Re:U.S. Justice Dept Considering Apple Probe: Sources
by oceanplexian on Tuesday June 04, 2019 @08:11AM
(#20094179)
> Yes, a lot of us butter our bread from big tech. And yes, there are other antitrust targets in the country.
I would argue the opposite for people in our industry. If Google, Apple, and/or Amazon have truly been acting in anti-competitive fashion, it's likely they have stifled natural competition, which would probably drive up wages (See the Apple/Google Poaching scandal). It's also likely more of us would be starting small businesses without company run walled gardens preventing us from doing so.
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by a Manhattan Democrat, is also investigating.
I have to say I'm surprised by the anger on this forum in response to these investigations. Yes, a lot of us butter our bread from big tech. And yes, there are other antitrust targets in the country. (There are always other targets.) But for years, comments about the lawlessness and recklessness of these companies have been raised. When I--and others--raised the possibility of a response, through regulators, the courts and the legislature, the possibility was met with derision.
Now that we have progress on the investigations, there is a mixture of (a) allegations of partisanship, (b) whataboutism and (c) a general tone of hostility around the motivations of those pursuing these investigations.