Platformonomics TGIF is a weekly roll-up of links, comments on those links, and perhaps a little too much tugging on my favorite threads.
Get Platformonomics Updates By Email
We live in unserious times (which will have serious consequences).
Speaking of the unserious, lots of antitrust news this week.
News
Antitrust Incoherence: Elon Musk Edition
Prolific plaintiff and fractional CEO Elon Musk has sued Apple for not doing enough to help Elon’s failing AI effort. Remember we all have an obligation to make Elon’s many ventures successful, regardless of his business choices and behavior. But it is still nice to see Elon step up during antitrust’s incoherence crisis to contribute his novel doctrine as a potential path forward.
“Unequivocal”!
Previous:
Ask Not What Elon Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For Elon, Fractional CEO Adds to Responsibilities, Company Killed By Its Customers, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Grok Enterprise Value Proposition Really Coming into Focus, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: xAI MechaHitler Edition, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Where to Even Start?, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 150, Never Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Grok API Edition, Do Not Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 147, Do Not Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 148, Do Not Take a Dependency on Elon Musk: Chapter 149, What is Elon’s Tesla Strategy?
Antitrust Incoherence: The Google Ruling
It is the sign of a pretty good monopoly when the potential remedies hurt others more than the monopolist.
I never got around to writing up the least bad solution here (my bad): just make Google a regulated monopoly like AT&T in its glory days. Extract some cash (which is what government circles take for effective policy these days) and micromanage accordingly. But it is hard to imagine this approach working under either a hipster antitrust or grifter antitrust regulatory regime.
As you digest the Google ruling, take a moment for Tim Wu, who was really hoping a “break them up” Google ruling would help him come to grips with his role in Meta’s Instagram acquisition (stopping Meta’s Within acquisition evidently wasn’t enough).
Wu previously served at the Obama-era FTC that approved Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram. The Instagram acquisition is hipster antitrust’s original sin, white whale and metaphorical last war all rolled into one. That acquisition both haunts and animates the movement, while Wu seems determined to atone for and reverse that prior decision.
Previous:
Antitrust Incoherence: Hipster Antitrust Incoherence, A New Antitrust Doctrine, Antitrust Incoherence: Don’t Make Me Complain to the Authorities About a Deal I Signed but Want to Renegotiate, Pedal to the Meta: Hipster Antitrust’s Day in Court, Antitrust Incoherence: iRobot Elegy Edition, Antitrust Incoherence: Existential Amazon Questions Edition, Antitrust Incoherence:Dodging DOGE Edition, Antitrust Incoherence: The Emerging Trump Doctrine?, Antitrust Incoherence: The Consistently Incoherent Lina Khan, Antitrust Incoherence: New Administration, Continuity of Incoherence, Antitrust Incoherence: Google Breakup Rumors, Antitrust Incoherence: Breaking Up Google #monopolist, Antitrust Incoherence: Google Verdict,Antitrust Incoherence: Competitive Harassment Edition, Antitrust Incoherence: Don’t Forget Microsoft, Antitrust Incoherence: Isn’t Market Division Illegal?, Antitrust Incoherence: Roomba Aftermath Edition, Antitrust Incoherence: Apple Edition, Antitrust Incoherence: Spotify Edition, Antitrust Incoherence: Roomba Edition, The Incoherence Doctrine: The FTC Strikes Again, The DOJ Play at Home Game
Antitrust Incoherence: Entertaining If Nothing Else
Losing in the marketplace? Must be “antitrust”!
Software Migration Alert: Verint Systems
Bravo! But time to go! When private equity comes amalgamating, you really should be migrating.