[Barrin92]

People used to make this exact argument in the 80s when it came to Japan, and even when it came to the Soviet Union[1]. There were countless of people who had already written off competitive markets in favour of supporting domestic industry.

In the car industry people actually listened and enacted domestic protection, what did that get the US? Two lost decades of shoddy cars. Have Japanese conglomerates overtaken the world? Nope.

I think it's an absolute smokescreen and such a blatant attempt by Facebook to use nationalism to protect their status. In the long run we're better served by trusting in innovation than trying to protect domestic business. It was always the right bet. And if China continues to prop up giants they'll just stagnate. The reason they caught up in the first place is because, for at least a short time, they allowed free-wheeling fierce competition.

[1]https://www.econlib.org/archives/2009/12/why_were_americ.htm...

[DaiPlusPlus]

> In the car industry people actually listened and enacted domestic protection, what did that get the US? Two lost decades of shoddy cars. Have Japanese conglomerates overtaken the world? Nope.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan - they pretty much dominate global car sales, but that’s because they had a better product.

[w7]

I think there is a profound difference between car companies, which produce a "dumb" item that's consumed, and "big tech" companies which have shown they can have a major cultural and political impact both domestically and abroad because their business is information itself. It doesn't make sense to discount an argument because of a similar one which applied to something almost completely different.

[JumpCrisscross]

Car companies haven't had a major impact on American culture and politics? Have you been to an American city or suburb?

[throwaway3563]

> because their business is information itself

No they haven’t, not in that way.