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Harry Truman said in 1945 about the atomic bomb, "We thank God that it has come to us, instead of to our enemies". I feel the same way about FAANG and Silicon V
by TMWNN 4y ago
Harry Truman said in 1945 about the atomic bomb, "We thank God that it has come to us, instead of to our enemies". I feel the same way about FAANG and Silicon Valley as a whole (and Wall Street, and Hollywood, and SpaceX/Tesla, and the Ivy League), that they are in the United States.
That doesn't mean I approve of everything they do. That doesn't mean I can't or won't decry their putting thumbs on scales toward a certain type of bien-pensant ideology. That does mean that, overall, I am very, very glad that they are American instead of Russian, Chinese, or even British, French, or German.
- smt88 4y agoI think you may need to look outside your bubble. There are large, influential tech companies in China and Russia. Alibaba has dramatically transformed American commerce and is essentially the soul of Amazon's marketplace. TikTok is the most influential social media platform. You also seem to assume that having those companies in the US means they have some sort of freedom-minded ideology or are reluctant to harm Americans, and we have seen that neither is true. Are you also glad several opioid producers were American?
- ece 4y agoWe are seeing calls to regulate TikTok more, and I wonder how many countries have laws saying user data needs to be in local countries. I think Wyden in the senate has a bill on this. There also seems to be plenty of local competition from Flipkart, Xiaomi etc.. that might not be as big, but effectively competes, if not as broadly. I think as the other reply cheekily points out, regulators around the world have been more effective at making sure the market stays competitive and preserves privacy etc..
- verinus 4y agoActually one might think about the one beeing the result of the other ;)