3 ms·

This term was used for the banks. It implied that were they to fail, the economic fallout would be a disaster. I think it was also used for the American big thr

This term was used for the banks. It implied that were they to fail, the economic fallout would be a disaster. I think it was also used for the American big three auto companies (two of which got a bailout). I don't think Amazon is in that category, do you? AWS definitely for the computing industry, but for sales like these it seems like it would be a boon for local retailers.

nerdponx 9y ago
You are right, of course. But I'm cynical. The banks themselves were too big to fail. But their executives and directors were/are not "too big to jail", yet most of them walk free today. Amazon is increasingly woven into the fabric of our economy. How long before it truly is too "big" (read: has installed enough shills in government) to fail, or too big to punish? They would be following in the great traditions laid by oil companies, auto makers, telcos, and of course banks. Case in point: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14865112 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14865112
- mistermann 9y ago
  I'm surprised this comment is downvoted, with the obvious and blatant criminality Amazon knowingly engages in being pointed out by several other commenters, this seems like one of the better explanations of why there has been essentially no legal problems with the government. Jeff Bezos is an incredibly smart guy, I suspect he realized very early on that having these bases covered is absolutely crucial to success.
  - nerdponx 9y ago
    Slightly OT, I'm surprised at downloading here in general. People seem to abuse it as an "I disagree" button.
    - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
      Down-voting for disagreement was specifically countenanced by pg, as I learnt when I complained in the past. Here's an example post about this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3760275 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3760275. I still think it's broken. A slight fix would be to only grey-out flagged comments and use a separate (or no) way of indicating a comment is down-voted. Grouping poor comments so tightly with unpopular comments is moronic IMO.

nerdponx 9y ago

You are right, of course. But I'm cynical. The banks themselves were too big to fail. But their executives and directors were/are not "too big to jail", yet most of them walk free today. Amazon is increasingly woven into the fabric of our economy. How long before it truly is too "big" (read: has installed enough shills in government) to fail, or too big to punish? They would be following in the great traditions laid by oil companies, auto makers, telcos, and of course banks. Case in point: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14865112 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14865112

mistermann 9y ago
I'm surprised this comment is downvoted, with the obvious and blatant criminality Amazon knowingly engages in being pointed out by several other commenters, this seems like one of the better explanations of why there has been essentially no legal problems with the government. Jeff Bezos is an incredibly smart guy, I suspect he realized very early on that having these bases covered is absolutely crucial to success.
- nerdponx 9y ago
  Slightly OT, I'm surprised at downloading here in general. People seem to abuse it as an "I disagree" button.
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    Down-voting for disagreement was specifically countenanced by pg, as I learnt when I complained in the past. Here's an example post about this topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3760275 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3760275. I still think it's broken. A slight fix would be to only grey-out flagged comments and use a separate (or no) way of indicating a comment is down-voted. Grouping poor comments so tightly with unpopular comments is moronic IMO.