US tech giants accused of 'monopoly power'

[HONDO74]

US tech giants accused of 'monopoly power'
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-54443188

A report backed by Democratic lawmakers has urged changes that could lead to the break-up of some of America's biggest tech companies.

The recommendation follows a 16-month congressional investigation into Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple.

"These firms have too much power, and that power must be reined in," Democratic lawmakers working on the probe wrote.

US tech companies have faced increased scrutiny in Washington over their size and power in recent years. The investigation by the House Judiciary Committee is just one of multiple probes firms such as Facebook and Apple are facing.

The 449-page report, penned by committee staff, accused the companies of charging high fees, forcing smaller customers into unfavourable contracts and of using "killer acquisitions" to hobble rivals.

"To put it simply, companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have become the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons," it said.

It said the findings should prompt politicians to consider a series of changes.


All 4 of these tech giants are nothing but biased liberal propaganda machines that support the democrats. It's going to be fum watching the democrats break them up.

[up148]

Empty words that look good in an election year...they would never do it. Although it won't be a popular opinion, I would support a move like this.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

This is what comes from being successful in a capitalist economy,

Also, a lot of this is just BS and and sour grapes from those that have failed to compete and move forward into today's economy structure.

[robert.]

If you don't like google . Use a card catalog. If you don't like apple send a letter. If you don't like amazon drive to a store. Monopolies can vanish real quick if people change their habits. You can also break their monopoly by using duckduckgo as a search engine. Duck duck go does not link your onfo to any of those 4 companies.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

If you don't like google . Use a card catalog. If you don't like apple send a letter. If you don't like amazon drive to a store. Monopolies can vanish real quick if people change their habits. You can also break their monopoly by using duckduckgo as a search engine. Duck duck go does not link your onfo to any of those 4 companies.

The only reason Google is where it is at is that they simply had and have a better product than all the rest; anybody actually use any of the other search engines other than the above suggestion? Does anybody even remember the others?

Best product out there and so when they succeed over all the others, then they become a problem - so much for saving capitalism,

Change habits and drive to the store - not likely when the store is another warehouse located somewhere w/o a retail front. In any case, driving there costs me more than the delivery costs. The store, if I can even get there, is not cost competitive. They fail to compete and then that's Amazon's fault.

Like brick & mortar hobby shops charging retail or more and then failing -- that's on them for not competing.

BTW, it's not just Dems going after these guys; it's both sides of the aisle - neither side got paid off enough,

[gregj410]

Duck duck go works great

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Funny how no one is clamoring to break up Boeing and few other "giants".

[HONDO74]

BTW, it's not just Dems going after these guys; it's both sides of the aisle - neither side got paid off enough,

The democrats control the house of representatives This was their 16 month investigation. nothing better to do to help the little people in this country. this is how they save everyone for those big bad capitalist companies. Just the beginning. Next year Wall Street is on the hit list.

[HONDO74]

Funny how no one is clamoring to break up Boeing and few other "giants".

They don't have to. The Airlines and manufactures are going out of business because no one is flying. but look at the bright side. They are not using any carbon fuel while those planes are on the ground. Have to save the planet.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Funny how no one is clamoring to break up Boeing and few other "giants".

They don't have to. The Airlines and manufactures are going out of business because no one is flying. but look at the bright side. They are not using any carbon fuel while those planes are on the ground. Have to save the planet.

That almost makes sense until you actually think about it. What other commercial airline manufacturers compete with Boeing in this country? Also, Boeing has quite a few other businesses besides airplanes.

[robert.]

1320 flight cancelations today, world wide. 73 are Into ,out of or within the USA. I'm not sure in any other company could afford to break into commercial aircraft manufacturing. Does Lockheed make still make large commercial plans?

[chuck]

Does Lockheed make still make large commercial plans?

No. Last plane was the Tri-Star. Excellent plane, way ahead of its time. So far ahead its maintenance issues effectively killed it. They don't make mid or small civilian planes either. Only military and very few types of those. F-35, F-16, and C-130 variants. They are aligned with Martin and they and Boeing are behind United Launch Alliance. That "group's" only competition is Space-X. Northrup Grumman (final of the three) is still involved with the F-18 program but mostly they build missile technologies/avionics and RPV/Drones (Forgot, they built the B-2 stealth bomber and are building it's successor the B-21.)

Only competition in civilian commercial aviation is the Airbus consortium which is heavily backed by the EU.

BTW, there were well over 20 (more like 40) airplane manufacturers at the end of WW2. This began winding down and basically collapsed into three aerospace companies by the late 80's with Boeing having gobbled up the lions share. MacDonald and Douglas merged to form McDonald Douglas that were then bought out by Boeing. Boeing also wound up with North American. Lockheed Martin wound up with General Dynamics (ne Convair which was formed out of Consolidated/Vultee). Northrup merged with Grumman. Republic, Severski, Vought are also former players that were gobbled up along the way. Helicopter stuff is even more complicated with Sikorsky, Bell and Vertol (formerly Piasecki) being swapped around and sliced and diced through mergers and acquisitions. All are part(s) of the big three.

[up148]

I don't have any issues with Boeing and as Chuck pointed out, they're fighting an uphill battle against subsidized Airbus. Any commercial airline builder today is either openly or clandestinely aligned with government(s). They are run like the governments with much waste IMHO. Never studied Space-x to see if any government funding or not.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

They are run like the governments with much waste IMHO.

Don't really see that as a particularly good excuse while they effectively have a monopoly - if Congress wants to go after one set of so-called monopoly companies due to their excess success at playing the game, they need to go after all the rest. But then again, as they are best at talking out fo both sides of their mouths, it really doesn't matter...

Never studied Space-x to see if any government funding or not.

SpaceX is privately held but has NASA contracts -- someone has to be able to reliably put up the satellites that Boeing fails on doing....

[robert.]

Monsanto has a monopoly on world wide seed production.