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Internet giants and their monopoly on ideas! Solve it!


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I have often wondered about this. Some online apps such as Facebook acquire much of their desirability from the fact that they are so widely used. Even if a competitor was superior, the fact of having no users would make it inferior. As in Facebooks case, their popularity can be sustained for a very long time, and significant profits can be derived from this monopoly.

 

We are always told that superior products will overcome inferior, but what when the value of a thing comes not from its own personal qualities, but from its popularity alone? Perfect example of individual market actors making terrible collective decisions.

Is their a term for such phenomena? It does permeate our society in all aspects of life. From OS's to battery power tools.

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Especially in the apps field internet giants have a huge advantage in marketing new trends. Aren't they inhibiting innovation because an app developer knows he can't compete with a Google copy of his app? Doesn't this inhibit innovation?

 

No. Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. have tons of competitors even for their core apps.

 

Obligatory Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft.

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Then my concern is not valid? That app developers need not fear that their ideas would be stolen?

 

The big profit makers would rather buy a good idea than suffer the damage to "good will" of getting caught stealing an idea. It happens, sure, but it's far more reasonable to fear being shafted by a little guy than a big one if you have a popular idea.

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