Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Alibaba breaks itself up in six

economist.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 321 posts

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#101

Post by mynameisvlad »

bioemerl wrote: post #40
quonn wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't make sense to split Apple into hardware and software since the integration and simplicity that comes from it is the very thing that makes Apple unique.

Unfortunately this is also the source of all their monopolistic behavior. Apple hardware should be incentivized to make great hardware for any operating system. Apple software should be incentivized to sell to many manufacturers and also to not obey apple hardware's demands for locks to prevent things like the replacement of batteries. Their union could be a great thing, but apple decided to use it to be a bunch of m…

> Unfortunately this is also the source of all their monopolistic behavior.

How can you be showing “monopolistic behavior” when you’re neither the only player in the game, nor the biggest?

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#102

Post by fortuna86 »

Animatronio wrote: post #65
hulitu wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least some countries fight monopolies, not promote them. /s

Why the /s though? It's obvious some countries actually promote monopolies, especially when they go global.

Like Huawei. China wants them to have a monopoly everywhere on earth.

Alibaba had nothing to do with being a monopoly, it became a power base to rival the government so it had to be broken and scattered.

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#103

Post by mongol »

bioemerl wrote: post #21
quonn wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would you split Apple? How would you split Meta (would you start charging for WhatsApp)?

Apple into hardware and software. Microsoft into OS and other software and cloud. Amazon into cloud and web store(s). Google into ads and web software that serves ads.

Why not split Apple into hardware and hardware? Ideally two companies that start competing from equal starting point.

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#104

Post by ShaurAsar »

maxwell wrote: post #7

Great move. This will increase local competition and wages, diversify ideas and design, and make shareholders more money than as a single entity. As with Standard Oil and AT&T. The U.S. should continue investigating splitting up Alphabet, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

Some believe that breaking up these companies would promote healthy competition, while others argue it could harm innovation and limit consumer choice. It is up to policymakers and regulators to carefully consider the potential benefits and drawbacks before making any decisions.

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#105

Post by fnomnom »

robopsychology wrote: post #24
soperj wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WhatsApp used to charge, but really what they'd do is just charge facebook & whoever else for the data they're sharing.

Did they actually charge though? I remember hearing about that but it's been my sole method of messaging for years and I never remember setting up payments with them

yeah they did. 0,99€ was the purchase of my whatsapp back then

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#106

Post by bioemerl »

mynameisvlad wrote: post #101
bioemerl wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately this is also the source of all their monopolistic behavior. Apple hardware should be incentivized to make great hardware for any operating system. Apple software should be incentivized to sell to many manufacturers and also to not obey apple hardware's demands for locks to prevent things like the replacement of batteries. Their union could be a great thing, but apple decided to use it to be a bunch of m…

> Unfortunately this is also the source of all their monopolistic behavior. How can you be showing “monopolistic behavior” when you’re neither the only player in the game, nor the biggest?

If you want until they're the only player you're way way too late and huge damage has already been done.

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#107

Post by livelielife »

pfisherman wrote: post #38
poszlem wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I came across a comment that resonated with me and seems relevant in this context, so I saved it. It says: "The arc of communism is long and it leans towards oppressing the fuck out of people. It’s a tendency of all governmental systems. Communism rests most of its power in the hands of government without a moneyed elite to oppose them, so it tends to move to authoritarianism faster and with less resistance."

Please excuse my naïveté here, but communism is an economic system and not a form of government, no? My understanding is that economics and governance are largely - though not completely - orthogonal.

[flagged]

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#108

Post by maxwell »

ShaurAsar wrote: post #104
maxwell wrote: post #7

Great move. This will increase local competition and wages, diversify ideas and design, and make shareholders more money than as a single entity. As with Standard Oil and AT&T. The U.S. should continue investigating splitting up Alphabet, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

Some believe that breaking up these companies would promote healthy competition, while others argue it could harm innovation and limit consumer choice. It is up to policymakers and regulators to carefully consider the potential benefits and drawbacks before making any decisions.

Who believes this could harm innovation and limit consumer choice?

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#109

Post by toyg »

AbrahamParangi wrote: post #60
voisin wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So people are hoping that now the worst of it is done What is the basis of this hope?

I think on some level people implicitly believe that the Chinese govt will choose prosperity over power because that's what they imagine they would do. I suspect that will never happen.

No, it's because that's what the previous generation of Chinese leaders did. Post-Mao, party elites have largely chosen wealth over power at critical junctures, maintaining an overall equilibrium. Xi Jinping broke that setup: there is no elite anymore, only himself; and he's made a point that wealth cannot be used as a shield from his power.

Re: Alibaba breaks itself up in six

#110

Post by maxwell »

contravariant wrote: post #74
bioemerl wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple into hardware and software. Microsoft into OS and other software and cloud. Amazon into cloud and web store(s). Google into ads and web software that serves ads.

I'd say you could split Google into at least , cloud, ads, search and workspace (including mail).

Don't those all lose a lot of money, except ads?
Post reply on HN