- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- technology@beehaw.org
I started to notice some thing weird while using Reddit, every link post from Condé Nast owned news outlet was getting a high amount of upvotes and awards while other publications had a very normal rate of awards( usually zero, with the exception of the sponsored ones) and upvotes.
That when I started to investigate this matter till I found out about this.
They are boosting their publications on Reddit on the major subreddits. They are trying to give their publications a advantage over all the other news outlets.
They have the ability to kill the other news outlets if they keep doing that. Avoid them as if your freedom is dependent on it.
This is how the USA works now. Not just unethical companies and monopolies but super monopolies and upright evil companies. If you ever want to make yourself mad Google EssilorLuxottica, it is the largest eyeglass manufacturer, sunglass manufacturer, eyeglass retailer … and believe it or not it also owns Eyemed eye insurance. It’s not the biggest eye insurance company … yet.
Vertical integration that leads to self dealing like this should be considered anti competitive and illegal.
Unfortunately in US healthcare it’s the norm.
companies shouldn’t have limits on how far they can grow, and vertical integration is almost impossible to regulate as it’s just manufacturing a product from start to finish.
The US does operate on the principle that companies should actually have limits on how far they can grow. This was set forth in the Sherman Act of 1890. The fact that it was not there at the founding of the country, embedded in the constitution, is probably a contributing factor on why the US is falling into corruption today. The main cause is of course political parties, which should have been made illegal. George Washington predicted our current future in his exit speech when he said that political parties would be the downfall of the US … he was right.
Monopolies aren’t your friend.
The same company manufacturing eyeglasses and providing vision insurance isn’t “start to finish” manufacturing.
It’s the same concept as car dealerships having loans and being owned (or franchise things) by the car company.
No, it’s not, and that still isn’t what you said, which was “start to finish” manufacturing.
Car dealerships financing a loan is literally just selling you a car on credit. You still have full choice there, and can mix and match your source of car and your source of finance at will. You can get a loan from any bank to buy a car from any dealership.
A vision insurance company limits the manufacturers you can buy from, and is almost exclusively sold as a bundle with employer provided health insurance. You don’t have nearly the same ability to choose the source of your insurance or the manufacturer of your glasses, and they literally decide what price you’re allowed to pay, there is no negotiation.