Looks like Amazon is trying to expand more into trucking...

Around the turn of the century when Steel was king - USS had to divest itself of various upstream and downstream processes as a result of the laws forbidding vertical integration for fear of creating a monopoly. I know what the usual suspects are going to say already...but once again the persistent growth of mega-cap MNC's is killing capitalism over the long term. It's LATE(ER) stage capitalism again.

It matters not. Contribute or ignore if you wish.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/2...FA-g%3D%3D

Quote:Amazon’s less-than-truckload freight now ships to any type of destination and serves businesses of all sizes, following strong demand from Amazon selling partners and vendors

Powered by more than 80,000 trailers and 24,000 intermodal containers, Amazon's expanded less-than-truckload service gives businesses of all sizes cost-effective freight shipping, reliable capacity, and GPS-powered tracking

The expanded less-than-truckload offering is part of Amazon Supply Chain Services, which gives businesses access to the logistics network Amazon spent nearly three decades building and refining

This was the one area I would actually have been willing to fight that Biden was "good" on, and by good I really just mean better than every president since Carter. Lina Khan and Jonathan Kanter were doing legitimate good work on the anti-trust front. However, Harris was receiving massive pressure from donors, specifically Reid Hoffman, to fire Khan had she actually won, and I'm fairly certain she would have, so this certainly isn't a flex that all or even most Dems are good on this issue.

Amazon is interesting because I believe they skirt being a monopoly even is everything bought is America is bought through them. They are a layer to a process that you add by choice. Everything sold on their site can be bought somewhere else. People choosing to add Amazon to the process for their convenience doesn’t constitute a monopoly IMO.

I'm completely with you.

The tech companies as a whole have been able to keep buying up any competition and create barriers to entry across the board. Amazon is a monster, but they aren't alone.

(06-10-2026 10:34 AM)banker Wrote:  Amazon is interesting because I believe they skirt being a monopoly even is everything bought is America is bought through them. They are a layer to a process that you add by choice. Everything sold on their site can be bought somewhere else. People choosing to add Amazon to the process for their convenience doesn’t constitute a monopoly IMO.

A monopoly can come about if either 1) You're the only one who CAN provide the unique good(s) or 2) You can use your size to price your competitors out of the market. To your point you can get the same goods elsewhere. However, if Amazon can force enough competitors out of the marketplace then...

Oligopoly is also bad too. Going back to cars - your choices are much more limited due to the small number of competitors. Every company is selling the similar car with the same "standard" features that you are forced to absorb as part of the price. No real choices.