[soldierofhayley]

I look forward to the US absolutely destroying EU companies, the few that exist, with massive fines and penalties in retaliation :)

[tekkk]

Really, you look forward to? What makes this that personal to you? You are somehow afflicted if Google is indeed fined and regulated? "The few that exist" what is that supposed to mean? That operate in US? I believe it's more than "few".

[soldierofhayley]

Well I work at Google. And a significant portion of my compensation is in RSUs.

And I am not a fan of the EU's approach to regulation, economically they are already failing and I predict that it only gets worse.

Free markets win every time.

[tekkk]

I agree that EU has too many bureaucrats inviting new ways to regulate things. Sadly it seems that it's the only way countries inside EU are going to have more uniform (and sane) laws.

Without really no knowledge of the Google ruling in my opinion it seems that it's a flick to show Google that there is a line that it can't cross. Maybe Google in all of its superiority has become too arrogant, who knows.

And free markets work only if they are fairly regulated. If there was no penalty from abusing your monopoly you think companies wouldn't do it? I think even Google wouldn't be all the goody-goody with its business practices if we'd let its actions go unchecked. Granted Google seems better than most.

[Veratyr]

> Free markets win every time.

Unless they result in a monopoly, which has arguably happened in the case of Google. Users only want to use one place to search, Google is currently dominant and the problem seems solved well enough that no newcomers are likely to succeed in the future.

Now Google is using its monopoly on search to move into a new segment (shopping) with an unfair advantage.

[specialist]

Free markets? Sounds interesting.

How are the markets (spheres of influence) of USA, EU, and China different?

What makes one of these markets more free than the others?

[perseusprime11]

EU makes money by fining American companies. If you take that away, how else can they make money?

[peteretep]

    > to the US absolutely destroying EU
    > companies, the few that exist

Of the Fortune Global 500, the US has 134, the EU single market has 110, and China 103. So ... good luck with that?

[Veratyr]

This would only be possible if EU companies were violating US laws or regulations. Given that EU laws and regulations are typically more restrictive than those in the US and EU companies are already required to comply with them, it seems less likely that an EU company would be fined by the US than a US company fined by the EU.

And I, as a consumer, hope that the opposite happens. The lack of regulation in the US may be great for corporations but it's definitely not for consumers. When it comes to things like privacy, most of the features I get from US companies seem to be a result of EU regulations.

Note: I live and work in the US for a major US company. I just prefer to have consumer rights than a minor bump to my stock portfolio value.