Bernie Sanders: 'We should definitely take a look at' breaking up Google, Amazon, Apple

[brooklynite]

Politico

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Tuesday "we should definitely take a look at" splitting up Google, Amazon and Apple, though he stopped short of a full-throated call for their break-ups.

"I worry very much about monopolistic tendencies in many sectors of our economy, including high tech, and I think we have to take a really hard look at the degree to which monopolization in all aspects of our economy are a threat to the American people," said the 2020 Democratic presidential contender when asked about the prospect.

Pressed again on whether he supports splintering those three tech giants, Sanders replied, "It's something we should definitely take a look at, yes."

Sanders told POLITICO in May he supports calls to break up another industry titan, Facebook. Sanders' remarks Tuesday are his first on whether he supports similar action against Google, Amazon and Apple.

Not clear what part of Apple is "monopolistic".

[Blue_true]

8. Well, that would be one way to break them up. nt

[LibFarmer]

10. IKR? nt

[Mr.Bill]

2. Remember when the government broke up the phone company?

Now our phones cost $150 a month, nobody answers them or talks to each other and we send pictures of our cats to our friends. That went well.

[pangaia]

7. I don't see the connection...

[Mr.Bill]

17. Sarcasm is like that sometimes.

[pangaia]

23. After I posted, I suspected that was my failing...

And here I have been known to criticize others for missing obvious sarcasm..

LOL

[Blue_true]

11. The original idea was right. The problem is there was no remerge prevention.

So successful Baby Bells like Nynex kept buying up the less successful ones until we essentially got a very close to a monopoly called Verizon.

[pangaia]

24. I could say something about verizon... but i don't think it is necessary..

Oh, what the heck-















FUCK VERIZON !!

[gldstwmn]

50. So true. No matter what though brick and mortar

Stores aren't coming back. We've crossed the threshold. I'm not sure people want Amazon to break up. They like it. Hell they'll even deliver your groceries.

[brush]

53. Sanders left out the most dangerous tech giant of all...facebook.

Facebook is about to start ti's own currency, a bit currency, and essentially become its own nation and be just about untouchable and free to partner with the Ruskies again to ruin our elections.

Sanders may have good intentions but why doesn't he know this about the company that really needs to be broken up? He needs to keep up.

[gldstwmn]

55. For the life of me I can't understand why the Boomers and Gen X

have taken to Facebook the way they have. I have seen the absolute worst in people play out on Facebook not to mention it's one big data mining tool. I've deleted most of my photos and other things off there and have stopped short of deleting my profile because I can keep in touch with some of my far flung family members but that's it. Nothing about it appeals to me.

[brush]

57. Zuckerberg and Sandberg know this yet do nothing about it...

Last edited Sat Jun 22, 2019, 06:53 PM - Edit history (1)

but say they will fix it as they make their way to the bank, which could soon be their own bank/currency.

They don't really care. Their data mine is still yielding huge returns, no matter who pays them to mine it, Russians included.

[Loki Liesmith]

52. Destroyed Bell Labs too

Bell Labs was an innovation engine and breaking up Ma Bell sped its demise.

[riverine]

3. Bernie, Democrats have been very successful in the high tech world (my company included)

please go away. You don't know what you are talking about.

[Blue_true]

15. Actually it was Senator Warren that mentioned breaking them up.

I didn't like that idea from her, we are better off regulating them more.

It seems that Senator Sanders is taking a rational approach to that particular issue.

[riverine]

19. You are correct. I wince when Senator Warren gets into territory she knows nothing about too.

Obama to Google: You guys are great. You treat your workers like kings. You created hundreds of

thousands of new jobs. You dominate search optimization worldwide.


Warren to Google: I want to break your company up.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=145848

And Warren supporters ask why mainstream Democrats don't like her.

[crazytown]

45. Wince?

Do you understand what Warren's proposals actually are?

[melman]

4. "Not clear what part of Apple is "monopolistic". "

Here are some helpful and informative links.

--

The great insight embodied in the iPhone was that it was primarily a powerful, hand-held computer that could also make voice calls. And if it was a computer, then it could run small programs called apps, which meant there could be a new digital marketplace for these programs written by independent developers. That marketplace was set up by Apple and called the App Store.

Because Apple has always specialised in control freakery and doesn’t allow anybody else to use its iOS platform without prior approval, the App Store was from the beginning owned and controlled by Apple. If you wanted to create an app for the iPhone (and later the iPad), it had to be approved by Apple and sold on the App Store. And if a developer wanted to charge for the app, then Apple took a 30% cut on the price.

So, in relation to the App Store, Apple is definitely a monopolist. The question underlying the supreme court hearing was: is it an abusive monopolist? And if so, are customers of the App Store entitled to damages? Does the operation of the store give rise to consumer harm and thereby trigger redress under US antitrust law?



https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/02/apple-control-freak-is-it-guilty-of-abusing-its-monopoly-power

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/spotify-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-apple.html

https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/4/18652460/apple-class-action-lawsuit-monopoly-app-store

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/elizabeth-warren-pushes-to-break-up-companies-like-amazon-and-facebook.html

[LibFarmer]

13. One can write an app for iPhone and Android

and make it available for download from a webpage without going through Apple and Google.

No one will download it because it is not checked for malicious code.

Apple and Google both provide a thorough scrutiny of every app to make sure it has no malicious code and it doesn't violate the app's stated privacy policy and has a clear EULA.

Consider Apple and Google as a restaurant and they have a right to not allow outside food to be consumed on their premises.

[riverine]

14. Since iOS has a tiny fraction of the market share of Android

it stretches credulity to call them a "monopoly".

A good analogy is the Mac computer. Like the iPhone it is a closed system.

But the Windows PC platform is far more dominant.

[msongs]

21. can you replace a chevy engine part with a ford or toyota engine part? nt

[George II]

35. That's not monopolistic or a monopoly:

mo·nop·o·ly
/məˈnäpəlē/

1. the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.

People don't need to buy iPhones or apps, they can buy Android phones manufactured by dozens of other manufacturers and apps written by hundreds of developers. Apple doesn't have exclusive possession and control of the supply of cell phones, only iPhones.

The commodity isn't the iPhone itself, the commodity is cell phones of which Apple does not have "exclusive" possession or control.

I suppose some would like to see us disband the Patent Office and rescind all trademark laws, too.

[hughee99]

46. Sure, If you want Apple products, you have to go to Apple.

That’s not how a monopoly works, though, that usually how business works.

[CaptainTruth]

5. Can anyone explain what breaking up companies is supposed to accomplish?

It seems like it would make US companies less competitive against large foreign companies.

[LibFarmer]

16. It is just another stunt for the devotees. nt

[Mr.Bill]

25. It's red meat for people who hate large companies.

These are usually people who can't afford their products, owe them money, or in the case of utilities have had there service cut off at sometime for non payment.

[ehrnst]

32. For someone who thinks that any and all problems that we have in the US can be solved by more money

in more paychecks, big companies and Wall Steret" are a handy, over-simplified scapegoat for all things wrong. It's easier to promise to somehow "bring them down" than to offer detailed solutions to problems that are not economic in origin - in other words, "identity politics."

I'm not saying that large corporations are a force for good, or that there aren't huge problems with our regulation of them, but demonizing them should not be a distraction from or an excuse to marginalize social justice issues as "non-universal."

[hughee99]

47. Here's how it works...

Sanders says it and people listening to the speech nod and cheer because “big business is bad”.

That is the entirety of the effect.

[demosincebirth]

6. Amazon should be the first, even though I use it often

[LibFarmer]

9. None of those companies are a monopoly

This is another example of a campaign run with slogans and platitudes.

[Blue_true]

18. Senator Warren brought up that first.

She went farther than Senator Sanders. She wants to break them up, Senator Sanders wants to study whether they act in anti-competitive ways.

[LibFarmer]

26. They cannot be broken up

They are not monopolies.

Google has competition from Bing, DuckDuckGo, AVG, Yahoo and many other search engines.

Apple has competition with Android -- various brands like Samsung, Google, LG etc.

Amazon competes with Jet, Target and Walmart.

They are successful and have money so the temptation is there to make them the boogeyman and say we'll take money from them and give it to people.

[Blue_true]

27. I know. I pointed out in one post that it was a bad idea.

Companies should not be broken up just for being successful and fairly dominating the competition on the process.

[ecstatic]

44. I disagree with both Warren and Sanders on this issue.

We have way bigger fish to fry. Amazon and Google are not running around asking for bailouts. People are not forced to use those products or platforms. What I would like to see, however, are more protections for consumers and their privacy in this new era--not just with shopping or social media, but also with regard to using companies like Ancestry.com. It's been 20+ years since most Americans started using the Internet and it's still like the cyber wild west. Anything goes.

[LuvNewcastle]

48. Yes!

That's a big, very important issue that a large majority of Americans care about.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

33. This🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝

[George II]

12. One would think that a person who has been a Congressman and Senator for almost 30 years....

....would know that there are anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws on the books already, among them:

Sherman Act
Clayton Act
Federal Trade Commission Act

If Amazon, Apple, or Google violate any of these laws the FTC, DOJ, or even private parties can file suit to enforce these laws. THAT is the way to break them up, not call for NEW laws. As a legislator himself, BS might want to do a little homework on the subject.

BTW, one of the biggest breakups in history was of the Boeing Group back in the 1930s. It was split into three different companies:

United Aircraft Corporation, now United Technologies Corporation
Boeing Airplane Company, now The Boeing Company
United Air Lines

Founder William Boeing Sr. was so angry that he sold off all his interest in the three and invested in real estate developments in Washington. He was an abject racist and incorporated racially restrictive covenants on his land, forbidding any property owners from transferring it to anyone but Caucasians!

(this Boeing information was taken from Wikipedia and other sources, not plagiarized)

[Go Vols]

22. He knows

from the OP:

The remarks arrive as antitrust fervor in Washington and on the 2020 trail is heating up.

The House Judiciary Committee recently launched a wide-ranging investigation into possible anticompetitive conduct in the tech sector. Separately, the DOJ and FTC are said to be weighing new investigations into the nation's top tech companies.

[ehrnst]

31. "It's something we should definitely take a look at," and "Yes, It's a concern," seems to be his go

to non-answer when he doesn't know enough about the topic to have an answer.

“I would deal with it, but that is an issue that we really have got to deal with.”


“Well, that’s not a, I wouldn’t use a restriction on, that’s an issue that society has got to deal with, and it is of concern.”

[LuvNewcastle]

49. Yes, I've noticed that too.

He says it a lot.

[Bhkylib]

20. A consumer doesn't have to shop at Amazon

This is not a monopoly. There are plenty of places to buy books and music. This is ridiculous. No one has to buy an Apple product. There are many choices out there. At least with AT&T, there was no choice. If you wanted a landline phone, you had no choice in providers. That was different.

[ehrnst]

29. Bernie sells his books on Amazon.

When I mention that, many supporters of Sanders dismiss it because "that's just part of selling books now."

[George II]

41. Couldn't he stand on principle and set a good example by withdrawing his books from Amazon?

[ehrnst]

42. And WalMart. That would cost him some income, however. (nt)

[Turbineguy]

28. You can't break up entities

when the rules are such that they are promoted.

Like taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. Unless the ground rules are changed, in a short while the rich are rich again and the poor are poor again.

[ehrnst]

30. Bernie sells his books on Amazon.

Part of the profits on the sales of his books goes to them.

Perhaps he could start the ball rolling by walking the walk and using alternative outlets to Amazon and Walmart.

[Skidmore]

43. Did he

buy vowels for that book?

[bullwinkle428]

34. Elizabeth Warren would have a detailed plan on this, if she had

intentions to do this.

[MrsCoffee]

37. She always has a plan.

https://medium.com/teamwarren/heres-how-we-can-break-up-big-tech-9ad9e0da324c

[NYMinute]

36. Bernie's "we should take a look at"

has become like Romney's "First day in office"

There are far more things piled up to "take a look at" than Romney said he would do "first day in office."

Just slogans to get votes at any cost.

[SouthernProgressive]

38. Bernie trying to move in on Warrens support. Not going to happen.

She is going to keep eating away at yours, BS.

I wonder if he is more concerned about this or women making abortion decisions because of gender? Guy sure does have a lot of concerns lately, with little else.

“Are you in all concerned, though, about this idea that people may try to worry about the sex of a child, or essentially, are those types of restrictions on abortions something you’re open to?”

Bernie, obviously caught off guard but also obviously uneducated on the issue, capitulated. “That, I mean, that’s a concern,” Sanders said, adding, “Well, that’s not a, I wouldn’t use a restriction on, that’s an issue that society has got to deal with, and it is of concern.”

Rolling Stone

[MineralMan]

39. None of those, and I'll add Facebook, are monopolies.

They all are, instead, the most successful companies in their areas of business. All have competitors. For example, there are far more Android devices in consumer's hands than iOS devices. Amazon has a helluva lot of competitors for online retailing, including some companies that have been competing in that area since before the Internet. There are many search engines other than Google. Interestingly, all of them are trying to duplicate Google's results, but Google stays ahead of them through innovation and attention to user experience issues.

[Politicub]

40. Apple is not a monopoly

They have less than 15% of global market share for smartphones.

[C_U_L8R]

51. Why? This just sounds silly.

[NurseJackie]

54. Why? What good purpose would it serve?

This is just silly.

[treestar]

56. How do the antitrust laws apply?

Do they apply? If they did, the government could have gone after them already.