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Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

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Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#11

Post by arkitaip »

throwaway2048 wrote: post #4

We have here smoking gun evidence that both Google and Apple themselves see themselves as a monopoly, see them commenting about how they "essentially function as one company", yet I absolutely guarantee we will get a torrent of comments denying that in this thread, I am sure with a lot of smug pasting of dictionary entries.

As always when mega corps are involved we have to at least entertain the idea that their employees and agents come out in full force to defend the actions of the corp. Anything else would be dangerously naive.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#12

Post by Santosh83 »

Cartelization is nothing unexpected. Just like governments cut all sorts of deals to form geopolitical blocks, so do leading companies in any industry. It's win-win for them. As for "regulators", they tend to drag their feet for a long time, take even longer to build a case, and after all that time, their action tends to be more show than substance. I wonder why that is.

True decentralization is impossible without drastic change in human nature. We can only replace global powers with smaller, regional powers, or a single power with multiple ones. Despite cartelization it is better than absolute control wielded by one entity.

Specifically w.r.t software, I can't for the life of me not figure out why major nation states are not heavily investing in home grown software (easier than home grown hardware), and instead of placing all their eggs into a few megacorps established under foreign laws and subject to control by foreign govts, like Iran's software situation illustrates well.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#13

Post by samhw »

seniorivn wrote: post #8
spicybright wrote: post #6

tbh, isn't it completely in google's right to do this? It's not a regulated market, it's google's store.

> Larry Page told Steve Jobs in 2010 that "There will always be places we compete, and places where we cooperate." > After another meeting between Apple and Google senior executives, notes showed that the execs agreed: "Our vision is that we work as if we are one company." if it will be proven in court it's a firm base for anti monopoly/cartel case

Honestly, I don't think that's going far enough. That "our vision is that we work as if we are one company" line couldn't be a better basis for an antitrust case if they were literally trying to incriminate themselves.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#14

Post by [deleted] »

Santosh83 wrote: post #12

Cartelization is nothing unexpected. Just like governments cut all sorts of deals to form geopolitical blocks, so do leading companies in any industry. It's win-win for them. As for "regulators", they tend to drag their feet for a long time, take even longer to build a case, and after all that time, their action tends to be more show than substance. I wonder why that is. True decentralization is impossible without dr…

[deleted]

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#15

Post by draw_down »

beckman466 wrote: post #3

> Larry Page told Steve Jobs in 2010 that "There will always be places we compete, and places where we cooperate." > After another meeting between Apple and Google senior executives, notes showed that the execs agreed: "Our vision is that we work as if we are one company." > That is a damning little piece of evidence. Looks like it’s exactly the meritocracies Google and Apple claim to be, nothing monopoly-like to be…

And as we all know, everything between Google and Apple has remained exactly as it was in 2010

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#16

Post by feanaro »

spicybright wrote: post #6

tbh, isn't it completely in google's right to do this? It's not a regulated market, it's google's store.

In addition what everyone else responded, even if it turns out to currently be legal, it doesn't mean it should be legal.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#17

Post by scrollaway »

bronzeage wrote: post #10

Google and apple shills / workers are working hard on this thread downvoting everything. Literally every comment downvoted. Are Google and apple workers that much common in hacker news? Are they that loyal to their disgusting monopolistic company they feel obliged to defend it with downvotes on some internet forum?

I'm downvoting your comment because it's irrelevant, probably wrong, and downright boring to complain about downvotes in the first place, even more so about shilling.

I am not affiliated with either company.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#18

Post by mard »

In 2001, Microsoft "constituted unlawful monopolization" under Antitrust Act for bundling a web browser with their operating system.

20 years later, Apple and Google bundle not only their browsers, but whole irreplaceable app stores with no legal consequences.

I don't know how the law sees it, but it's simply illogical from the common sense standpoint.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#19

Post by sulam »

samhw wrote: post #13
seniorivn wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Larry Page told Steve Jobs in 2010 that "There will always be places we compete, and places where we cooperate." > After another meeting between Apple and Google senior executives, notes showed that the execs agreed: "Our vision is that we work as if we are one company." if it will be proven in court it's a firm base for anti monopoly/cartel case

Honestly, I don't think that's going far enough. That "our vision is that we work as if we are one company" line couldn't be a better basis for an antitrust case if they were literally trying to incriminate themselves.

That line, bereft of context, is being used as if the two companies don’t compete in many many markets. Do you really think that the original context was as broad as the entire company’s operations? Or even the respective phone ecosystems? They clearly compete with each other heavily.

Re: Google’s ‘Project Hug’ paid out huge sums to keep game devs in the Play Store

#20

Post by agloeregrets »

mard wrote: post #18

In 2001, Microsoft "constituted unlawful monopolization" under Antitrust Act for bundling a web browser with their operating system. 20 years later, Apple and Google bundle not only their browsers, but whole irreplaceable app stores with no legal consequences. I don't know how the law sees it, but it's simply illogical from the common sense standpoint.

The law sees it as they have been paid and blackmailed to see it.

There was a report yesterday that showed Apple's lawyers threatening to pull out funding of a minority education school if the state considered any sort of App store laws.

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