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Even if this action turns out to be toothless, it should still go a long way to shape public perception. I cancelled Prime 3 years ago and really haven’t looked

Even if this action turns out to be toothless, it should still go a long way to shape public perception. I cancelled Prime 3 years ago and really haven’t looked back. I simply shop elsewhere, and between Target and eBay I don’t miss a thing. The Echos got unplugged, the AWS certs didn’t get renewed, their music service got canceled. I am all out and I hope others will do the same. For me this was driven by their anticompetitive behavior as well as terrible treatment of staff from warehouse workers to web developers. This FTC suit brings a new level of attention and gravity to their insidious practices. Obviously a firm that massive can’t be all bad. As a consumer, the only thing I have is choice in how I spend my time and resources based on the information I have.

vagabund 3y ago
I don't know, your easy access to alternatives that've let you not "look back" kind of undermines the argument that they wield monopolist power, doesn't it? And should FTC suits really be vehicles for shaping public perception, even if, as you suggest, the claims are either not defensible or don't constitute violations?
- reilly3000 3y ago
  The fact that competition exists does not mean that AMZN isn’t engaging in anticompetitive behaviors. FTC should be consistently enforcing law in their domain i.e. The Sherman act of 1890 and others. “Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by fine not exceeding $100,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $1,000,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 years, or by both said punishments, in the discretion of the court.” Public perception isn’t their motive, I’m just cheering for it. Moreover I’m glad that antitrust enforcement has ramped up of late. I wish it had started sooner, I believe we would have a healthier internet ecosystem if that was the case.

vagabund 3y ago

I don't know, your easy access to alternatives that've let you not "look back" kind of undermines the argument that they wield monopolist power, doesn't it? And should FTC suits really be vehicles for shaping public perception, even if, as you suggest, the claims are either not defensible or don't constitute violations?

reilly3000 3y ago
The fact that competition exists does not mean that AMZN isn’t engaging in anticompetitive behaviors. FTC should be consistently enforcing law in their domain i.e. The Sherman act of 1890 and others. “Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and, on conviction thereof, shall be punished by fine not exceeding $100,000,000 if a corporation, or, if any other person, $1,000,000, or by imprisonment not exceeding 10 years, or by both said punishments, in the discretion of the court.” Public perception isn’t their motive, I’m just cheering for it. Moreover I’m glad that antitrust enforcement has ramped up of late. I wish it had started sooner, I believe we would have a healthier internet ecosystem if that was the case.