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> Thiel's book has influenced so many entrepreneurs into believing Monopolies are Good. Haven't read his book, but the idea that monopolies are good isn't typi
by naasking 7mo ago
> Thiel's book has influenced so many entrepreneurs into believing Monopolies are Good.
Haven't read his book, but the idea that monopolies are good isn't typically made in a vacuum, it's made relative to alternatives, most often "ham-fisted government intervention". It's easier to take down a badly behaving monopoly than to change government, so believing monopolies are better than the alternatives seems like a decent heuristic.
- vonneumannstan 7mo ago>Haven't read his book, but the idea that monopolies are good isn't typically made in a vacuum, it's made relative to alternatives, most often "ham-fisted government intervention". It's easier to take down a badly behaving monopoly than to change government, so believing monopolies are better than the alternatives seems like a decent heuristic. What? How is the first alternative poor government instead of multipolar competing companies? When was the last time a Monopoly was actually broken up in the US? ATT/Bell 50 years ago? lol
- mrcincinnatus 7mo agoGood for whom, exactly?
- billiam 7mo agoThis seems like a classic straw man argument. Plutocratic oligarchs have been making the argument that private monopolies are better than representative democracy at basically anything for decades.
- billiam 7mo agoThis seems like a classic straw man argument. Plutocratic oligarchs have been making the argument that private monopolies are better than representative democracy at basically any societal function for decades without any actual data.
- layer8 7mo agoHow would a bad monopoly be likely to be taken down if not by government intervention?
- logicchains 7mo agoIt eventually becomes so big and inefficient that it gets overtaken by new competitors.
- yoyohello13 7mo agoA Monopoly implies an organization powerful enough to stop competition. Seems like this solution that relies on competitors is fatally flawed. If there are enough competitors to meaningfully compete then there isn't a monopoly.
- naasking 7mo agoYou can only truly stop competition by government intervention.
- yoyohello13 7mo agoWhen an organization gets big enough it is indistinguishable from government.
- naasking 7mo agoNo organization can ever rival a real government like the US due to the latter's monopolization on the use of force.
- smaudet 6mo agoUnfortunately there isn't also a requirement on not being a complete idotic psycho. Monoply on force is meaningless, if you shoot your head off with it, which is what is happening with the US atm... Criminally stupid is the trump all card, pun intended.
- hammock 7mo agoInsert better horse/car analogy here