Remix.run Logo
swatcoder 12 hours ago

Can you give an example of how the most eligible buyers might collude in a way that benefits them all equally, so that this would happen?

For me, it's very hard to conceive of any concrete way that would work. It's a brand, some partnerships, and a network of users that would all go to whatever buyer, and would give that buyer a huge benefit over their existing domestic competitors. So under what circumstances would those domestic competitors allow that instead of aggresively trying to secure it for themselves?

I'm open to believing you, I just don't see what you have in mind.

Larrikin 12 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Why do they need to benefit all equally?

Campaign with the president, offer large amounts of money to the presidents campaign, donate huge sums to a small inauguration party, and then just be picked to get it at a deep discount. The entire point of bribes is that corruption let's you get away with things at a lesser cost. You just screw over everyone else except for the bribe receiver.

slt2021 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

only very few rich people can mobilize financial and political capital to pull off tiktok purchase.

Larry Ellison (since he is CIA/MIC friendly and tiktok is already running on Oracle cloud)

Zuck has too much conflict to acquire tiktok, but other oligarchs like Musk/bezos/gates can pull it off, given their recent meetings with Trump

JumpCrisscross 12 hours ago | parent [-]

> only very few rich people can mobilize financial and political capital to pull off tiktok purchase

Why do you assume only a natural person can buy TikTok? Why do you assume you need political capital?

The law doesn’t provide that much executive deference in enforcement.

slt2021 11 hours ago | parent [-]

Elon musk is an example of acquisition of global social network. Political capital is needed because the tiktok question is politicized heavily (national security as a reason).

Plus FTC will review the acquisition process as well.

Do you have a counter example?

JumpCrisscross 10 hours ago | parent [-]

> FTC will review the acquisition process as well

Why?

> Political capital is needed because the tiktok question is politicized heavily (national security as a reason)

This is entirely meaningless. You don’t need political capital to maintain the status quo.

> Do you have a counter example?

To your hypothetical? My example is the law. FACA is tightly defined. Bytedance needs to divest to a non-FAC to return to the status quo. Trump could do something else to fuck with them. But that’s true of anyone anywhere.

slt2021 10 hours ago | parent [-]

Hart-Scott-Rodino Improvements Act requires FTC to approve all large M&A deals + DoJ needs to do antitrust review

https://www.ftc.gov/advice-guidance/competition-guidance/gui...

JumpCrisscross 10 hours ago | parent [-]

HSR is incredibly routine and politically insulated. It’s closer to a filing than actual review.

slt2021 9 hours ago | parent [-]

except when the government decides to intervene and reject the transaction. See, this seems like routine, but ultimately it gives the government an option to cancel transaction they dont like and they can always cite some bogus reason like "national security" and use racist pretext like ethnicity of the CEO or whatever