The Big 5 Breakdown

The Big 5 tech giants have stormed the world, creating huge developments in the way we live our everyday lives. But, recently the way that they do business has come under question by the government, leaving the breakdown of these companies inevitable.

Just to be clear, when I say the Big 5, I mean Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and the beloved Google. While it’s undeniable that each of these companies have revolutionized our everyday lives, it has become more evident that these companies haven’t done everything right. These powerhouse companies have gone on to purposefully shut out the competition through monopolizing industries and even data breaching to propel themselves forward. Clearly this is not the right way to do business and their corrupt way of doing business must be stopped. So let’s take a deep dive into how these companies have flushed their industries with corruption, leading the government to step in and investigate further.

Monopolization

When you think of the tech world, it’s no surprise that these trillion dollar companies are at the top of the list. But have you ever wondered why other companies just can’t seem to compete? No, it’s not because these tech companies are just so unique and essential to our lives. It is because they have done everything possible to shut out the competition. Each of these companies display anti-competitive motives in some way shape or form. Take Amazon for instance, they have monopolized the e-commerce industry by building a system that allows them to store goods, accept virtual payments and deliver goods. It may seem innocent at first glance, but this way of doing business is actually not allowed. Why? Because Amazon has taken two separate industries, logistics and ecommerce, and used the fact that they are good at one to monopolize the other.

Facebook has also taken an anti-competitive approach. However, their way of doing things has been a bit more obvious. Any service that seems to offer some sort of competition, they hunt down and take them out through the infamous buyout method. We have seen it time and time again. They have bought out companies such as Instagram, What’s app, Nextdoor, Messenger and many more. Not to mention, Mark Zuckerberg is known to blatantly steal ideas from other companies and integrate them into his own services. Snapchat was a prime example of this, It was proven that Zuckerberg threatened to clone Snapchat if Evan Spiegel (the owner of Snapchat) did not sell it to him. And indeed, Zuckerberg made good on his threat, releasing Instagram “stories,” which is cooingly similar to Snapchat.

And let’s not forget Microsoft and BIll Gates, who was charged with anti-competitive behavior back in the 80’s and 90’s for acts of monopolizing the internet industry. For instance, having Internet Explorer as the default browser on all Windows products.

Data Breaching

Another way these tech giants have illegally propelled themselves to massive success is through data breaching. That’s right as a consumer, your data has not been safe in the hands of these tech companies. Take Google for instance. Google has been known to collect your data, whether it be through collecting your information when you create one of their Google services accounts or compiling your Google searches into a file. They then go on to analyze it and then distribute it to other companies for their own capital gain.

Facebook has also done the same. The difference is, Facebook’s default option is to collect your data when you sign up. This upon first appearance seems standard, but Facebook then goes on to illegally send your data to another company called Cambridge Analytica. This company then distributes your information among other companies without your direct consent, which is illegal.

But perhaps the most evil data breach that we have seen comes from Amazon. They have a service called Amazon Web Services, which for many smaller companies seems like a practical service to use to help enhance their business. Amazon Web Services promises smaller companies the ability to catalogue their products and services data into Amazon’s larger database. For smaller companies this is a great opportunity to gain more exposure to a wider client base. Little do they know, this could be a fatal blow to their business. Why? Because Amazon secretly spies on the database and are fishing for gold. Once they find a company that they like, they are quick to create a competitive product or service, blowing the “little guys” out of the water once and for all.

I’m sure you can now understand why some of the business practices of the tech giants have come into question by the government. It’s one thing to build a powerhouse company, but it’s another to do it illegally and at the unknowing expense of others.

This is why I believe the Big 5 will not last for much longer. Eventually the government will have to interfere, and the breakdown of these companies will begin. Of, course these companies won’t be completely wiped out. But without the security blanket of blatant malpractice, they should brace themselves for the impact of stiff competition.

So, what do you think? Will the Big 5 remain the world’s top tier tech companies when the government steps in and put an end to their illegal anti-competitive methods or will this be the demise of the Big 5 era?