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> The power of those companies was simply sharply reduced. I'd argue the opposite. We got Exxon out of the Standard Oil breakup and Microsoft is just as scumm
by rubyist5eva 5y ago
> The power of those companies was simply sharply reduced.
I'd argue the opposite. We got Exxon out of the Standard Oil breakup and Microsoft is just as scummy, if not even more scummy than ever. AT&T got broken up and several of the Baby Bells just ended up all merging together and now we have Verizon. Antitrust enforcement has had a net-zero effect at best.
- revscat 5y agoYou’re not entirely wrong, but one of the effects of the AT&T breakup was to allow customers to hook up non-AT&T approved devices to their lines. This lead to the popularization of things like answering machines and modems. The latter had a pretty big impact.
- splistud 5y agoWhile there are problems with the use of fossil fuels, the oil industry and what we learned to build from the energy and materials it provided changed the world for the better - far more so than anything related to computers or the internet (and that is a very high bar indeed). You can sit here and complain (in a forum that would not exist if it wasn't for what you complain about) in relative comfort if you like, but several past generations were very happy to be able to eat and raise their children. They were happy to be able to store their food and heat/light their homes etc, etc, etc.
- rubyist5eva 5y agoI am not against the use of fossil fuels, at all. Moving away from them has had pretty bad effects on the quality of life of a lot of people. I was just pointing out that antitrust enforcement is pretty ineffective at it's intended use. Personally, I don't think antitrust should exist at all.