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Last post 5 years ago by frankj1. 10 replies replies.
Can the biggest tech companies be split up? Should they?
dstieger Offline
#1 Posted:
Joined: 06-22-2007
Posts: 10,889
dstieger wrote:
She's going to break up Google, Amazon and Facebook...that's something I'd like to hear more about.
IDK about FB....I think they're capable of self-destructing. But Google and Amazon seem to be in monopolistic positions that won't likely be challenged any time soon. Google search, especially, is an entity with scary power that few people recognize....I am a long ways from asserting that they've abused it yet, but the info control/domination is kinda scary.


Since Frank swept me aside like some dust bunny....and since the Warren thread was weirded up already by TW.....thought maybe this topic worthy of its own thread.

I definitely see value in the discussion, but I'm always wary of the government getting involved in otherwise legal corporate affairs. But, I'm a bit nervous that Google and Amazon aren't always going to have the nation's best interest in mind as they continue to build their empires. Even if the government could/should get involved, I have zero confidence a breakup would be well managed. Google search could be separated from youtube and hardware and R&D divisions. But, that wouldn't affect my greatest concern which is with search dominance....not sure how much I care about the other stuff --- maybe if I knew more about the data management, I would.

As to Amazon, same problems....sure you could bust out entertainment from retail from hardware from home automation from cloud services.....etc. But, that, alone, wouldn't affect the problems that I have with retail and cloud dominance.

Thoughts? Is it time for government to get involved in these two? Others? If so, how?
teedubbya Offline
#2 Posted:
Joined: 08-14-2003
Posts: 95,637
Can they? Yes.
Should they? No. At least not forcibly by the government.
dstieger Offline
#3 Posted:
Joined: 06-22-2007
Posts: 10,889
Are you comfortable with the power of either company?
teedubbya Offline
#4 Posted:
Joined: 08-14-2003
Posts: 95,637
I am. I'm a big fan of Amazon, not so much Google. It sometimes seems that we want to punish companies for finding a better way and smashing their competitors. Maybe their competitors should smash them back.
delta1 Offline
#5 Posted:
Joined: 11-23-2011
Posts: 28,754
we've had multiple past attempts by government to break up monopolistic enterprises to "protect the consumer" by encouraging competition...ATT, Standard Oil and US Steel come to mind...neither effort caused any appreciable benefits, and the first two companies largely rebounded to continue their dominance, and US Steel never took advantage of their market share... there was no evidence of price fixing in any of those examples, so were they solutions in search of problems?

have there been any instance when a monopoly did any real damage?

it seems a healthy capitalist economy encourages the growth of large dominant enterprises that seem capable of abuse, but there seem to be natural protections against that behavior...

I dunno how the US lessons will apply to Google on the world economy though...it is the first of its kind in the global economy...seems as long as it provides a useful service without issues, it'll get bigger...
Bruins617 Offline
#6 Posted:
Joined: 03-19-2018
Posts: 8
I’m not comfortable with the power any of these companies hold but I also do not want the govt to intervene cause everything the govt touches turns to **** and costs more, can they be broken up yes the govt can do anything just not efficiently, should they be broken up NO the market should regulate itself don’t like these tech companies don’t use them, and I know that’s easier said then done as I type away on my iPhone
frankj1 Offline
#7 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
dstieger wrote:
Since Frank swept me aside like some dust bunny....and since the Warren thread was weirded up already by TW.....thought maybe this topic worthy of its own thread.

I definitely see value in the discussion, but I'm always wary of the government getting involved in otherwise legal corporate affairs. But, I'm a bit nervous that Google and Amazon aren't always going to have the nation's best interest in mind as they continue to build their empires. Even if the government could/should get involved, I have zero confidence a breakup would be well managed. Google search could be separated from youtube and hardware and R&D divisions. But, that wouldn't affect my greatest concern which is with search dominance....not sure how much I care about the other stuff --- maybe if I knew more about the data management, I would.

As to Amazon, same problems....sure you could bust out entertainment from retail from hardware from home automation from cloud services.....etc. But, that, alone, wouldn't affect the problems that I have with retail and cloud dominance.

Thoughts? Is it time for government to get involved in these two? Others? If so, how?

I didn't mean to do that. I was in basic agreement with you.
Sorry.
dstieger Offline
#8 Posted:
Joined: 06-22-2007
Posts: 10,889
Ha! Jus funnin ya, frank. Imo, this does deserve it's own thread. I'm not at all sure that many have contemplated what it means to the universe of information control that Google algorithms can affect what and how we think. I'm not suggesting there's anything nefarious going on, but the power is not to be underestimated. I would bet that 80+% of all English web pages visited were first arrived at by each person via google. Never mind the data mined on us about our web travels...just the directing is incredible when you think about it.

As to Amazon, I'm mostly ok with the retail...well except maybe the offshoring tax avoidance stuff...but the 1/3 share of the entire world's cloud data is not just mind boggling; it has to represent a tremendous risk....not sure I can comprehend what that risk entails....but I'm sure its huge
dstieger Offline
#9 Posted:
Joined: 06-22-2007
Posts: 10,889
Bruins617 wrote:
don’t like these tech companies don’t use them, and I know that’s easier said then done as I type away on my iPhone

Ignorance is bliss
frankj1 Offline
#10 Posted:
Joined: 02-08-2007
Posts: 44,211
does something nefarious or intentional have to be happening for a company to be somehow restricting competition and/or any other open market policies?
I really do not know if intent need be involved or just results of super growth.
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