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Why is the EU the only one doing anything about monopolies? I'm tired of useless US politicians letting these massive corporations run our entire country. Break

Why is the EU the only one doing anything about monopolies? I'm tired of useless US politicians letting these massive corporations run our entire country. Break them up already.

kavalg 5y ago
Because it looks corporations are the government. I really like the idea of democracy, but it looks like politics and democracy are two very different things. Actually I would love to see some usable digital democracy project coming out. I imagine things like: - always having the possibility for a direct voting for e.g. a new law/regulation - a (deep) hierarchy of delegates/representatives on a per topic basis - immediate retraction of trust/support from a representative - maybe some micro monetary support for representatives
bgorman 5y ago
Because none of the big tech companies are based in Europe, so there is limited political downside to going after them.
TheAceOfHearts 5y ago
I keep hearing claims about breaking up these large tech companies, but how do you envision that should or would look like? Do you know of any good resources where I could read up more on the topic? Which companies would this apply to? Should Apple's vertical integration be disallowed and broken up? How would you split up Twitter?
- Closi 5y ago
  > Should Apple's vertical integration be disallowed and broken up? Personally I think there are specific use-cases that should be identified and banned in competition law - for instance the issue here (which could be legislated against) is when companies become a marketplace/platform that they 'sell' their own services on, which their competitors also need to use their services to effectively compete. It's the dual role of being both a marketplace and a seller on that marketplace at the same time that produces conflicts of interest and market abuse potential. Examples (on top of the Google example): * Apple vs Spotify - Apple could retain 100% of margin on their music subscription service, while Spotify their competitor had to give away 30% of their margin to Apple if purchased via App Store (which was mandated). * Amazon vs Marketplace Sellers - Amazon encourages other retailers to sell on their platform, but secretly spies on their data to understand if they should directly compete and undercut them. This isn't the only thing that requires specific legislation - and other parts I personally think should be better-legislated include: * Use of one product to entrench another non-connected product's market position (e.g. Chrome -> Google Ads is an issue because the dominance of Browser means that they also get dominance of online search, because they can track better than the competition). * Use of market-power to ensure people offer the lowest cost on your platform, despite fees (Booking.com, Valve, Amazon).
  - TheAceOfHearts 5y ago
    That helped clarify a lot, thanks. All of the examples you present seem very reasonable and worth attempting to improve. It does seem like most of the larger tech companies have managed to amass so many resources and power that it's not feasible for others to compete fairly. Another similar avenue for helping increase competition which I've been exploring is a reduction in the duration and power of IP protections. This would increase the propagation of good memes and the rate at which they may be iterated upon by others.

Why is the EU the only one doing anything about monopolies? I'm tired of useless US politicians letting these massive corporations run our entire country. Break them up already.

kavalg 5y ago

Because it looks corporations are the government. I really like the idea of democracy, but it looks like politics and democracy are two very different things. Actually I would love to see some usable digital democracy project coming out. I imagine things like: - always having the possibility for a direct voting for e.g. a new law/regulation - a (deep) hierarchy of delegates/representatives on a per topic basis - immediate retraction of trust/support from a representative - maybe some micro monetary support for representatives

bgorman 5y ago

Because none of the big tech companies are based in Europe, so there is limited political downside to going after them.

TheAceOfHearts 5y ago

I keep hearing claims about breaking up these large tech companies, but how do you envision that should or would look like? Do you know of any good resources where I could read up more on the topic? Which companies would this apply to? Should Apple's vertical integration be disallowed and broken up? How would you split up Twitter?

Closi 5y ago
> Should Apple's vertical integration be disallowed and broken up? Personally I think there are specific use-cases that should be identified and banned in competition law - for instance the issue here (which could be legislated against) is when companies become a marketplace/platform that they 'sell' their own services on, which their competitors also need to use their services to effectively compete. It's the dual role of being both a marketplace and a seller on that marketplace at the same time that produces conflicts of interest and market abuse potential. Examples (on top of the Google example): * Apple vs Spotify - Apple could retain 100% of margin on their music subscription service, while Spotify their competitor had to give away 30% of their margin to Apple if purchased via App Store (which was mandated). * Amazon vs Marketplace Sellers - Amazon encourages other retailers to sell on their platform, but secretly spies on their data to understand if they should directly compete and undercut them. This isn't the only thing that requires specific legislation - and other parts I personally think should be better-legislated include: * Use of one product to entrench another non-connected product's market position (e.g. Chrome -> Google Ads is an issue because the dominance of Browser means that they also get dominance of online search, because they can track better than the competition). * Use of market-power to ensure people offer the lowest cost on your platform, despite fees (Booking.com, Valve, Amazon).
- TheAceOfHearts 5y ago
  That helped clarify a lot, thanks. All of the examples you present seem very reasonable and worth attempting to improve. It does seem like most of the larger tech companies have managed to amass so many resources and power that it's not feasible for others to compete fairly. Another similar avenue for helping increase competition which I've been exploring is a reduction in the duration and power of IP protections. This would increase the propagation of good memes and the rate at which they may be iterated upon by others.