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Before worrying that Amazon will take over the world, it’s useful to remember that roughly 50% of the S&P 500 will be replaced over the next 10 years. There’s n

Before worrying that Amazon will take over the world, it’s useful to remember that roughly 50% of the S&P 500 will be replaced over the next 10 years. There’s never been a company that has climbed to the top, and stayed there forever. You’re effectively worrying that “this time is different,” which isn’t a good thing to worry about when it comes to humans. The issues with Amazon’s treatment of labor can’t be solved by a few wealthy consumers like yourself deciding out of guilt to not shop at the place with the cheapest prices and best customer experience. Workers all over the US are treated exactly the same way, but we don’t shed a tear for them because they don’t work under a big brand with tons of media attention. Killing Amazon won’t solve the fundamental issues with the US’s lack of worker protections. We should spend our efforts working to fix that, not on conducting economically irrational behavior out of a sense of guilt from some news story we heard. Most people won’t be able to do the same.

perfunctory 6y ago
> We should spend our efforts working to fix that How?
- pembrook 6y ago
  Donate time and money to groups championing a few common sense things the majority of the US supports--and the rest of the world already has. Ie. mandatory paid sick leave, mandatory overtime pay, paid maternity leave, socialized disability pay, higher minimum wage floors, etc. Hell, even support for single payer healthcare hovers between 55-60% depending on the poll. These are all likely to happen within the next 10-30 years. And you might think, but that's impossible in our current climate! This time is different! But looking at it historically, the US changes course and its public opinion shifts dramatically all the time. All it takes is a few viral news stories and some hit TV Shows and we (as a group) change our opinion. When public opinion changes, policy changes follow (with a 10-20 year lag or so) since the US is a democracy. Think Marijuana legalization, Gay marriage legalization, etc. etc. If you don't like interacting with the law making political machine, you can try to help influence the public opinion side. Create media, PR campaigns, etc. There's tons of things you can do instead of spending time/money to avoid Amazon. They are doing nothing wrong based on the rules of the game we set up for them.
  - hyperdimension 6y ago
    I have nothing I can possibly add to your excellent comment, but I just wanted to say your attitude is a refreshing viewpoint in contrast to all the doom and gloom you read about in newsrooms around the world (I'm sure it sells a ton of copies though! That's good for the economy, right?) I aspire to have your optimism. :)
  - novok 6y ago
    > the US changes course and its public opinion shifts dramatically all the time And if you want a more recent example of this, look at gay marriage!
john_moscow 6y ago
"This time is different" happened in 2008 when instead of letting inefficient behemoths crash and burn, they were bailed out. And before that, it happened around 2001, when Microsoft got away with a slap in the wrist after the Netscape thing. The big players of 2020 are entrenched much deeper and are much more in bed with the regulators, so it will take longer to level off. I am also suspecting that the level-off will happen one layer higher. I.e. the economic relevance of the current incumbents within the US economy will not drop, but the global relevance of the US will. For a perspective, you can look at the German economy that is dominated by companies founded 100+ years ago.
- switch11 6y ago
  very, very true This: am also suspecting that the level-off will happen one layer higher. I.e. the economic relevance of the current incumbents within the US economy will not drop, but the global relevance of the US will. For a perspective, you can look at the German economy that is dominated by companies founded 100+ years ago. Because US government is getting in bed with Amazon, Google, Facebook it is causing a double effect A) They are letting them keep growing their monopolies in return for surveillance of Americans and non Americans Which makes them stronger B) US innovation is slowing down For Example: Now most of US technology is around showing ads, surveillance, and basically treating people like stupid ATMs They might be able to make it work for another 10 to 30 years, and then there will be big breakdowns A good example is what is happening to Amazon in countries like China and India
dredmorbius 6y ago
Replacing one set of abusive tax-shirking anticompetitive monopolies with another isn't progress.

perfunctory 6y ago

> We should spend our efforts working to fix that How?

pembrook 6y ago
Donate time and money to groups championing a few common sense things the majority of the US supports--and the rest of the world already has. Ie. mandatory paid sick leave, mandatory overtime pay, paid maternity leave, socialized disability pay, higher minimum wage floors, etc. Hell, even support for single payer healthcare hovers between 55-60% depending on the poll. These are all likely to happen within the next 10-30 years. And you might think, but that's impossible in our current climate! This time is different! But looking at it historically, the US changes course and its public opinion shifts dramatically all the time. All it takes is a few viral news stories and some hit TV Shows and we (as a group) change our opinion. When public opinion changes, policy changes follow (with a 10-20 year lag or so) since the US is a democracy. Think Marijuana legalization, Gay marriage legalization, etc. etc. If you don't like interacting with the law making political machine, you can try to help influence the public opinion side. Create media, PR campaigns, etc. There's tons of things you can do instead of spending time/money to avoid Amazon. They are doing nothing wrong based on the rules of the game we set up for them.
- hyperdimension 6y ago
  I have nothing I can possibly add to your excellent comment, but I just wanted to say your attitude is a refreshing viewpoint in contrast to all the doom and gloom you read about in newsrooms around the world (I'm sure it sells a ton of copies though! That's good for the economy, right?) I aspire to have your optimism. :)
- novok 6y ago
  > the US changes course and its public opinion shifts dramatically all the time And if you want a more recent example of this, look at gay marriage!

john_moscow 6y ago

"This time is different" happened in 2008 when instead of letting inefficient behemoths crash and burn, they were bailed out. And before that, it happened around 2001, when Microsoft got away with a slap in the wrist after the Netscape thing. The big players of 2020 are entrenched much deeper and are much more in bed with the regulators, so it will take longer to level off. I am also suspecting that the level-off will happen one layer higher. I.e. the economic relevance of the current incumbents within the US economy will not drop, but the global relevance of the US will. For a perspective, you can look at the German economy that is dominated by companies founded 100+ years ago.

switch11 6y ago
very, very true This: am also suspecting that the level-off will happen one layer higher. I.e. the economic relevance of the current incumbents within the US economy will not drop, but the global relevance of the US will. For a perspective, you can look at the German economy that is dominated by companies founded 100+ years ago. Because US government is getting in bed with Amazon, Google, Facebook it is causing a double effect A) They are letting them keep growing their monopolies in return for surveillance of Americans and non Americans Which makes them stronger B) US innovation is slowing down For Example: Now most of US technology is around showing ads, surveillance, and basically treating people like stupid ATMs They might be able to make it work for another 10 to 30 years, and then there will be big breakdowns A good example is what is happening to Amazon in countries like China and India

dredmorbius 6y ago

Replacing one set of abusive tax-shirking anticompetitive monopolies with another isn't progress.