The strategy focused on a discovered gap where the second-highest bidder often bid only 80 percent of the winning offer. Google’s response was to introduce a handicap for the second-place bidder, rigging the auction to make the losing offer more competitive and closing the 20 percent gap between the first and second bids. This change, combined with charging more for ads with additional text, was projected to increase Google’s revenues by 15 percent.
Whinston emphasized the monopolistic nature of Google’s actions, stating, “It’s the advertisers who are running in this race. It’s Google setting the rules.” He highlighted a technique called “squashing” to make the runner-up’s bid more competitive, based on internal emails and testimony by Google finance executive Jerry Dischler.
On its face, this would seem more in the realm of fraud than antitrust, but if advertisers were forced to pay Google prices since they control most of the volume, then I see where this is relevant.
Government enforcement on this has not been consistent at all. They were supposed to do something to Microsoft and never really did. In the more modern age, I'm not aware of any major antitrust pursuits. I forgot about them maybe.
Back in the day they broke up Standard Oil and Bell Telephone. Precedent is all over the place, and I think it has less to do with the severity of the monopoly than the politics.
I think it was peter thiel who says google/alphabet is always rebranding and spending on self driving cars etc to DISTRACT from their massive search monopoly.
On its face, this would seem more in the realm of fraud than antitrust, but if advertisers were forced to pay Google prices since they control most of the volume, then I see where this is relevant.
They have a monopoly- so every push they make into another sector should be illegal.
Youtube/gmail etc etc.
This legislation is from when standard oil used its train monopoly to create refining monopolies or something like that.
However google is in bed with the democrats :
“we are the best defense against another trump situation” - google exec undercover to project veritas
Government enforcement on this has not been consistent at all. They were supposed to do something to Microsoft and never really did. In the more modern age, I'm not aware of any major antitrust pursuits. I forgot about them maybe.
Back in the day they broke up Standard Oil and Bell Telephone. Precedent is all over the place, and I think it has less to do with the severity of the monopoly than the politics.
I think it was peter thiel who says google/alphabet is always rebranding and spending on self driving cars etc to DISTRACT from their massive search monopoly.