From the Wall Street Journal’s “Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft. Call Them Tech Frenemies for Life.” ($) posted Saturday:
Once upon a time, Amazon only sold books, Apple sold computers, and Google was just a search engine. Those days are long gone, and each of those companies— as well as Microsoft and Facebook — has become a tech behemoth.
Big Tech’s critics say the industry’s giants wield too much power over the lives of internet users. The companies often argue in response that they face enormous competition, often from each other, and need to continue innovating to remain relevant.
The reality, as these charts show, is an interplay of collaboration and competition that helps to shape the extent and nature of Big Tech’s clout. And that interplay is evolving, as the companies increasingly encroach on one another’s turf to build and protect their dynasties.
My take: If you who have a digital subscription to the Journal, the interactive graphics on the full story will draw all the connections.
It will be really interesting to see (a) how many people opt-in to FB tracking and then (b) what actions FB takes to those who do not opt-in.
Apple won’t look at this WSJ article to make decisions. Investors may find it useful for other investments.