capitalism was supposed to be about competition. the best products, the best services, the best ideas winning out in a free market. but look around—does that look like reality? no, because what we have now isn’t a free market, it’s a corporate monopoly masquerading as one.
big corporations have been swallowing their competition for decades, creating mega-entities that dominate every industry. they say mergers create efficiency and innovation, but what they really do is stifle competition, raise prices, and kill small businesses. amazon doesn’t just sell books; it owns the infrastructure that lets others sell books. google doesn’t just provide search results; it dictates which results you see. facebook doesn’t just connect people; it buys out potential competitors before they even have a chance to grow.
regulators? they’re asleep at the wheel. or worse, complicit. u.s. antitrust laws were written to prevent exactly this kind of market control, yet enforcement has been weak, allowing corporations to consolidate power unchecked.
and it’s not just about consumer goods. labor markets have also been hijacked. wages stagnate because giant corporations don’t have to compete for workers. they sign no-poach agreements, limit mobility, and keep salaries low while maximizing their own profits.
so where does that leave us? in a world where a handful of companies own everything. where consumer choice is an illusion. where market competition is a carefully controlled game played by the rich to make themselves richer.
capitalism promised a fair fight. but the fight was rigged from the start.