IN TONIGHT’S POSITIVE AND
PRACTICAL WERE LOOKING AT THE
MONOPOLIZATION OF THE BIG TECH
COMPANIES AND ONE MAN’S CALL TO
RETURN TO THE ANTITRUST
ENFORCEMENT NEVER SEEN SINCE
TEDDY ROOSEVELT.
JOINING ME IS TIM WU.
CAN YOU QUICKLY TELL US TO BITS
OF THAT, WHAT IS THE CURSE OF
BIGNESS AND WHAT IS THE NEW
GILDED AGE.
>> THE CURSE IS SIMPLY THE
SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE TOO FEW
COMPANIES CONTROLLING TO VIEW
THINGS IN TOO MANY IN CHARGE OF
TOO MUCH MEDIA.
TECH IS A COMPETITIVE PART OF
THE ECONOMY AND IT’S REALLY
GOTTEN CONTROLLED BY JUST A FEW
BIG COMPANIES.
THE NEW GUILD TODAY REFERS TO
WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT
EARLIER, THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE
JUST A FEW ELITES WILL ASSUME
THEY ARE IN CHARGE OF THE
COUNTRY AND DEMOCRACY.
THAT’S FOR THE TWO IDEAS ARE
BASICALLY ABOUT THIS BOOK.
>> SO ONE OF THE THINGS PEOPLE
SAY, I KNOW YOU CHALLENGE IT THE
BOOK IS/WE CARE ABOUT THIS AS
WELL AS THE BLOOD GETTING STUFF
FOR CHEAP PRICES AND TECH
PRODUCTS FOR FREE.
SO WHAT IF IT’S ALL CONCENTRATED
BECAUSE THE MARKET.
I THINK CONSUMERS ARE PAYING A
LOT OF WAYS WITH THEIR DATA.
THEY’RE PAYING WITH THEIR TIME
AND SO FORTH BUT THEY’RE ALSO
PAYING WITH THE SURRENDER OF
POLITICAL CONTROL.
WHEN YOU’RE ONLY DELEGATING
FACEBOOK OR GOOGLE OR FEW
COMPANIES TO TAKE CONTROL OF
WHATEVER THEY SEES, YOU’RE NOT
QUITE IN THE DEMOCRACY WE
IMAGINE THIS COUNTRY WAS MEANT
TO BE.
THAT’S THE WAY I THINK WE PAY IN
POLITICAL TERMS.
>> I JUST WANT TO TALK NOW ABOUT
THE SOLUTION.
YOU SPECIFICALLY LAY OUT A PLAN
TOWARD THE END OF YOUR BOOK ON
BREAKING UP SOME OF THE BIG TECH
COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK, TELL US
BREAKING UP SOME OF THE BIG TECH
COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK, TELL US
ABOUT THAT FEELING SURE.
I THINK FACEBOOK ILLEGALLY
I WORK IN ANTITRUST ENFORCEMENT.
BOUGHT OUT MANY OF ITS
COMPETITORS IN 2010.
THEY BOUGHT UP INSTAGRAM AND
WHATSAPP AND MANY VIEWERS MIGHT
THINK THEIR SEPARATE COMPANIES
BUT THEY’RE ALL OWNED BY THE
SAME COMPANY.
I WOULD SIMPLY REVERSE THE
MERGERS.
THEY WERE LEGAL WHEN THEY WERE
DONE AND CONTINUE TO BE ILLEGAL.
YOU EITHER HAVE THREE COMPETING
SOCIAL NETWORK COMPANIES THEN
YOU MIGHT FEEL A LITTLE MORE
PRIVACY, SOME DIFFERENT
POLICIES.
I REALLY THINK WE NEED TO SHAKE
CONTROL AWAY FROM JUST A COUPLE
BIG COMPANIES IN SILICON VALLEY.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I REALLY LOVE YOUR BOOK BUT I
THINK EVERYONE SHOULD GET IT.
ONE THING I LOVE IS THE SHORTCUT
