6 ms·

If ever there were a reason to get politicians on the side of breaking up Google (or any other tech company), I imagine this would be it.

CharlesColeman 8y ago
I agree that a breakup of Google might be wise for a host of reasons, but how would a breakup help in this particular case? Some or all of the daughter companies could continue these kinds of relationships post-breakup. I would think a government response to control this kind of activity would involve some form of deglobalization -- such as export controls or other regulations.
- acct1771 8y ago
  Scatter the cockroaches.
darkpuma 8y ago
That's optimistic. It could just as well be seen as another excuse to throw even more money at the defense industry. "Google works with China now, so we need to triple the size of our surface fleet." Now ask yourself, which one seems more attractive to a cynical US politician who wants to bring in more jobs for his state? Does a senator from Texas or New York advocate for splitting up Google because it will open the market for other tech businesses that could choose to headquarter in Texas or New York, but will probably also choose California? Or will they decide to increase the size of the surface fleet, knowing they can get parts of those ships manufactured in their states? I fear the later is more appealing to this sort of person.
- jsnider3 8y ago
  Honestly, the DoD should just take a dozen of its few hundred billions and spend them on making an AI workforce. That would be a hundred times better for national security than wasting it on garbage like the F-35.
  - acct1771 8y ago
    How could the Department of War (military industrial Congressional complex) profit from that?
hodgesrm 8y ago
If so that motivation would apply to politicians in many countries and not just the US. Multi-national companies are starting to look a lot less stable.
- paleotrope 8y ago
  That was always the flaw in the multi-national company concept. Even if you are completely in the cloud your people still have to live somewhere and perhaps more importantly, your money has to sit in some country somewhere. And Switzerland isn't what it used to be for banking security.
EGreg 8y ago
Not sure how a broken-up google would be sharing less with China. The US military is a total centrally planned monopoly itself. Maybe the US military should not be spending so much money on bases overseas, and trillions of dollars unaccounted for. We have 800 bases and the rest of the world has 30. The taxpayer funds all of it, but has very little say or oversight.
WallWextra 8y ago
The smaller companies would have even less inclined to ignore a market of a billion people.
vtange 8y ago
Wouldn't a breakup/decentralization of Google, or any American multinational for that matter, just hand Chinese tech giants a massive advantage since the Internet as it is now heavily favors large, centralized organizations? I don't see people arguing for the breakup of the tech giants across the Pacific even though they hardly have a better reputation when it comes to privacy, etc. By the way, I highly anticipate that the above argument will be made by said multinationals to prevent said breakup/anti-monopoly moves.
- CharlesColeman 8y ago
  > By the way, I highly anticipate that the above argument will be made by said multinationals to prevent said breakup/anti-monopoly moves. Zuckerberg made that argument months ago, surprise, surprise: https://www.recode.net/2018/7/18/17584482/mark-zuckerberg-china-antitrust-breakup-artificial-intelligence https://www.recode.net/2018/7/18/17584482/mark-zuckerberg-ch... > Mark Zuckerberg says breaking up Facebook would pave the way for China’s tech companies to dominate
- coliveira 8y ago
  Not a surprise, this is the same argument the oil industry has used for decades to oppose any kind of anti-oligopoly legislation. Basically they state that the US curbing the size of oil companies will adversely impact national interests in the Middle East and in other regions.
  - forgotmysn 8y ago
    does that invalidate the argument?
    - coliveira 8y ago
      It is a fallacy. If having a oligopoly is bad for the economy, it doesn't matter what other countries may want to do. Why weakening your economy, to satisfy the desires of an oligopoly, will be any better?
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
trkh0 8y ago
Breaking up "Google (or any other tech company)" is not a reasonable solution to any actual problem, I don't understand how people can casually suggest that.

CharlesColeman 8y ago

I agree that a breakup of Google might be wise for a host of reasons, but how would a breakup help in this particular case? Some or all of the daughter companies could continue these kinds of relationships post-breakup. I would think a government response to control this kind of activity would involve some form of deglobalization -- such as export controls or other regulations.

acct1771 8y ago
Scatter the cockroaches.

darkpuma 8y ago

That's optimistic. It could just as well be seen as another excuse to throw even more money at the defense industry. "Google works with China now, so we need to triple the size of our surface fleet." Now ask yourself, which one seems more attractive to a cynical US politician who wants to bring in more jobs for his state? Does a senator from Texas or New York advocate for splitting up Google because it will open the market for other tech businesses that could choose to headquarter in Texas or New York, but will probably also choose California? Or will they decide to increase the size of the surface fleet, knowing they can get parts of those ships manufactured in their states? I fear the later is more appealing to this sort of person.

jsnider3 8y ago
Honestly, the DoD should just take a dozen of its few hundred billions and spend them on making an AI workforce. That would be a hundred times better for national security than wasting it on garbage like the F-35.
- acct1771 8y ago
  How could the Department of War (military industrial Congressional complex) profit from that?

hodgesrm 8y ago

If so that motivation would apply to politicians in many countries and not just the US. Multi-national companies are starting to look a lot less stable.

paleotrope 8y ago
That was always the flaw in the multi-national company concept. Even if you are completely in the cloud your people still have to live somewhere and perhaps more importantly, your money has to sit in some country somewhere. And Switzerland isn't what it used to be for banking security.

EGreg 8y ago

Not sure how a broken-up google would be sharing less with China. The US military is a total centrally planned monopoly itself. Maybe the US military should not be spending so much money on bases overseas, and trillions of dollars unaccounted for. We have 800 bases and the rest of the world has 30. The taxpayer funds all of it, but has very little say or oversight.

WallWextra 8y ago

The smaller companies would have even less inclined to ignore a market of a billion people.

vtange 8y ago

Wouldn't a breakup/decentralization of Google, or any American multinational for that matter, just hand Chinese tech giants a massive advantage since the Internet as it is now heavily favors large, centralized organizations? I don't see people arguing for the breakup of the tech giants across the Pacific even though they hardly have a better reputation when it comes to privacy, etc. By the way, I highly anticipate that the above argument will be made by said multinationals to prevent said breakup/anti-monopoly moves.

CharlesColeman 8y ago
> By the way, I highly anticipate that the above argument will be made by said multinationals to prevent said breakup/anti-monopoly moves. Zuckerberg made that argument months ago, surprise, surprise: https://www.recode.net/2018/7/18/17584482/mark-zuckerberg-china-antitrust-breakup-artificial-intelligence https://www.recode.net/2018/7/18/17584482/mark-zuckerberg-ch... > Mark Zuckerberg says breaking up Facebook would pave the way for China’s tech companies to dominate
coliveira 8y ago
Not a surprise, this is the same argument the oil industry has used for decades to oppose any kind of anti-oligopoly legislation. Basically they state that the US curbing the size of oil companies will adversely impact national interests in the Middle East and in other regions.
- forgotmysn 8y ago
  does that invalidate the argument?
  - coliveira 8y ago
    It is a fallacy. If having a oligopoly is bad for the economy, it doesn't matter what other countries may want to do. Why weakening your economy, to satisfy the desires of an oligopoly, will be any better?

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

trkh0 8y ago

Breaking up "Google (or any other tech company)" is not a reasonable solution to any actual problem, I don't understand how people can casually suggest that.