The ACCC rejected the insufficient conditions w/ which DG Comp cleared Google-Fitbit. The EC decision shows a lack of courage and a refusal to learn from past mistakes. Having worked for months w/ @Caffar3Cristina trying to explain why, it’s time to put down a final marker. 1/
This is a (long) thread in four parts:
I.The Problem with Google
II.Google-Fitbit in a time of Digital Platform introspection
III.Google-Fitbit Theories of Harm
IV.The remedies are insufficient
2/
PART I: The Problem with Google.
We’ll start by agreeing that Google makes some great products. (That’s not the problem.) It claims: 3/
We have a very different view of Google’s true motives: 4/
To see this, divide Google’s product history into three parts. Part 1 is “Google as Traditional Media Company”. They launch Desktop Search (1998) and acquire YouTube (2006). Both are free services, monetized by advertising.
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