In most of these convos I usually see both sides with it being more heavily weighted to being corpo-friendly, but certainly individuals who are tired of monopolies and manipulations by oligopolies. So that's hardly a "beehive mind"
now people suddenly realize why "economics" was referred to as "political economy" when people started studying these things.
unfair maybe on consumers (google customers ie those who pay google, not those who use google products) but a very good and pragmatic decision by the U.S gvt.
let your homegrown champions stay strong and keep getting stronger.
because the alternative if Google got broken up, a foreign competitor would replace google not a homegrown one.
Antitrust in US seems more and more of a joke for every new one.
First few literally broke apart big companies, then we have Microsoft with “just don’t make IE default browser” and now basically nothing for google, forget selling off chrome now, not even banned from making search deals, just “maybe in a few years perhaps reconsider the search deals? Totally non binding tho”
Presumably other search companies will be on a more even footing with google with regards to what they know about you to sell to advertisers if google doesn't also have your complete search history and a complete history of everything you do on your phone.
Instead of the blunt hammer of disinvestment of brands, the government should be putting limits on Big Tech's ability to lock consumers and business into their platforms, whether via exclusive search deals, preventing alternative app stores, or hardware-tied communication networks. Those practices are ultimately what harms consumer choice. This decision only seems to address the first of those.
It seems that Big Tech's ingratiation of itself to the current administration using money and lent "credibility" is yielding their desired slaps on the wrists when a spanking was justified by the harm they have done to consumers.
Chrome is the most popular browser, if you disconnect that then you cut off google's guaranteed control of the default search engine. That's just a hunch though. Same with Android which is the most popular mobile OS in the world.
In my opinion, the search 'monopoly' is just not the best poster child for antitrust cases in the US.
Perhaps the US is too lax on antitrust, but if you, literally anyone reading this, can stop using Google search on every device you own in the next 5 minutes, I just can't see that as a monopoly. Perhaps another word and legislation is required.
You can't even argue the network effect like you can with chat apps or social networks. You can literally cut Google search from your life forever before your lunch break is over.
It is though when you realise 60% of their revenue is from people clicking on "nike" to go to "nike.com".
You cannot have a website anymore without paying tribute to gatekeeper Google.
Consumers can switch any time they want, but there is no incentive for them, they don't have to pay when googling for "nike".
But even though there are only 3 companies in the world that build what I build, all those three companies pay thousands of euros a month so users can find them, even on the exact search terms.
> but if you, literally anyone reading this, can stop using Google search on every device you own in the next 5 minutes,
No you can't do this in 5 mins across all your devices. Not unless you are running some software program to achieve this which will override a tonne of defaults and hidden settings. And some devices will always use Google search.
Maybe if your only device is a barebones Linux PC.
The writing was on the wall when Kamala Harris wouldn't commit to keeping Lina Khan at the FTC. We had some soft Anti-Trust action for the first time in decades, and the Trusts responded. If we get the chance to try again, we should be more clear eyed about what we are up against.
I've de-Googled my life as best I can, but I know how little it actually matters. Now that Google is clearly on the path of closing up Android, I hope the Linux phone effort gets reinvigorated.
I remember back in the day the case against Microsoft looked huge too. I don't remember the details but it "felt like" Bush Jr got elected president and that whole thing went away.
I think the AI reasoning in the ruling has a little bit of truth to it. I have found myself using search quite a bit less. I'm still not sure what that means in the long run, but it does feel like times are changing.
When I do use Google, I end up using that crappy Gemini blurb at the top a lot more than I would like to admit as well, so they are definitely still prime contenders in the AI space even before looking at the Gemini platform itself. Even with all the things it gets wrong (the model in its search is definitely one of the worst), it is often more useful than not to me, and helps point me in the right direction more quickly.
This could all be just another repeat of the browser wars where Chrome overtook Firefox, but it isn't yet set in stone. Google definitely seems a little bit worried about the future with AI.
Something tells me that Google and Meta get backroom deals by "virtue of" allowing their apps and Android to easily be hacked by governments. In particular, by keeping WhatsApp vulnerable, keeping Google Messages vulnerable, stopping the release of AOSP patches, etc.
Any company that receives special federal protections should also be held partially or entirely in trust-ownership by the US government, not shareholders.
Lol try Bing. I use Kagi on MS Edge. Today Windows updated, and I could only choose to set Microsoft Edge recommended defaults. It disabled my Kagi extension so I had to go re-enable it to get my actually useful search engine back.
27 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 38.9 ms ] threadI kinda wish the EU would kick out google/facebok/x. It would hurt in the short term but would be way better in the long term…
And as the things look - US administration is incapable ot curbing their cancerish monopolies…
As they say, "TACO" (Trump Always Chickens Out)
unfair maybe on consumers (google customers ie those who pay google, not those who use google products) but a very good and pragmatic decision by the U.S gvt.
let your homegrown champions stay strong and keep getting stronger.
because the alternative if Google got broken up, a foreign competitor would replace google not a homegrown one.
markets don't work the way libertarians think.
First few literally broke apart big companies, then we have Microsoft with “just don’t make IE default browser” and now basically nothing for google, forget selling off chrome now, not even banned from making search deals, just “maybe in a few years perhaps reconsider the search deals? Totally non binding tho”
It seems that Big Tech's ingratiation of itself to the current administration using money and lent "credibility" is yielding their desired slaps on the wrists when a spanking was justified by the harm they have done to consumers.
Perhaps the US is too lax on antitrust, but if you, literally anyone reading this, can stop using Google search on every device you own in the next 5 minutes, I just can't see that as a monopoly. Perhaps another word and legislation is required.
You can't even argue the network effect like you can with chat apps or social networks. You can literally cut Google search from your life forever before your lunch break is over.
You cannot have a website anymore without paying tribute to gatekeeper Google.
Consumers can switch any time they want, but there is no incentive for them, they don't have to pay when googling for "nike".
But even though there are only 3 companies in the world that build what I build, all those three companies pay thousands of euros a month so users can find them, even on the exact search terms.
No you can't do this in 5 mins across all your devices. Not unless you are running some software program to achieve this which will override a tonne of defaults and hidden settings. And some devices will always use Google search.
Maybe if your only device is a barebones Linux PC.
I've de-Googled my life as best I can, but I know how little it actually matters. Now that Google is clearly on the path of closing up Android, I hope the Linux phone effort gets reinvigorated.
More discussion:
Google can keep its Chrome browser but will be barred from exclusive contracts
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45108548
The worst possible antitrust outcome
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45120050
When I do use Google, I end up using that crappy Gemini blurb at the top a lot more than I would like to admit as well, so they are definitely still prime contenders in the AI space even before looking at the Gemini platform itself. Even with all the things it gets wrong (the model in its search is definitely one of the worst), it is often more useful than not to me, and helps point me in the right direction more quickly.
This could all be just another repeat of the browser wars where Chrome overtook Firefox, but it isn't yet set in stone. Google definitely seems a little bit worried about the future with AI.