[schoolornot]

30% seems to be the standard commission rate in the gig economy for "I did something for you".

Grubhub: I brought you an order, give me 30%

Apple: I brought you a customer, give me 30%

Uber: I brought you a passenger, give me 30%

Competition can lower the industry rates for food & personal travel, though I suspect there is price fixing at play right now. But it cannot for Apple platforms. The antitrust proceedings _must_ happen for us to see progress here. You don't persuade the largest company in the world to change their ways. You legislate them to. Too bad our lawmakers have no teeth.

[helen___keller]

> Competition can lower the industry rates for food & personal travel, though I suspect there is price fixing at play right now.

Considering (food & human) delivery is already a notoriously unprofitable industry, I think the more likely answer is that competition already occurred and these are somewhat fair prices we are left with.

Apple on the other hand, can host an app download on the app store without paying a human to use a depreciating asset (that burns fossil fuels) to travel several miles in meatspace.

[TrackerFF]

Isn't that the whole point of VC fueled super-startups / unicorns?

To basically become some kind of monopolistic entity, or at very least part of an oligopoly with unspoken price fixing rules, and then micromanage your customers and contributors. Not a single penny goes unchecked for - or untouched, for that mater.

Now - as for Apple, I figure they'll argue that the system they're enforcing is good for the end-user, as it'll keep their own system robust, and probably weed out the low-quality stuff - scammers, even.

But it sure reeks of the same monopolistic behavior, that comes in many different shapes and forms.

You are right that increased competition would probably lower the costs, but I'm not sure how Apple, Google, etc. would open the floodgates to third-party marketplaces on their platforms. EVEN with legal papers saying they'll have to do so.