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Amazon probably won't get broken up as long as people continue to get the lowest prices from them. As far as owning you in every sense, that won't happen until

Amazon probably won't get broken up as long as people continue to get the lowest prices from them. As far as owning you in every sense, that won't happen until these companies start buying up so much property that they rival military bases in family services offered. At that point, once it becomes possible to live cradle to grave on a company's property, that's when you will be owned.

duxup 7y ago
>as long as people continue to get the lowest prices from them. I don't really think that's the breakpoint as to if something gets broken up or not.
- lukejduncan 7y ago
  Currently, it's actually the definition of when something gets broken up or not. Anitrust today focuses on consumer wealthfare and not corporate power. However, there are some politicians like Elizabeth Warren who are argueing to change that criteria. This is often referred to as "Hipster Antitrust" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_Antitrust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_Antitrust For a great series on the history of anti-trust and the current debates on its application to tech companies check out this short Planet Money Series: Antitrust 1: Standard Oil https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/15/695131832/antitrust-1-standard-oil https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/15/695131832/anti... Antitrust 2: The Paradox https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/20/696342011/antitrust-2-the-paradox https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/20/696342011/anti... Antitrust 3: Big Tech https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/22/697170790/antitrust-3-big-tech https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/22/697170790/anti...
  - notfromhere 7y ago
    Hipster Antitrust is basically how antitrust used to function before Bork. Just about the same time when income inequality really started to accelerate
    - lukejduncan 7y ago
      Yeah I thought that was super interesting. The podcast covers that too.

duxup 7y ago

>as long as people continue to get the lowest prices from them. I don't really think that's the breakpoint as to if something gets broken up or not.

lukejduncan 7y ago
Currently, it's actually the definition of when something gets broken up or not. Anitrust today focuses on consumer wealthfare and not corporate power. However, there are some politicians like Elizabeth Warren who are argueing to change that criteria. This is often referred to as "Hipster Antitrust" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_Antitrust https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_Antitrust For a great series on the history of anti-trust and the current debates on its application to tech companies check out this short Planet Money Series: Antitrust 1: Standard Oil https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/15/695131832/antitrust-1-standard-oil https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/15/695131832/anti... Antitrust 2: The Paradox https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/20/696342011/antitrust-2-the-paradox https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/20/696342011/anti... Antitrust 3: Big Tech https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/22/697170790/antitrust-3-big-tech https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/22/697170790/anti...
- notfromhere 7y ago
  Hipster Antitrust is basically how antitrust used to function before Bork. Just about the same time when income inequality really started to accelerate
  - lukejduncan 7y ago
    Yeah I thought that was super interesting. The podcast covers that too.