Last activity 20 days agoPosted Nov 6, 2025 at 11:15 AM EST
The 40-Year Economic Mistake That Let Google Conquer (and Enshittify) the World
Mood
skeptical
Sentiment
mixed
Category
other
Key topics
Monopolization
Google
Antitrust
Debate intensity40/100
The article argues that a 40-year economic mistake allowed Google to become a monopoly, with commenters debating the author's bias and the implications of vertical mergers.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
15m
Peak period
2
Hour 1
Avg / period
1.5
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Nov 6, 2025 at 11:15 AM EST
20 days ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Nov 6, 2025 at 11:30 AM EST
15m after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
2 comments in Hour 1
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Nov 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM EST
20 days ago
Step 04
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Discussion (3 comments)
Showing 3 comments
20 days ago
What is it with sci-fi authors being so uniquely insufferable now that they’re all opining publicly on every topic under the sun? It’s a fascinating phenomenon that I haven’t seen anyone investigate yet in depth. Would love to read an article about it.
20 days ago
This seems like a good discussion but its author (Cory Doctorow) has a long-held grudge against Google. See his short story "Scroogled" (https://craphound.com/scroogled.html) from 2007. Not exactly unbiased.
20 days ago
TL;DR: The "economic mistake" is allowing monopolization through vertical mergers (taking over parts of the supply chain both upstream and downstream).
ID: 45836781Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 2:46:44 PM
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