A monopoly is a profit fountain. You can use that monopoly to leverage yourself into new monopolies (because you have capital to waste/dump e.g. Microsoft), and

A monopoly is a profit fountain. You can use that monopoly to leverage yourself into new monopolies (because you have capital to waste/dump e.g. Microsoft), and use that collection of monopolies to leverage yourself into political influence. Monopolies are like cancer. edit: to expand; a monopoly is by nature a political thing. Once you control the market, you control the suppliers and retailers, and you don't actually have to manufacture or handle the products that you control. You set your suppliers prices, you set your wholesale prices, and you set your retail prices. Your real job then consists of fending off politicians/regulators that become interested in what you have, and creating politicians/regulators that will help you get more of what you want.