I think the key is not whether they'll have to divest current platforms, but if they can acquire whatever will be the next popular platform. If Zuckerberg sells Instagram, but can still buy the next platform, he'll always maintain his monopoly.
FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
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Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Splitting those two properties off would be fantastic. I know it's a pipe dream, but an independent Oculus would make me so happy. I suspect this is impossible due to the early nature of the VR market. Maybe just an FTC requirement _not_ to require a FB login?
> I know it's a pipe dream, but an independent Oculus would make me so happy While that would cool for short-term, independent Oculus can stagnate. VR still needs many more billions to be truly usable, and I don't think independent company will be able to fund it.
> independent Oculus can stagnate
My experience has been that technology is far more likely to stagnate at BigCo than SmallCo - especially if SmallCo's only source of revenue is said technology.
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#113Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#114How would splitting Instagram work from a technical perspective? Engineers have spent 8 years building shared code and data centers for FB and IG. I'd expect it would take hundreds of people and multiple years to untangle them.
As far as I know the biggest change was hosting the pictures on Facebook server infrastructure. So it requires copying the pictures to another infrastructure and replacing the URLs ? Of course it will be a huge task but I don't think that FB and IG are sharing a lot of code.
The biggest challenge would be the advertising. Moving photos is far easier.
Replicating and building out an ad platform like FBs from zero would be very very hard. None of the other social platforms ad networks are even close in quality but especially interface/targeting/features. Snap / TW I would say are at maybe 5% if I had to pick a number...
Especially especially taking into account integration with FB pixel.
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the same note, a relative asked me the same thing when they IPO.I thought if Google could make money selling ads why couldn't Facebook. I bought in at IPO price for them. I sold for them about 2 years ago when the price was dropping due to privacy scandals.
Why the hell is HN so downvote happy?
> Please don't comment about the voting on comments. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading.
> Please don't post comments saying that HN is turning into Reddit. It's a semi-noob illusion, as old as the hills.
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#116If you work at Facebook it's time to seriously consider leaving to avoid damage to your own brand. Future employers are going to be scrutinizing your record and will ask you difficult questions about why you stuck by Facebook despite an overwhelming consensus that they are damaging to the global social fabric.
Sticking by Facebook now might be seen as a desirable trait in the eyes of some future employers. I'm looking at you Oracle.
A lack of conscience can be a very marketable trait ;)
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
The FTC could, potentially, require: 1. That FB split into N independent companies, whereupon each share of FB would become 1 share in each of N companies. 2. That the supermajor shareholders (say, more than 10% of any company) each pick at most one company to retain that interest in, and sell off shares in the other companies until they had less than 10% of each of those). 3. That the new companies avoid overlapping…
And then it would eventually come back together. See ATT. https://money.cnn.com/infographic/technology/att-merger-hist...
"And then it would eventually come back together." That would be hilarious.
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#118Wow, this is huge. I just wonder how would it even work if Instagram was forced to separate?
So this means Facebook and Google were hit with lawsuits, when is Apple and Amazon next?
I can even understand the Google lawsuit, but can someone explain to me how is Facebook a monopoly? I find a bigger problem Apple than Facebook. It is Google and Apple that have a death grip on the mobile market...
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
> iMessage, Slack, Teams These don’t really compete with WhatsApp, which is cross platform, not tied to an employer, doesn’t require an invitation, subscription, friend network, setup to use, among other things.
Yet they can do so very easily at the flip of a button, so to speak. The capability exists, and simply because potential competitors choose to not compete in the same space is what makes WhatsApp a monopoly? See Skype, for example - the largest market penetration for a period of time and practically no one uses them any more. They were video-centric, yet the user base is already there for an extension into a primaril…
And had they been able to, what do you think would’ve happened to Skype had it been acquired by Facebook back when it was the main game in town? I think that’s the point.
Re: FTC Sues Facebook for Illegal Monopolization
#120If you work at Facebook it's time to seriously consider leaving to avoid damage to your own brand. Future employers are going to be scrutinizing your record and will ask you difficult questions about why you stuck by Facebook despite an overwhelming consensus that they are damaging to the global social fabric.
> Future employers
> damaging to the global social fabric
I'm skeptical there'd be any hard feelings from other global corporations, arguably doing the same thing