4 comments

  • hn_submit 6 hours ago ago

    But these large tech companies are also the reason America still exists.

    Without their multi-trillion dollar valuations the U.S. national debt would become unsustainable pretty quickly. Investors look at the potential profitability of a nation to decide whether its debt can be financed.

    So be careful what you wish for!

    • rileymat2 5 hours ago ago

      I am not sure that the capital would not be allocated differently.

      Whether or not we have a google, we will have advertising, perhaps at more competitive rates with more competition. Monopolistic Megatech v. No Tech is a false choice.

      On a straight revenue side, corporate tax, in total, accounts for about 10%. Granted there is additional income paid through salaries because of these giants, but the I doubt with reallocation it is profound as you are claiming.

      • hn_submit an hour ago ago

        The keyword here is "profitability." These companies are hyper-profitable and have a near monopoly in their line of business. Just having companies that barely eek out a living isn't sufficient.

    • add-sub-mul-div 4 hours ago ago

      Without these companies we'd have a large workforce freed up to do something worthwhile. It's not like the people would disappear.