Plenty of massive technology companies have come under fire in the last few years for antitrust violations
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
The size and scope of the world's biggest technology companies seem beyond anything we could have imagined in the distant past. Companies like Microsoft, Meta, and Google are described by many as monopolies in particular sectors and have landed themselves in trouble with the law over it.
Writing in his book 'Zero to One', Palantir and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel commented on the lengths that monopolies would go to hide their absolute control over a particular market segment.
This article is part of TechRadar Pro's QOTD project to provide an insight into the minds of the brightest and most recognized figures in the technology industry today and in years gone by. Read the full series here.
His book aimed to outline a formula for building the companies of the future and monopolizing new markets instead of simply fighting in existing ones. To avoid the legal, regulatory, and general backlash that would come from embracing a company's dominance in a sector, he argued that they should instead try to hide their power.
Thiel's experience in tech and business extends over several decades, with PayPal among the first startup companies he had a hand in creating. He was also an early investor in Facebook.
The playbook that Thiel outlined is one that we've seen all too often play out in real-time in the last few years, especially considering the market activities of some of the biggest tech companies on the planet.
Despite all their attempts to hide monopolistic practices, making arguments that they do indeed compete with other businesses in different spaces, they've often been found out by both US and EU regulators over violations of competition and antitrust law.
Companies that have previously been investigated or fined include Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon, among others. The largest antitrust fine was paid by Google in 2018 to the tune of €4.13 billion by the European Commission over forcing smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome on its Android operating system.
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Keumars Afifi-Sabet is a freelance contributor for Tech Radar and the Technology Editor for Live Science. He has written for a variety of publications including ITPro, The Week Digital and ComputerActive. He has worked as a technology journalist for more than five years, having previously held the role of features editor with ITPro. In his previous role, he oversaw the commissioning and publishing of long form in areas including AI, cyber security, cloud computing and digital transformation.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.