I am really surprised that HN users don’t seem to understand that this is about cartel behavior and anti-trust, but I am also not surprised because so many peop

I am really surprised that HN users don’t seem to understand that this is about cartel behavior and anti-trust, but I am also not surprised because so many people were dismissive of the lawsuit and the issues here simply due to their own personal political stances and hatred of Musk. The reality is that a small group of powerful ad agencies control not just the spending of their own clients, but also industry standards, access to advertising spaces, etc. These companies are clearly acting in coordination - it may just be a small group of activists inside - but regardless, there is enough coordination for these companies to make politically charged spending decisions that are identical and simultaneous. Just like a cartel like OPEC would be illegal under US law, cartels in advertising are illegal. GARM seems to me like a way to conduct cartel behavior but with more opaqueness to hide what these companies are actually doing. Personally, even leaving aside anti trust, no one should want something like what has happened in a free democratic society. We basically have a few powerful advertising corporations who are controlling political speech and suppressing those who don’t align with their own views. Free speech is foundational in a democracy and I don’t think anyone should want corporations to hinder free speech if they support a democratic political process.