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kentuck

(110,950 posts)
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:42 PM Feb 2020

What is your opinion about breaking up huge monopolies like Facebook and Amazon?

Are they unhealthy for capitalism? Do they stifle competition?

Elizabeth Warren has mentioned such a thing but I have not heard any details from her?

The last time I recall breaking up a huge company was with Ma Bell in the 1970's (I believe?) into Baby Bells. It didn't seem to last very long? At&T was back in the saddle in short order.

Is this a time that needs a Teddy Roosevelt, a trust buster?

42 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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What is your opinion about breaking up huge monopolies like Facebook and Amazon? (Original Post) kentuck Feb 2020 OP
no brainer for me. hell even adam smith warned of monopolies. Kurt V. Feb 2020 #1
Neither is a true monopoly edhopper Feb 2020 #2
Sounds good to me Kaiserguy Feb 2020 #6
I'm not sure if either is a monopoly. Would be interesting to see evidence. Hermit-The-Prog Feb 2020 #30
Agree canetoad Feb 2020 #33
Yes. That was back even before gmail went beta. Hermit-The-Prog Feb 2020 #34
Yes, yes, yes and yes Red Mountain Feb 2020 #3
Absolutely Sherman A1 Feb 2020 #4
It a good idea. nycbos Feb 2020 #5
Couldn't Facebook's purchases of Instagram, WhatsApp and other competitors be reversed muriel_volestrangler Feb 2020 #8
Maybe nycbos Feb 2020 #15
How about Comcast? hunter Feb 2020 #7
Great example of a Monopoly. Wellstone ruled Feb 2020 #12
yep! bamagal62 Feb 2020 #9
There's been competition. Captain Stern Feb 2020 #41
Never should have been allowed zipplewrath Feb 2020 #10
We would need to be prepared for the counternarrative. Qutzupalotl Feb 2020 #11
Yes please. scarletlib Feb 2020 #13
Good grief no jimfields33 Feb 2020 #14
Do it! Squinch Feb 2020 #16
How would you break up Amazon. You can't make people not shop there. patricia92243 Feb 2020 #17
Partition AWS from the marketplace Loki Liesmith Feb 2020 #19
If they have nothing to do with each other, then why does it matter if they're part of ... nsd Feb 2020 #24
Hey I don't want Amazon broken up Loki Liesmith Feb 2020 #32
Depends on their effect on prices Loki Liesmith Feb 2020 #18
Don't see the reason to break up Facebook TheFarseer Feb 2020 #20
Facebook is a un-American company. I don't support breaking up any of them rockfordfile Feb 2020 #21
Youse oldsters --- remember when there were 7 major petroleum companies? 3Hotdogs Feb 2020 #22
Chain 'em up like the chicken-killing dogs they are pecosbob Feb 2020 #23
This kind of talk is class warfare at its best PBC_Democrat Feb 2020 #25
Needs to happen... 2naSalit Feb 2020 #26
Yes all big companies need to be broken up and nationalized gopiscrap Feb 2020 #27
If nationalized, why broken up??? ret5hd Feb 2020 #28
Yeah it's about time we get those MyNameGoesHere Feb 2020 #29
Yes. nt PufPuf23 Feb 2020 #31
Break them up into what? Calista241 Feb 2020 #35
Good idea Hekate Feb 2020 #36
I wouldn't break them up but I marlakay Feb 2020 #37
Adam Smith also discussed natural monopolies. Xolodno Feb 2020 #38
I'm not sure Facebook has a monopoly. meadowlander Feb 2020 #39
All for it. Was thinking of that last week that it was needed. LiberalFighter Feb 2020 #40
The laws are on the books Bettie Feb 2020 #42

edhopper

(33,168 posts)
2. Neither is a true monopoly
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:44 PM
Feb 2020

but we need strong regulation of such entities. For Facebook, no data on it's users, and divestment of the other platforms like Instagram.. For Amazon, better protection of it's workers.

Hermit-The-Prog

(33,021 posts)
30. I'm not sure if either is a monopoly. Would be interesting to see evidence.
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 11:01 PM
Feb 2020

How much power do each have in their respective markets?

canetoad

(17,088 posts)
33. Agree
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 11:41 PM
Feb 2020

I think Google/Alphabet is the true tech monopoly. Do you remember Brin and Page spruiking their 'Don't be evil' mantra when they first launched Google?

nycbos

(6,033 posts)
5. It a good idea.
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:48 PM
Feb 2020

Though won't our antitrust laws need to be rewritten for that to happen?

I am guessing most of them were written in the pre-internet era and the law often is way behind the technology.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,146 posts)
8. Couldn't Facebook's purchases of Instagram, WhatsApp and other competitors be reversed
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:52 PM
Feb 2020

fairly easily? These seem to me to have been old-fashioned anti-competitive moves. Force them to demerge into independent companies.

 

Wellstone ruled

(34,661 posts)
12. Great example of a Monopoly.
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:55 PM
Feb 2020

When they can control a Metro area with the only Cable or Internet available,gee what could go wrong with that. And ownership of a National News operation as well as having interconnecting boards of directors with a major transportation as well as Power Company,gee what can go wrong with that.

bamagal62

(3,218 posts)
9. yep!
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:53 PM
Feb 2020

If there was some sort of competition for Facebook, maybe we wouldn't have so many problems. But, there's no alternative.
With Amazon, you can always go around it and go to the source.

Captain Stern

(2,195 posts)
41. There's been competition.
Wed Feb 26, 2020, 08:14 AM
Feb 2020

Google has attempted facebook-like service several times.

The latest attempt was Google+. It failed.

zipplewrath

(16,646 posts)
10. Never should have been allowed
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:54 PM
Feb 2020

Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and numerous others got as large as they are through acquisitions of other, smaller, companies. All that accomplishes is control. The end user gains very little. These mergers and acquisitions should be stopped up front. If these companies want to get into these lines of business, let them compete, not eliminate the competition before it ever starts.

Qutzupalotl

(14,230 posts)
11. We would need to be prepared for the counternarrative.
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 07:55 PM
Feb 2020

If we take two proposed actions — trustbusting and seizing wealth from millionaires and billionaires — that will “prove” to a certain segment that we are “punishing success.” That’s THEIR framing — we will need our own, such as: we’re leveling the playing field, allowing small businesses to compete, trying to restore the vast disparity of wealth to something more normal, etc.

People don’t realize how large monopolies are screwing them with higher costs and fewer choices. We should point that out as we advocate our solutions.

nsd

(2,406 posts)
24. If they have nothing to do with each other, then why does it matter if they're part of ...
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 08:48 PM
Feb 2020

... the same company. Amazon would get no competitive advantage over, say, Azure or Google Cloud, by having a marketplace too.

Loki Liesmith

(4,602 posts)
32. Hey I don't want Amazon broken up
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 11:30 PM
Feb 2020

But if you were going to do it, that's where you'd do it with the least damage to consumers.

3Hotdogs

(12,207 posts)
22. Youse oldsters --- remember when there were 7 major petroleum companies?
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 08:30 PM
Feb 2020

Esso, Sun, Atlantic, Mobil, and so forth?

Those came about when Republican Teddy Roosevelt broke up Standard Oil.

Now, Exxon is back with Mobil and you get to pay the same price for gas from these major companies.

PBC_Democrat

(401 posts)
25. This kind of talk is class warfare at its best
Tue Feb 25, 2020, 09:20 PM
Feb 2020

Let's talk about Amazon first:

Can you buy stuff online without using Amazon?
I can buy from Walmart, Target, or hundreds of other sites.
Amazon's innovations have forced other retailers to step up their game.
If people shop at Amazon, they do it because Amazon offers the best prices and/or the best service.
If someone comes along and offers a better product/service - people will flock to it.
Remember when Sears dominated, then K-Mart, then Walmart.

Facebook - Did anyone force you to establish a Facebook account?
Were you required to provide personal data?
Social platforms come and go - remember 4Square, then MySpace?
Young people are fading from Facebook because they don't want to be on the same platform as Grandma and Grandpa.
Somewhere in the world some nerdy teenagers are building the next Social platform.
Facebook will fade just as 4Square and MySpace did.

marlakay

(11,370 posts)
37. I wouldn't break them up but I
Wed Feb 26, 2020, 12:29 AM
Feb 2020

Would regulate them and make sure they pay their fair share of taxes, treat employees well, and don’t promote lies.

Xolodno

(6,330 posts)
38. Adam Smith also discussed natural monopolies.
Wed Feb 26, 2020, 12:36 AM
Feb 2020

They are monopolies, but breaking them up may not exactly be feasible. So they they need to be heavily regulated until if/when the market makes sense to have competitors.

meadowlander

(4,358 posts)
39. I'm not sure Facebook has a monopoly.
Wed Feb 26, 2020, 12:45 AM
Feb 2020

For example, LinkedIn is quite similar and so is Twitter and aspects of YouTube. They should be regulated as a media company but not broken up.

I can see forcing Apple to split up the parts of its business that sell hardware, versus iTunes, versus the App Store. They shouldn't be able to lock people who have purchased their hardware out of being able to buy media or apps from other companies.

Likewise, Amazon shouldn't be able to offer a streaming service and create content which they give priority promotion to and undercut brick and mortar stores and force content creators to accept lower and lower margins (for example, forcing a business model on authors where they only get paid by the number of pages a reader consumes before closing the book).

That's monopolistic behaviour. It's not enough that they're just big.

Bettie

(15,997 posts)
42. The laws are on the books
Wed Feb 26, 2020, 08:36 AM
Feb 2020

but they stopped being enforced during the Reagan years.

We need to enforce them, but the very rich won't allow that. Ever.

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