4 ms·

We're back to keiretsu. They're called Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Netflix. Each has its own closed world, moat, and small vendors subservient

We're back to keiretsu. They're called Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Netflix. Each has its own closed world, moat, and small vendors subservient to it.

echelon 2y ago
Netflix doesn't belong on that list. They're tiny in comparison. YouTube is bigger than Netflix.
- Cthulhu_ 2y ago
  Citation needed; Netflix has a ~$350 billion market cap [0]. Google has one of $2.227 trillion [1], and 10.25% of its revenue is attributed to Youtube revenue. Since I haven't found a quick reference to youtube's net worth, let's assume it's 10.25% of $2.227T, which is ~$222 billion, making YT smaller than Netflix. [0] https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/nflx/market-cap/ https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/nflx/market-cap/ [1] https://companiesmarketcap.com/alphabet-google/marketcap/ https://companiesmarketcap.com/alphabet-google/marketcap/ [2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/289659/youtube-share-of-google-total-ad-revenues/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/289659/youtube-share-of-...
  - lotsofpulp 2y ago
    Regardless of numbers, Netflix is nowhere near as influential as the others. It’s just a website that plays videos, and one can easily live life without it. The other big companies are much harder to avoid, they’re basically infrastructure.
    - ghaff 2y ago
      If Netflix closed up shop tomorrow, there'd be a long a thread here, lots of headlines, and lots of whining, but at this point there are a ton of other streaming services and most of us would shrug and move on. Netflix has been on my bubble for a good couple of years and has only marginally kept my monthly subscription. In fact, I'm still somewhat angry at Netflix for wiping out disc rental and then killing their own DVD by mail which was a good source of reliable one+ year old movies.
      - dgfitz 2y ago
        The production quality of any Apple tv show embarrasses a Netflix show. I think Netflix is going to follow its big brother, blockbuster.
        ghaff 2y ago
        I mean it's all about production companies (and the quality/quantity of licensed content). And Netflix increasingly just doesn't justify a premium price for what it delivers.
    - recursive 2y ago
      It's also pretty easy to live life without Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. At least for me. I'm not counting services hosted on AWS. Removing that still leaves Apple and Facebook, which I use not at all, and have no desire to.
      - lupire 2y ago
        Apple and Google are largely alternatives. Almost everyone in USA uses at least one of those two in an extremely dependent way.
        recursive 2y ago
        Yes. I agree with this, and I think this is a substantial problem. I'm subject to it as well.
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
  - wenc 2y ago
    In the market cap website, the other companies are in the Top 7. Netflix is 27.
  - echelon 2y ago
    YouTube Ads (not subscriptions) are nearly as big as Netflix's entire revenue: https://theankler.com/p/netflixs-threat-isnt-in-hollywood https://theankler.com/p/netflixs-threat-isnt-in-hollywood https://x.com/EconomyApp/status/1652380729425162241 https://x.com/EconomyApp/status/1652380729425162241 YouTube has an insane moat. Netflix has a half dozen comparable competing services (Prime, Apple, Disney, HBO/Max, etc.)
  - meekaaku 2y ago
    The N should be Nvidia
- Animats 2y ago
  A better argument against Netflix is that they don't have a closed ecosystem. Netflix does make some movies, but Disney has much more of a moat and ecosystem.
Aeolun 2y ago
Are Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google 50% of US GDP? Edit: Looks like each of them is about 1%, so 5% in total. Not shabby, but not anywhere near Zaibatsu levels.
- brcmthrowaway 2y ago
  What company has the biggest share of US GDP?
  - HPsquared 2y ago
    Depends how you count. Walmart is biggest by revenue. If you look at profit Berkshire Hathaway is most profitable followed by Apple, Microsoft, Google, JP Morgan.
    - lotsofpulp 2y ago
      Berkshire Hathaway’s profit is due to selling Apple shares, so I would not count them. Also, since GDP is not revenue nor profit, it doesn’t make any sense to compare either sets of numbers.
      - HPsquared 2y ago
        True, what would be the GDP relevant figure for a company then? Value added?
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
    - mr_toad 2y ago
      Revenue is distorted in favour of low margin companies, while profit is distorted in favour of companies with a smaller workforce. A quick proxy for value added would be gross profit plus gross salaries. Ideally you’d want a measure of capital investment, but this is harder.

We're back to keiretsu. They're called Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Netflix. Each has its own closed world, moat, and small vendors subservient to it.

echelon 2y ago

Netflix doesn't belong on that list. They're tiny in comparison. YouTube is bigger than Netflix.

Cthulhu_ 2y ago
Citation needed; Netflix has a ~$350 billion market cap [0]. Google has one of $2.227 trillion [1], and 10.25% of its revenue is attributed to Youtube revenue. Since I haven't found a quick reference to youtube's net worth, let's assume it's 10.25% of $2.227T, which is ~$222 billion, making YT smaller than Netflix. [0] https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/nflx/market-cap/ https://stockanalysis.com/stocks/nflx/market-cap/ [1] https://companiesmarketcap.com/alphabet-google/marketcap/ https://companiesmarketcap.com/alphabet-google/marketcap/ [2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/289659/youtube-share-of-google-total-ad-revenues/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/289659/youtube-share-of-...
- lotsofpulp 2y ago
  Regardless of numbers, Netflix is nowhere near as influential as the others. It’s just a website that plays videos, and one can easily live life without it. The other big companies are much harder to avoid, they’re basically infrastructure.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    If Netflix closed up shop tomorrow, there'd be a long a thread here, lots of headlines, and lots of whining, but at this point there are a ton of other streaming services and most of us would shrug and move on. Netflix has been on my bubble for a good couple of years and has only marginally kept my monthly subscription. In fact, I'm still somewhat angry at Netflix for wiping out disc rental and then killing their own DVD by mail which was a good source of reliable one+ year old movies.
    - dgfitz 2y ago
      The production quality of any Apple tv show embarrasses a Netflix show. I think Netflix is going to follow its big brother, blockbuster.
      - ghaff 2y ago
        I mean it's all about production companies (and the quality/quantity of licensed content). And Netflix increasingly just doesn't justify a premium price for what it delivers.
  - recursive 2y ago
    It's also pretty easy to live life without Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. At least for me. I'm not counting services hosted on AWS. Removing that still leaves Apple and Facebook, which I use not at all, and have no desire to.
    - lupire 2y ago
      Apple and Google are largely alternatives. Almost everyone in USA uses at least one of those two in an extremely dependent way.
      - recursive 2y ago
        Yes. I agree with this, and I think this is a substantial problem. I'm subject to it as well.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
- wenc 2y ago
  In the market cap website, the other companies are in the Top 7. Netflix is 27.
- echelon 2y ago
  YouTube Ads (not subscriptions) are nearly as big as Netflix's entire revenue: https://theankler.com/p/netflixs-threat-isnt-in-hollywood https://theankler.com/p/netflixs-threat-isnt-in-hollywood https://x.com/EconomyApp/status/1652380729425162241 https://x.com/EconomyApp/status/1652380729425162241 YouTube has an insane moat. Netflix has a half dozen comparable competing services (Prime, Apple, Disney, HBO/Max, etc.)
- meekaaku 2y ago
  The N should be Nvidia
Animats 2y ago
A better argument against Netflix is that they don't have a closed ecosystem. Netflix does make some movies, but Disney has much more of a moat and ecosystem.

Aeolun 2y ago

Are Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google 50% of US GDP? Edit: Looks like each of them is about 1%, so 5% in total. Not shabby, but not anywhere near Zaibatsu levels.

brcmthrowaway 2y ago
What company has the biggest share of US GDP?
- HPsquared 2y ago
  Depends how you count. Walmart is biggest by revenue. If you look at profit Berkshire Hathaway is most profitable followed by Apple, Microsoft, Google, JP Morgan.
  - lotsofpulp 2y ago
    Berkshire Hathaway’s profit is due to selling Apple shares, so I would not count them. Also, since GDP is not revenue nor profit, it doesn’t make any sense to compare either sets of numbers.
    - HPsquared 2y ago
      True, what would be the GDP relevant figure for a company then? Value added?
      - deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
  - mr_toad 2y ago
    Revenue is distorted in favour of low margin companies, while profit is distorted in favour of companies with a smaller workforce. A quick proxy for value added would be gross profit plus gross salaries. Ideally you’d want a measure of capital investment, but this is harder.