Comment by echelon

Is it?

Google isn't exposed in such a way.

Hundreds of billions of dollars are being deflected to a single entity, adding to customer costs.

This turns into a game of who has the bigger ad budget.

Companies can compete on product and win in the court of public opinion. TikTok marketing and reviews showcase this masterfully. Even Reddit reviews.

Yet when you go to search for those things, the Google tax bridge troll steps in and asks for their protection money.

They're a cancer on capitalism and fair competition.

We tell business people it's illegal to perform bribery. Yet that's exactly what this is. It's zero sum multi-party bidding, so it's even more lucrative to the single party receiving the bribes.