeback), and many more.

While some of these companies are still limping along, the reality is that, at one point in their existences, they ruled their industries. Taking a snapshot of businesses at any given time and pointing to possible monopolies of industry does not a big picture create.

Commodore and Blackberry where Canadian Companies.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: WeRpeons

Yes,

There are mini monopolies in areas large areas of the country that are under served by what seems to be a gentleman's agreement by things like cable/internet suppliers. They have carved up the country into territories that they stay into and let the prices rise and services fall.

Not only that.....

Corporate pollution that goes unnoticed. Mineing, manufacturing, agriculture...

Is Trump going to gut the EPA?

www.theguardian.com...

a reply to: olaru12

I wonder if Bernie Sanders would have questioned them?

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: DanDanDat

The women's movement was a big part of the trend. People underestimate the effect.

Computers also helped swing our economy to service heavy instead of production. Labor is harder to put a value on when youre not making a tangible product.

I swear I was going to do a thread on the impact of feminism and how it had some serious negative societal consequences. Women entering the workforce put a huge down ward pressure on wages across the board. It also contributed to rises in daycare costs/expenses, etc.

a reply to: seasonal

For whatever reason... the old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it" keeps coming to mind in regards to Amazon.

If there's a dark side to Amazon then I'm not really seeing it. Cratering brick and mortar business? Who cares... physical shopping is an overcrowded and overrated experience. Nobody ever has what I want and it's always more expensive than Amazon.

Poor working conditions at the warehouses? Quit and cry me a river... automation will soon replace you anyway.

Google on the other hand, in my eyes... is a bit of an enigma. What do they REALLY offer humanity? What is their product?

Or put it this way... if the $h1t hits the fan tomorrow... is Google going to matter?

Bell telephone had physical lines IN the ground... these lines are still used...

Please someone enlighten me ....

a reply to: MarkOfTheV

What is Amazon's product?

a reply to: seasonal

I see more worth in a supplier of just about ANY product imaginable at decent costs than a company that mines and sells information.

a reply to: MarkOfTheV

That's fine, but are their business practices predatory and in need of anti trust law suits to curb?

It is allowed to "like" a corp that is a monopoly, that does not make it less of a monopoly.

There is a point when a company becomes too big and powerful that for it to survive it stifles and kills competition, either buying buying them out and killing them, or by strangling them and then killing them.

We see this with Amazon, Apple, Google (Alphabet) and others. It's very worrying that level of power.

These companies need to be broken up - not to dilute them as companies - but to stop them becoming the only company.

a reply to: seasonal

That's what I said in my original post... if there is a dark side to Amazon I don't see it. Who cares if they are a monopoly if they happen to do the giant conglomerate thing right?

They provide the consumer with goods at a decent price very quickly.

They let small businesses sell through them ala Ebay or Reverb. This gives small business a much bigger market than what's in their locality.

They are now employing Uber-esque delivery methods which put even more people to work who might need an extra buck or two.


If you've got an argument then state some data and enlighten me.

a reply to: MarkOfTheV

Read the source yet?

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

originally posted by: seasonalShould America’s Tech Giants Be Broken Up?

No. If you'll recall at one time, we had companies like: Xerox, PanAm, Commodore Computers, Blackberry, Polaroid, Atari (which is trying to make a comeback), and many more.

While some of these companies are still limping along, the reality is that, at one point in their existences, they ruled their industries. Taking a snapshot of businesses at any given time and pointing to possible monopolies of industry does not a big picture create.

This is true. Google... ha. They are top dog now, but remember when Yahoo was running things barely 15 years ago. MySpace? IBM used to dominate computers. The list goes on and on. Companies grow, expand, and fail (or get acquired). It is the natural cycle of business.

On ly 12% of F500 from 1955 still exist in 2016

originally posted by: paraphi
There is a point when a company becomes too big and powerful that for it to survive it stifles and kills competition, either buying buying them out and killing them, or by strangling them and then killing them.

We see this with Amazon, Apple, Google (Alphabet) and others. It's very worrying that level of power.

These companies need to be broken up - not to dilute them as companies - but to stop them becoming the only company.

Not really. What actually happens is they get too big and complacent and a smaller more nimbler competitor comes along. History is littered with examples. Wal-Mart wasn't a dominate force until the 80s, Remember Sears? KMart? Penny's? Macy's?

Apple almost went out of business in the early 90s. Remember when Nokia ruled cell phones? Blackberry? Pagers?

Cmon, think people.

a reply to: Edumakated

The reason those companies fell was because of competition in a free market. If Yahoo would have bought Google, guess who wouldn't be top dog?

Monopolies and anti trust suits have little to do with failed companies, they have to do with successful corps buying up competitors and using unfair business practices.

a reply to: seasonal

Yeah... they single out Amazon and then end up talking almost exclusively about Google and Facebook.

Amazon doesn't fit the Google Facebook model.

Facebook can f$@# right off for all I care... as a matter of fact... I hate it and think it's a plague on modern psychology.

Google... well... I think they are a bubble who's worth is questionable.

Amazon is a networked supplier of goods that's figured out how to do it right.

a reply to: seasonal

Can you make an argument yourself? Or do you just parrot what articles say?

originally posted by: MarkOfTheV
That's what I said in my original post... if there is a dark side to Amazon I don't see it. Who cares if they are a monopoly if they happen to do the giant conglomerate thing right?

Monopolies are bad because they stifle competition and control the market. Ultimately this leads is bad for the customer because competition through the ability to chose is the only weapon the customer has.

If you can only buy from Amazon, then how do you know you are getting a good deal? That's a nightmare scenario.

a reply to: paraphi

Uh... there are millions of places to buy OTHER than Amazon. And they are usually the ones charging too much.

How do they stifle competition when they let small business sell through them and let independents deliver their goods?

The nightmare scenario is going out on the town on Sunday, fighting hordes of traffic, and trying to get some shopping down at brick and mortar stores with a terrible selection, too high of prices, and zombie mouth breathers with 3 screaming kids at every turn.

originally posted by: MarkOfTheV
a reply to: paraphi

Uh... there a millions of places to buy OTHER than Amazon. And they are usually the ones charging too much.

How do they stifle competition when they let small business sell through them and let independents deliver their goods?

Exactly. He doesn't understand that Amazon is not necessarily the seller. People often think when you buy something on Amazon, it is Amazon selling it to you but that is not the case. Amazon is just the intermediary.

originally posted by: paraphi

originally posted by: MarkOfTheV
That's what I said in my original post... if there is a dark side to Amazon I don't see it. Who cares if they are a monopoly if they happen to do the giant conglomerate thing right?

Monopolies are bad because they stifle competition and control the market. Ultimately this leads is bad for the customer because competition through the ability to chose is the only weapon the customer has.

If you can only buy from Amazon, then how do you know you are getting a good deal? That's a nightmare scenario.

Monopolies are typically enabled by government. Companies use government regulations to protect their market share which is why it is comical to ask government to break up monopolies. Free markets prevent most monopolies because if a company is making excessive profits, a new entrant will attempt to capitalize on it.

For example, taxi companies used governments under the guise of safety to prevent new entrants. This worked for decades until Uber. Airlines keep out entrants into markets by government preventing competitors from getting gates at airports.