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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026

Amazon has a *special* kind of SBSPA where they could unilaterally and secretly charge the winning bidder the maximum price they'd pledged, if, in Amazon's judgment, the closing price for the auction was below "the true market value of the ad placement": arstechnica.com/tech-policy/... 67/

arstechnica.com

FTC alleges Amazon illegally made $20 billion by rigging billions of ad auctions

FTC says firm replaces actual ad-auction results "with higher prices set by Amazon."

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026

This is darkly hilarious. The whole *point* of an auction is to determine "true market value." That's why neoclassical economists *worship* auctions as the world's best form of "price discovery" and why economics Nobels are awarded for "auction design": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction... 68/

en.wikipedia.org

Auction theory - Wikipedia

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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 04/09/2026

The *definition* of "true market value" is "the closing price in an auction." Amazon claiming that it secretly jacked people because the auction generated a price that was "below the true market value" of an ad tells you that the whole business is a sham. 69/

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