This Week in Monopoly - Friday, July 19th
Here are some stories we had our eye on this week:
Amazon Offers Sellers a Leg Up, With a Catch
Wall Street Journal, Jon Emont
Amazon.com Inc. is offering independent merchants on its platform marketing support, product reviews and prominent display. The catch? Amazon gains the right to purchase a merchant’s brand at any time for a fixed price, often $10,000.
Facebook’s Cryptocurrency Faces Second Day of Critical Hearings
New York Times, Nathaniel Popper and Mike Isaac
Lawmakers said in a House hearing on Wednesday that Facebook’s plan to enter the world of cryptocurrency and global finance could threaten sovereign currencies or even destabilize governments.
EU Hits Qualcomm with €242M Fine Over Pricing
Financial Times, Madhumita Murgia and Alex Barker
The US chip giant Qualcomm was hit with a €242m fine on Thursday by the European Commission for abusing its dominant market position by using predatory pricing, concluding a nine-year case just as Brussels’ antitrust chief prepares to leave office.
Trump Expressed Concern About Pentagon Cloud-Computing Contract
Bloomberg, Jennifer Jacobs, Naomi Nix, and Steven Dennis
President Donald Trump recently demanded more information about how the Pentagon crafted a massive cloud-computing contract it’s poised to award to Amazon.com Inc. or Microsoft Corp., in order to decide whether he should intervene.
For Amazon Workers in Minnesota, Prime Day Means Protest
The Washington Post, Rachel Siegel
Employees at a fulfillment center outside Minneapolis are calling on the company to improve safety and benefits on one of the top sales days of the year.
Instacart Hounds Workers to Take Jobs That Aren’t Worth It
Bloomberg, Josh Eidelson
Dozens of workers say the company’s app hectors them to take on low-paying grocery deliveries—and doesn’t stop there.
To Break Google’s Monopoly on Search, Make Its Index Public
Bloomberg, Robert Epstein
The tech giant doesn’t have to be dismantled. Sharing its crown jewel might reshape the internet.