Four Horseman Of The Big Tech
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are the world’s leading tech giants. Their problem doesn’t lay just in the size, but power and market position they obtain. In this post, I will try to lay down an “easy” and “simple” solution to fix the big tech problem.
Educate People
I believe that this problem isn’t just about the platforms and services these companies provide, but also in people’s understanding of how these systems work. I don’t think many people even know they have a choice when it comes to search engines. People see Google as a service that is an essential part of the internet. It’s critical to start talking about alternatives and educating people that there are other options, that Amazon isn’t the only online shopping site and that iPhone isn’t the de facto smartphone.
Amazon
The problem with Amazon is that they offer two very different services. They allow almost everyone to start selling their products on Amazon, but they also sell their products. This overlap with data and services is just one reason we should break up and limit Amazon. I think their AWS services could be its own company. The Amazon, as we know it today, shouldn’t exist. I think the best solution is to change the Amazon into a shop search engine. There’s a lot more to that, but I’m not going to explain my full opinion. I don’t understand their business well enough to continue.
Apple
Straightforward solution – just open source everything. The OS, App Store… Apple open sourcing their software will never happen without regulation. Imagine the positive effects of open sourcing their code and giving everyone the ability to play and build their products. Sure, Apple will lose some of its business, but I believe this would only bring positive change in the long run.
I think social media should be decentralized. Mastodon is a great example of this, and I love it. Sadly, I have no solution for Facebook.
Google offers so many services, and that’s why it’s so powerful. Like Apple, Google “locks” their users in the ecosystem that is extremely hard to escape. I think each successful Google service should be its own company. YouTube, Gmail, Search, Assistant, etc. I know this is not a perfect solution to Google’s problems, but I think it’s the right direction.
Conclusion
I’ve realized how hard it is for the government to do something about tech giants. There’s no right solution that would benefit everyone. In most cases, these multi-billion dollar companies would do everything they can to stop losing their power. I don’t think that legislators can win this battle, but I believe that if we start educating people today, we might have a better chance of avoiding such monopolies.
Continue your reading:
- Google’s Top Search Result?
- Four misleading claims tech CEOs told Congress
- How to Fight Against Big Tech’s Power
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