Live data from Hacker News

Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

gizmodo.com

1–10 of 166 posts

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#2
I tried to imagine an ad in chat output by asking ChatGPT a question and then making up an ad:

Q: What is superglue?

A: Super glue, also known as cyanoacrylate, is a type of adhesive that forms a strong bond quickly and can be used on a variety of surfaces. It is often used for small repairs, such as broken ceramics or toys, and can also be used in crafts and other projects. Super glue is available in liquid or gel form, and is sold in small tubes or bottles. It should be used with caution, as it can bond skin together and can be difficult to remove.

For your superglue needs, you can't do much better than Gorilla brand superglue. Its high strength and quick set time make Gorilla Super Glue the go-to adhesive for a variety of household projects.

Edit: There used to be a radio guy, I believe it was Joe Franklin who blended the ads into his spiel so you couldn't tell when the ad started and left off, so maybe it will be something like this.

A: Super glue, also known as cyanoacrylate, is a type of adhesive that forms a strong bond quickly and can be used on a variety of surfaces. A brand like Gorilla with it's high strength and quick setting time making it perfect for for small repairs, such as broken ceramics or toys, and can also be used in crafts and other projects. Super glue is available in liquid or gel form, and is sold in small tubes or bottles. It should be used with caution, as it can bond skin together and can be difficult to remove.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#3
All big corporations have to be broken up. They have ill influence on everything and they are what many describe symptoms of late stage capitalism and our failure to regulate.

They are like a player of Monopoly who bought everything.

Alphabet shouldn't exist in its current form and so Apple, Amazon and many other corporations.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#4
But Alphabet will probably be fine. YouTube and Android are still billion-user products that aren't being displaced with AI, and their advertising business doesn't seem threatened much by this either.

So what's the scoop? I use ChatGPT, it hasn't replaced my search engine. They're insisting that search is obsoleted with AI (and Google is spooked internally) but I have yet to see any research-based evidence supporting it. Personally, I use both tools for completely different things, and while they are similar by-way-of a text box with a prompt, their responses are completely distinct and neither one can replace the other.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#6
Sometimes, I wonder if for the sake of small business and general good, if horizontal integration should be heavily regulated and restricted for publicly traded companies (not private ones).

For example, Apple. Why aren't the software and hardware divisions separated, at a minimum? Furthermore, I might wonder, why couldn't iPhone, iPad, Mac, Audio Accessories etc. be separate companies? Sure, you'd lose a ton of the integration that makes it special... but I wonder sometimes if the world would be a better place. Same for Microsoft: Why can't Windows, Office, Azure, Xbox, all be separate companies? If Windows was an independent company I think it would probably be way healthier for Windows at this point (less Microsoft bloat)...

I feel (just feel) that publicly-traded companies should be forced to pick a market segment and stick to it, and any other businesses that get too large (say, $1B revenue) must be broken off.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#7

All big corporations have to be broken up. They have ill influence on everything and they are what many describe symptoms of late stage capitalism and our failure to regulate. They are like a player of Monopoly who bought everything. Alphabet shouldn't exist in its current form and so Apple, Amazon and many other corporations.

One downside to a bunch of small companies instead of a few large ones: competition is fiercer, the small companies can't rest on their laurels the way the large ones do. Consequently work life balance deteriorates for the average worker.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#9
I'm not so sure AI is as big a threat as Google perceives it to be; back in 2009 the HUGE EXISTENTIAL THREAT was Social, therefore Google+, but that came and went and Google's growth continued unabated. That said, I do see a place for language-model driven search. And I shudder to think that language models will be specifically coerced, bribed, and have ingrained in their brains only what advertisers want. If you thought the search landscape of the 2020s is fully of SEO'd crap, just wait. Google is not in an enviable position.

Re: Google is screwed, even if it wins its antitrust case

#10

All big corporations have to be broken up. They have ill influence on everything and they are what many describe symptoms of late stage capitalism and our failure to regulate. They are like a player of Monopoly who bought everything. Alphabet shouldn't exist in its current form and so Apple, Amazon and many other corporations.

Truly, the problem is US complacency. It's a great day to tax businesses when US companies dominate the market, but as soon as a foreign competitor steps in? It's time to defend American competition and ingenuity!

Hopefully, pushback from European regulators who are harder to fool (or buy out) will force the US to admit there's egg on our face. We've let corporate America write the rules for too long, and our democratic control over their abuse has become dilute and helpless. Something's gotta give, and I'm cheering for the countries that take user privacy and consumer rights seriously.

Post reply on HN