[GabeIsko]

No, businesses absolutely collude to get out of each others way, and it happens a lot more than you think. Even businesses that are "competitors" often have different aims and goals in the long run. And generally their are banks an wall street that are willing to pick up the tab for businesses that are big enough, even if they are failing. Look at a company like yahoo, or oracle, or IBM. How do they keep existing, when they are essentially zombies running on funding through the public market?

[sokoloff]

Oracle’s revenue last year was just under $50B. IBM’s was a little over $60B. Free cash flows were around $8.5B and $9.5B, respectively.

Those are not the financials of zombies running on money from the public market.

[eastbound]

IBM is laughing stock to everyone. Whoever would want to work there, it’s not young ambitious people.

But it’s also a 100-year oligopoly, it will take more time to die.

It’s also a golf company - its main activity is channeling golf courses to government members and management teams. You wouldn’t classify ClearQuest or DrWatson are serious pieces of software. DrWatson can be reproduced with a small python script, that’s why it sells so well: You sell the idea of AI to the press since 1995 and it gives a good image.

The business of IBM is mainly funneling money from governments to government members; from corporations to higher managers. It makes corruption legal. This kind of businesses thrive well in general.

[throwawaysleep]

Oracle and IBM print money from the processes in the article.