The Silicon Valley Paradox - Monopoly Masquerading as Innovation

The Silicon Valley Paradox - Monopoly Masquerading as Innovation

Source: FTC v. Amazon litigation documents (2023)

While tariffs dominate headlines, America’s tech monopolies quietly tighten their grip. Amazon’s 2023 SEC filings show it takes 50 cents of every dollar spent online in the U.S.—up from 38 cents in 2020. Apple’s App Store fees, ruled anticompetitive by a 2021 Epic Games verdict, now extract 15-30% from developers earning over $1 million annually. This isn’t capitalism; it’s digital feudalism.

The irony? These firms lobby hardest for protectionism. Meta’s Q3 2023 lobbying disclosures reveal $4.2 million spent pushing the “American Innovation Act”—a bill that would exempt big tech from antitrust scrutiny if they invest in domestic AI research. It’s a protection racket: use tariffs to kneecap foreign competitors while entrenching domestic monopolies.

Conclusion: America’s tech giants have become what they once disrupted—the new robber barons, hiding behind patriotic rhetoric.