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> However, Alphabet its influence and reach is far, far beyond that of Apple. Its just not as flashy & visible. You just gave some very "flashy & visible" examples of Alphabet's influence while citing only a "big pile of cash" as Apple's flashy & visible trait. Apple have always been the most secretive and they almost NEVER announce something before they're ready to advertise it. Did anybody see the New Mac Pro redes…
I agree with almost everything you said, except this part. > I think the winds of the world are changing direction; people are becoming increasingly aware about privacy concerns, and these issues keep making the headlines. It seems like only a minority cares about privacy concerns to even understand them well and take some action. Even when privacy issues make the headlines, billions of people just shrug their should…
Even during casual conversations with some of my friends who wouldn't be expected to care about these issues, they occasionally let out a glib "Sorry NSA!" whenever they say something that's known to be picked up by their monitoring.
So there is change. There is a chilling effect. And a big player like Apple making a big deal out of it, does help.