When you buy a car, do you stop to think of the taxi drivers who lost money because of that choice? Or when you grow vegetables, the potential loss of income to farmers?
The right way to think about is in aggregate. Does this improve the productivity of the _society_, and if the answer is yes - then we (especially folks on HN) should be supportive of technological progress.
If Waymo ever raises prices drivers can easily re-join the market and compete, the cost of doing so is basically free, so how is this a monopoly? There is no barrier to entry for their competition in the food delivery market
It is right to be skeptical, but I dont see how monopoly plays into this at all. Even if we assume Google is a monopoly company with Search or Ads, how Waymo delivers has got nothing to do with Search and Ads.
Perhaps you were trying to Google is a big tech company and they have gobs of cash, and that's why they are doing it. Precisely, and it is a public market company - so if it isnt a good use of their money, people will vote with their wallet.
Also, there are other richer companies (Apple etc) who can do exactly this thing. Nobody is stopping or unfairly being affected due to Waymo delivering food.
When you buy a car, do you stop to think of the taxi drivers who lost money because of that choice? Or when you grow vegetables, the potential loss of income to farmers?
The right way to think about is in aggregate. Does this improve the productivity of the _society_, and if the answer is yes - then we (especially folks on HN) should be supportive of technological progress.