posted on March 5, 2001 08:55:58 PM new
I have the feeling that my earlier post in this failed to make the intended point, especially to browse4stuff.
That very short list I posted weree all major monopolies that at one time had their respective markets locked up. All of them were either broken up, or are in the process of being broken up.
The analogy being that if Ebay is indeed that powerful a force, or should actually get to that point, there is every likliehood that they too would be 'broken up'. If nor by direct intervention, then certainly by their own inertia, they would create spinoffs. It is inevitible.
For if the opposite were true, the would be no gun manufacturer but Colt, no soft drink but Coca Cola, and no automobiles but Ford. There are many more examples, but I think these will suffice for here.
posted on March 6, 2001 06:32:48 AM new
I truly doubt that ebay will ever get to the economic stature of AT&T, IBM, Standard Oil, etc., requiring government action to break them up. They are only a monopoly (perhaps) in the "consumer to consumer" internet auction market, which is a (relatively) minor market, and one unlikely to have the government intervene. Looking at a "business to consumer" viewpoint, they aren't a monopoly.
Historically, Jim is right, in that most monopolies tend to disappear naturally, either due to mismanagement, or changes in the underlying technology or consumer demands.
