By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/09/2026What's more, once a company has its customers locked in, it starts to capture a larger share of *all the profits* in its *entire sector*: these hostage-takers become *so* profitable that their profits dwarf the profits of their competitors. 1356
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/09/2026The paper also solves the mystery of the missing market entrants that the neoclassical horse-ponderers insisted would be conjured up to compete away an abusive monopolist's margins. The more locked in the customers of a monopolist are, the *fewer* companies try to enter that market. 2467
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 07/09/2026This makes sense: who would invest in a new business in a market where none of its potential customers can switch to its new business? 1443
sinfoid.bsky.social @sinfoid.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This ties in to the whole AI conversation too, the bosses frequently don’t care if the result is crap because they know you can’t go anywhere else so cheap AI slop >>>>> functional but expensive quality 000
