alt Hacker News> The Big 6 control all media in the US, and mergers happen all the time
Media has not been in a healthy state for quite some time. For a long time that had little to nothing to do with tech. With streaming these days and tech companies buying studios, that's unfortunately no longer the case.
I didn't call that out directly in the article, but I agree there's cause for concern and there's probably good reason to strike down the HBO acquisition.
> What I think the author is referring to are the minor concessions Apple has made in some territories, mainly the EU
Government moves slowly, and I think a lot of it is still in flight, but Apple is fielding cases globally.
Apple pay was hit with anti-trust cases in Korea and Japan. Epic has had success against Apple, and they've been ruled in contempt of court for not adhering the verdict (with the CFO referred to the DOJ for possible criminal prosecution).
The EU has been the most heavy-handed. I think these are just the beginning
> Anti-competitive moats are still alive and well, and growing larger.
For the last few years big tech has been more cautious. Very few acquisitions (though an insidious loophole was created in which founders are acquihired, license their IP and then effectively kill their old company). So that'll require another look.
> What a silly article. I don't understand how anyone can consider the current state of the tech industry "fun"
Well, I'm having fun! And that's good enough for me ;)
Well, I appreciate your optimism, but do think it's misplaced.
We live in an increasingly polarized world, with rising political tensions and climate-related problems. Technology has played a major role in adding fuel to the fire, if not being directly responsible for our current unstable situation. Wealth and power are increasingly being concentrated in the hands of a few megalo+plutomaniacs. Advertising dominates all our communication channels, and along with social media, is the greatest brainwashing machine ever invented. "AI" is marketed as the solution to our problems, when in reality it's devaluing human work and flooding us even more in disinformation and propaganda.
But, hey, at least we can buy some VR headsets to distract us from all of this.
By any measure, these are all dystopian signs, which only seem to be growing stronger. I guess we all have a picture from books and movies that dystopia is something that's clearly visible, oppressive, etc. It's likely that it can be difficult to see if you gradually transition into it. Boiling frogs, and all that.