[inoop]

> I think there's reason to debate whether large corps should be able to hold an auction like this

It wasn't an auction. As the letter points out, each location put in a single, sealed bid, invisible to everybody else. There were no multiple rounds of bidding, as is typical for an auction.

[paulgb]

You've literally described a silent auction.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-price_sealed-bid_aucti...

[inoop]

Ah, I stand corrected, thanks!

[ec109685]

No, you mean a blind auction.

[spenczar5]

Eh, a sealed first-price auction is still an auction. It’s fair to call it that.