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>Europe created Airbus by merging different companies, but the US should break up its only competitor? If that said competitor is not behaving, and abusing its

>Europe created Airbus by merging different companies, but the US should break up its only competitor? If that said competitor is not behaving, and abusing its status as a de-facto monopoly, than yes, the US should break up that competitor. It's not like Boeing is a book store or a video game developer which has little risk to society if things go belly up - it produces critical transportation infrastructure that can kill people if something goes wrong. That's a responsibility to not be taken lightly, and a track record of Boeing management ignoring safety checks and guidelines because it would cause shareholders to lose a bit in the short-term is just is irresponsible.

amadeuspagel 3y ago
> It's not like Boeing is a book store or a video game developer which has little risk to society if things go belly up - it produces critical transportation infrastructure that can kill people if something goes wrong. I completely agree, I just don't think that more competition is necessarily the solution here, and that's the point of my example. Airbus is a trusted company, and it was created through merging different companies, through removing competition.
- vlovich123 3y ago
  Aren’t we capitalists here? Capitalism would suggest that more competition is indeed good and actually should outcompete a larger behemoth provided you ensure the larger one can’t do things like flooding the market or otherwise pushing out the smaller players. But given government contracts keep these players fed and happy (very lucrative military contracts), I’m not sure what the answer.
- NickC25 3y ago
  I see your point - and i don't disagree, and my overall point is that mergers and all that aren't bad, but when you agree to effectively allow companies to M&A their way to a monopoly, it is imperative for industry safety that that monopoly needs to be policed and regulated heavily ESPECIALLY if it's a piece of critical social infrastructure whcih also happens to be a public company acting in the best interests of its stock performance above all else. Industry can't M&A its way to a monopoly and then use the power of the monopoly to say "we get to do whatever we want". Great power, great responsibility and all that.
  - amadeuspagel 3y ago
    Airliners need to be regulated regardless of whether they're monopolies or not, and if anything regulation would be even more important if it was a competitive industry, where everyone had to cut corners to survive.
    - MerManMaid 3y ago
      I think the point OP was trying to make was when a monopoly (justified or not) routinely fails to meet their end of the bargain, especially when it comes to safety... its time for someone else to have a turn.

amadeuspagel 3y ago

> It's not like Boeing is a book store or a video game developer which has little risk to society if things go belly up - it produces critical transportation infrastructure that can kill people if something goes wrong. I completely agree, I just don't think that more competition is necessarily the solution here, and that's the point of my example. Airbus is a trusted company, and it was created through merging different companies, through removing competition.

vlovich123 3y ago
Aren’t we capitalists here? Capitalism would suggest that more competition is indeed good and actually should outcompete a larger behemoth provided you ensure the larger one can’t do things like flooding the market or otherwise pushing out the smaller players. But given government contracts keep these players fed and happy (very lucrative military contracts), I’m not sure what the answer.
NickC25 3y ago
I see your point - and i don't disagree, and my overall point is that mergers and all that aren't bad, but when you agree to effectively allow companies to M&A their way to a monopoly, it is imperative for industry safety that that monopoly needs to be policed and regulated heavily ESPECIALLY if it's a piece of critical social infrastructure whcih also happens to be a public company acting in the best interests of its stock performance above all else. Industry can't M&A its way to a monopoly and then use the power of the monopoly to say "we get to do whatever we want". Great power, great responsibility and all that.
- amadeuspagel 3y ago
  Airliners need to be regulated regardless of whether they're monopolies or not, and if anything regulation would be even more important if it was a competitive industry, where everyone had to cut corners to survive.
  - MerManMaid 3y ago
    I think the point OP was trying to make was when a monopoly (justified or not) routinely fails to meet their end of the bargain, especially when it comes to safety... its time for someone else to have a turn.