4 ms·

Not an issue of being as good or not, it’s resources - Apples are infinite, the DoJs are not.

by bevekspldnw 3y ago

cryptonector 3y ago
I believe you have this backwards.
- passwordoops 3y ago
  The FTC anti-trust department has been pretty well gutted, so yes with Apple the DOJ is still facing an entity with relatively infinite resources.
  - Hasu 3y ago
    FTC antitrust is not part of the DOJ. The antitrust division of the DOJ only got $255m last year, not just to fight Apple, but to fight _all_ antitrust cases and run the division. Apple made $97b in profits last year, and reportedly had a legal budget in excess of $1b as of 2017. So yes, Apple's legal resources for this case are effectively infinite compared to the DOJ's.
    - cryptonector 3y ago
      The U.S. can add funds to that department as needed and can exceed all of what Apple or any other company can spend on this.
passwordoops 3y ago
And politics. The general policy of the FTC from the 1980s until about 2020 was that mergers and market concentration are good for consumers and the economy as a whole. Just to take one example, Facebook buying Instagram 100% should have been blocked, but the DOJ under Obama, carrying on the policies of Reagan, Clinton and Bush, decided not to pursue it.
- SllX 3y ago
  > Facebook buying Instagram 100% should have been blocked On what grounds? Instagram was a small startup with about 30M users when Facebook proffered a deal. People legitimately thought they were overpaying at the time and while it was a hot app, it became the cultural phenomenon it is today under Facebook’s stewardship.
  - afavour 3y ago
    Probably an easier argument to sub out the acquisition of WhatsApp instead.
    - SllX 3y ago
      WhatsApp had a much bigger user base but was still a small startup with about 50 employees and was losing money. The scummy thing was the role Onavo played in Facebook identifying it as an acquisition target, but that’s not the same as illegal. I think this is still a weak case.

Not an issue of being as good or not, it’s resources - Apples are infinite, the DoJs are not.

cryptonector 3y ago

I believe you have this backwards.

passwordoops 3y ago
The FTC anti-trust department has been pretty well gutted, so yes with Apple the DOJ is still facing an entity with relatively infinite resources.
- Hasu 3y ago
  FTC antitrust is not part of the DOJ. The antitrust division of the DOJ only got $255m last year, not just to fight Apple, but to fight _all_ antitrust cases and run the division. Apple made $97b in profits last year, and reportedly had a legal budget in excess of $1b as of 2017. So yes, Apple's legal resources for this case are effectively infinite compared to the DOJ's.
  - cryptonector 3y ago
    The U.S. can add funds to that department as needed and can exceed all of what Apple or any other company can spend on this.

passwordoops 3y ago

And politics. The general policy of the FTC from the 1980s until about 2020 was that mergers and market concentration are good for consumers and the economy as a whole. Just to take one example, Facebook buying Instagram 100% should have been blocked, but the DOJ under Obama, carrying on the policies of Reagan, Clinton and Bush, decided not to pursue it.

SllX 3y ago
> Facebook buying Instagram 100% should have been blocked On what grounds? Instagram was a small startup with about 30M users when Facebook proffered a deal. People legitimately thought they were overpaying at the time and while it was a hot app, it became the cultural phenomenon it is today under Facebook’s stewardship.
- afavour 3y ago
  Probably an easier argument to sub out the acquisition of WhatsApp instead.
  - SllX 3y ago
    WhatsApp had a much bigger user base but was still a small startup with about 50 employees and was losing money. The scummy thing was the role Onavo played in Facebook identifying it as an acquisition target, but that’s not the same as illegal. I think this is still a weak case.