My title is not sensational. I consider Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft IT support’s ‘monopoly five’. Because they’re so big nobody can compete against them. So this is a huge problem for tech start-ups…or is it? Can tech monopolies end tech start-ups?
So I read this interesting article on Tech Crunch. The writer suggests this ‘five power new tech order’ can be good for start ups. In fact, it suggests they may force young techies to get creative, even use the big five for their own advantage.? They talk about the TBH App. Facebook, one of the ‘monopoly five’, actually paid TBH creators millions to launch their service. So now, TBH’s founders salaries are the equivalent of today’s top NFL players or A-list movie stars. I can use that payday.
Maybe we should look at start-ups a new way. Because gone are the days of the rebel computer geek coming up with the next big thing. Then the article goes through other industries throughout the decades. For instance, all of the top 10 food corporations were founded before 1915. However, there are food start-ups making their products better. They even offered something they missed. People are making millions. In fact, last year, an 11 year old girl signed an $11 million deal with Whole Foods for her lemonade patent. Of course, Amazon now owns Whole Foods now.
That’s a wonderful story of the American entrepreneurship spirit. But I’m still skeptical of tech’s ‘monopoly five’ having so much power. Call my old-school, but there’s something American about a person starting their own business and watching it grow.In fact, that’s how our computer repair firm started. But the article is right about one thing: Silicon Valley isn’t the only candy store in town. The article suggests young techies go elsewhere for discovery. It’s so right. So I ask you: Can tech monopolies end tech start-ups?