[lmm]

> Did Apple get to be 3 trillion by forcing people to buy stuff or buying selling things that people were willing to give it money for?

A combination of the two. Sure, they had some legitimately good products to start with. So did Standard Oil.

[scarface74]

Standard Oil was commodity that people needed. No one is forced to buy Apple products. It’s not even what the majority of people own.

[lmm]

The majority didn't own a car in the Standard Oil days (and it certainly wasn't a necessity of life). But it was an aspirational thing to own, and de rigueur for those of a certain social class.