You are right , to break up Microsoft, the government needs to prove not only the break up will
1) Benefit consumers 2) Increase competition 3) Microsoft had monopoly powers.
Otherwise, the government can break any companies at its will.
A broken Microsoft means the end of Microsoft, and that is for sure, that means
to destroy Microsoft, the best and most efficient way is to break it up into several
small pieces so that the baby Microsofts can not compete in the market place. But I do not think that will ever happen, because , the government can not only prove that
a broken Microsoft will benefit consumers, and increase competition, and
the government can not prove that Microsoft had a monopoly, because did not have
monopoly at all.
I think what the government is really up to is money. Just like threat the tobacco industry, if the government is real serious about the health of people, it can just force the tobacco companies to stop selling tobacco products . The government wants money out of Microsoft, so are those lawyers, and Bill Gate just wrote a big and fat check recently, a
3.3 billion contribution. So, personally, I think this case is settled, under table. |
