The hottest Monopolies Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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The Dirty Business of Clean Blood

BIG by Matt Stoller • 32315 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Healthcare Policy Innovation Monopolies Patient Care
  1. Dialysis industry is controlled by two powerful corporations - DaVita and Fresenius - impacting over half a million lives. Non-compete agreements could potentially change this monopoly.
  2. Dialysis is a critical treatment provided under universal healthcare for end-stage renal disease patients, but monopolistic control has led to issues like patient coercion and quality concerns.
  3. The lack of competition and consolidation in the dialysis market has led to lower survival rates in the US compared to other countries. Eliminating non-compete agreements for healthcare professionals could foster innovation and improve patient care.

The Insufferable Bros Who Run Corporate America

BIG by Matt Stoller • 56953 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
💼 Business Monopolies Corporate culture Antitrust enforcement Pharmaceutical industry Marketing
  1. The pharmaceutical industry is heavily influenced by aggressive marketing campaigns targeted at doctors, controlled by corporations like IQVIA.
  2. IQVIA, a major player in the healthcare industry, is involved in a trial over a merger that could impact the future of advertising to healthcare professionals.
  3. The FTC alleges that IQVIA's acquisition of advertising firms like DeepIntent could lead to a monopolization of the healthcare provider advertising platform market.

Can a Writers Strike Save Hollywood from Monopoly?

BIG by Matt Stoller • 53286 implied HN points • 14 May 23
🎭️ Culture Entertainment Labor Media Economics Monopolies
  1. Hollywood is facing a crisis with streaming services struggling to profit while dominating the industry.
  2. Legal changes in the U.S. over the years have stripped independent producers of bargaining power, impacting the quality of content.
  3. The ongoing writers' strike highlights the need to address the structural issues in the industry caused by consolidation and lack of market signals.
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Is neoliberalism really dead? Or does it live on like a zombie?

Geopolitical Economy Report • 318 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
🌍 World Politics Neoliberalism Debt Monopolies Globalization Cold War
  1. Neoliberalism continues to evolve and adapt, with different variations over the decades.
  2. Debt has played a significant role in the rise of neoliberalism, with exponential growth especially in the neoliberal era.
  3. The current global dynamics reflect a new Cold War, where neoliberalism faces off against alternative economic models represented by countries like China and Russia.

Why does the Ancient Technology Matter?

kamilkazani • 412 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Military Supply Chains Market Dynamics Monopolies
  1. Strategic thinking often overlooks the significance of ancient technology in military production chains.
  2. Ancient technology can create major bottlenecks in military production due to path dependency and market fluctuations.
  3. Major military powers like the US, Russia, and China may be stuck with small, monopolistic suppliers that are key bottlenecks in their military production chains.

Why Monopolies Hate Repair

Fight to Repair • 118 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
💼 Business Monopolies Repair Market Power Right-to-repair Competition
  1. The fight for the right to repair is closely tied to the fight against monopolies. Companies like Apple use control over repairs to limit competition and maximize profit.
  2. Monopolies can hinder a circular economy by prioritizing profit over repairability. The push for a real circular economy requires challenging traditional capitalist notions.
  3. Legislation like the Digital Markets Act can help combat the restrictive practices of monopolies and create a more repair-friendly future. Advocating for right to repair policies and regulations is crucial in this fight.

Alexa, what happened?

Margins by Ranjan Roy and Can Duruk • 1043 implied HN points • 24 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Tech Giants Innovation Monopolies
  1. Voice technology like Amazon's Alexa faced challenges in living up to the initial promise of being a transformative platform due to issues like annoying follow-up questions and closed-off ecosystems.
  2. Big tech companies often focused on 10x innovations rather than incremental improvements, leading to challenges in realizing the full potential of technological advancements.
  3. The economic incentives, user behaviors, and prevailing attitudes towards technology play crucial roles in determining the success and impact of innovations.

Starship, Starlink, and some SpaceX-conomics

The efficient frontier • 78 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Space Exploration Economics Monopolies
  1. The economics of Starship are more complex than perceived, involving pricing, competition, and opportunity costs.
  2. Price and cost are not the same; in markets like space launches, firms charge markups and earn positive profits.
  3. Opportunity costs play a role in decisions, with each slot allocation affecting revenues from different sources like Starlink satellites.

US Federal Reserve says its goal is 'to get wages down'

Geopolitical Economy Report • 279 implied HN points • 24 May 22
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Inflation Labor Government Policy Wages Monopolies
  1. The US Federal Reserve chairman aims to bring down wages as a solution to high inflation, believing that workers have too much power in the labor market.
  2. Inflation is outpacing US wages, with the federal minimum wage remaining at $7.25 since 2009, showing that real wages have not kept up with rising prices.
  3. Economist Michael Hudson argues that inflation is primarily driven by corporate monopolies increasing prices, not by rising wages as claimed by the Federal Reserve.

The Week in Repair: March 13-19

Fight to Repair • 39 implied HN points • 21 Mar 22
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Antitrust Legislation Tech regulation Monopolies
  1. The Fair Repair Act of 2022 aims to protect consumers' right to repair by removing barriers set by manufacturers and providing access to parts and tools.
  2. Jonathan Kanter at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division plans significant changes in antitrust enforcement, including addressing monopolization cases and reformulating merger guidelines.
  3. The European Parliament passed a resolution emphasizing the importance of the right to repair, focusing on product design, access to repair services, and incentives for repair over replacement.

Video: Can Repair Short Circuit Our Tech-Enabled Dystopia?

Fight to Repair • 19 implied HN points • 25 Oct 22
🕹 Technology Repair Dystopia Monopolies Rights Security
  1. In our current reality, device makers use various tactics to maintain monopolies on repair services, which can lead to a less secure ecosystem and poorer service for consumers.
  2. The 'right to repair' movement aims to combat these monopolies and create a circular economy that reduces waste and enhances security and privacy for technology users.
  3. Experts at the DEF CON Conference discussed how dismantling repair monopolies can help prevent a 'Brazil' style dystopia and promote a more sustainable and secure tech landscape.

The Cycles of Bundling and Unbundling to Unleash the Public Sector's Creativity

Bold & Open • 0 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Open Source Monopolies Public Sector Software
  1. Investing in external consultancies or centralised and proprietary systems weakens the capacity of public agents and citizens, hindering influence over tools.
  2. Investing in open source technologies empowers the public sector to control their tools, collaborate with other actors, and amplify tech capabilities.
  3. To challenge monopolies, investing in new open standards or supporting smaller startups developing open alternatives can foster innovation and competition.

The Week in Repair: March 27 - April 2

Fight to Repair • 0 implied HN points • 05 Apr 22
💼 Business Repair Monopolies Legislation Manufacturers Trade
  1. The EU is proposing new rules focusing on making products more durable and repairable, including requirements for information on repairs and updates.
  2. Samsung is launching a repair program allowing owners of certain devices to repair them themselves, with iFixit's assistance to provide repair guides and parts.
  3. Colorado passed a bill granting the right to repair powered wheelchairs, highlighting the importance of repair accessibility for various devices.

Brother Printer’s Warranty Restrictions Spawn Anti-Trust Suit

Fight to Repair • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
💼 Business Legal Monopolies Antitrust Consumer Protection
  1. Brother Printers faced an antitrust suit due to tying warranty service to authorized repair providers, violating laws. This indicates a common issue in consumer goods markets.
  2. Deceptive packaging led to a warranty surprise for consumers, like Mr. Konkel, who found warranty conditions after purchase.
  3. The legal expert highlighted ongoing abuse of warranty provisions by manufacturers, emphasizing the need for lawsuits to enforce legal obligations and target unfair business practices.