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How likely do people think it is that we'll see another divestiture a la Bell Telephone with Alphabet and Amazon? I'm not going to make the case for divestitur
by maxbond 8y ago
How likely do people think it is that we'll see another divestiture a la Bell Telephone with Alphabet and Amazon?
I'm not going to make the case for divestiture, I don't really know what should be done. It seems to me that the places you'd divide these businesses are far fuzzier, and the argument that their free or cheap products are hurting consumers is more difficult to make, but that there is no real chance of a new competitor challenging them in the market and that liberties protected by our governments offline are increasingly offered at their pleasure online.
- chiefalchemist 8y agoShort answer: Too long. Phones were not high tech. Most elected offials (and those they appoint) can barely use a fax machine, let alone disect and legislate today's status quo. Furthermore, if you see these companies as a proxy surveillance state - as anyone reasonable should - then the odds for divestiture approach zero.
- pinewurst 8y agoI have to disagree with the “phone are not high-tech” part having worked in switching systems. Phones themselves are pretty crude implements but the backend has been very technologically advanced for the last century. Bell Labs earned their reputation properly.
- maxbond 8y agoWithout applying a moral judgment ("is/n't high-tech") I think we can all agree that phone systems were less abstract than the systems Alphabet and Amazon are operating. The Bell system had clear, regional lines it could be broken up along, and that was a convenient handle for legislators to grab onto. It's not clear to me how you could go about breaking up Alphabet, and it must be very confusing for someone with more of a background in civics than software.
- chiefalchemist 8y agoThanks for clearing that up. I should have said "relatively low tech." Also, as you noted, Ma Bell was The Phone Company. I'm not so sure Google is that silo'ed.