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"AirBnB" You can make good money renting out your place and listing it on Airbnb. Don't like it? You can always use Craigslist or advertise yourself. It's n

"AirBnB" You can make good money renting out your place and listing it on Airbnb. Don't like it? You can always use Craigslist or advertise yourself. It's not like airBnb provides nothing. They provide a built-in stream of potential customers, which could take a lot more money and time to obtain on your own. "Google (play store)" "Apple (App Store)" People are only willing to pay a few dollars at most for an app, unless it's very specialized. I have always seen apps as a feature/benefit to a main business, which Google and Apple can't control. "Amazon (the web marketplace, not AWS)" Most businesses on Amazon have a storefront/website and use Amazon to get more business. Amazon may control the marketplace, but they don't have to control your business. This is a choice with many alternatives. "and Uber" Again, this is a choice. Uber was never meant to provide a full-time income for anyone. It's meant as a way to make some extra money on the side. When we have many choices and alternatives, the argument that these companies are the 'new lords' becomes very weak.

ngcazz 6y ago
Quite naive, as this is not only about competing against these mammoth brands but also about how they shifted economic paradigms at the expense of welfare. Airbnb doesn’t “not provide anything” but it does so at the expense of driving up rent and property prices and the mass capture of real estate. Google and Apple most certainly control what apps they allow on their stores, and many businesses are exactly their app. Also, try getting an app out on iOS without going thru the App Store. Re: Amazon, you’re opting in into them getting a cut of your revenue for the privilege of selling through their marketplace with a very slight indication of your brand name. And working Uber may not be a choice for many people who for some reason lost their 9-5 jobs, or have careers that aren’t consistently remunerative etc

ngcazz 6y ago

Quite naive, as this is not only about competing against these mammoth brands but also about how they shifted economic paradigms at the expense of welfare. Airbnb doesn’t “not provide anything” but it does so at the expense of driving up rent and property prices and the mass capture of real estate. Google and Apple most certainly control what apps they allow on their stores, and many businesses are exactly their app. Also, try getting an app out on iOS without going thru the App Store. Re: Amazon, you’re opting in into them getting a cut of your revenue for the privilege of selling through their marketplace with a very slight indication of your brand name. And working Uber may not be a choice for many people who for some reason lost their 9-5 jobs, or have careers that aren’t consistently remunerative etc