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33 points almost-exactly | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.233s | source
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lapcat ◴[] No.44404945[source]
I found the narrative a bit strange, because Doctorow first mentions the famous 2014 polisci paper about US politics but then pivots to antitrust enforcement in the EU and other countries. The US has been a plutocracy from its founding and has remained that way by design and by various demographic factors. Even America's most "progressive" Presidents, the Roosevelts, were themselves plutocrats.

To me, the current situation in the US is reminiscent of 25 years ago, when the Clinton DoJ had won an antitrust case against Microsoft—with the breakup of the company on the table!—but then G.W. Bush was elected, MS was given a slap on the wrist, and 9/11 happened almost immediately afterward, causing US v. MS to disappear from the public consiousness. Similarly, the Biden DoJ won an antitrust case against Google, with the breakup of the company on the table, but then Trump was elected with the backing of the tech billionairies, and it still remains to be seen whether Google will suffer any major consequences or just get a slap on the wrist and continue with business as usual. Remember that billionaires such as Leonard Leo are fully in control of the openly corrupt US Supreme Court, so anything that happens in court at lower levels can be overturned in favor of the billionaires. Apple is still appealing its temporary loss against Epic Games.

replies(1): >>44405155 #
1. AnimalMuppet ◴[] No.44405155[source]
Microsoft got much more than a slap on the wrist. They got a consent decree, which they then had to live under for... I forget how long, but at least a decade. They got monitoring from the DOJ during that time. So, they didn't get broken up, and they didn't get a huge financial hit, but they got handcuffed in a way that actually curbed their behavior.