Last I checked it was still legal to use Baidu in America, which can't be said for Google in China. Please tell me how you think they're comparable, because I guess I am one of those "incredibly naive" people.
Just like we banned Toyota and Honda when they started destroying GM and Ford's marketshare. Or like how we banned Samsung when they started competing with Apple. Or...
These companies are from Japan and South Korea, and the companies don't really have access to data in the way a Google-like company has. This is more about security (surveillance, maybe even military security) than business.
Can you do a little better than a 'betcha'? A few pertinent examples of America interfering on behalf of mega-corps would do. I know they are there out there, but I can't recall them right now.
I think the "ban" of Huawei gives some hints on what might happen. Of course it would look different since the "customers" here are private citizens rather than corporations.
oh so the US goverment is coming from a single authorized ideological party, has ultimate powers, does not allow rule of Law and controls the whole economy? I learn new things every day.
Consider Google's recent actions on the whole military thing.
I get the impression that the US government doesn't understand or back US tech companies in general. US tech companies seem to succeed in spite of their government.
See DOJ vs Microsoft, city/state laws vs Uber, FBI vs Apple, etc, etc. I'm not denying that some of those actions against many of those companies were good; I would support some of those actions, but not support others. But no, I don't get the impression that the US government has the back of US tech companies vs the world. And certainly don't get the feeling that they have Google's back.
It does not need to because it has no competition. If baidu started getting traction in the US a huawei situation would be very likely as others have noted.
I know that, but what other backing do they get? Remember the recent EU fine? That would have been something to "smooth it out", but that did't happen.
Edit: nuking net neutrality is also in interesting way of "backing" Google.
Of course. There is no such thing as laissez-faire governance. All major economies have a close government-corporate structure because every major economy modeled themselves after the most successful economy in the world - the US economy.
We tell ourselves that there is a separation of government and private enterprise, but that hasn't been the case since day 1 when george washington's first move was to use tariffs to protect US companies. When our military was used to exterminate the natives to clear the way for railroads. When the US government annexed territory from texas to hawaii for corporate interests. Or when our government toppled latin american regimes so that our corporations could gain access to new markets.
Just like now all modern cities look like american cities ( skyscrapers ) and they have all same companies, all major economies ( especially the asian economies ) modeled themselves after 19th century US economy. China pretty much copied our playbook.
While what you're saying isnt wrong, it's not whats being discussed and not comporbable to China's actions. US doesn't make Google's competitors illegal.
Google isn't illegal in China. Unless you count its current form, but that is true for e.g. European gambling sites in the US. You can certainly argue that Google shouldn't be in China because of Chinese laws, but Google are the ones who made that decision. Which is apparently getting reverted and a major win for Chinese government.
> All major economies have a close government-corporate structure because every major economy modeled themselves after the most successful economy in the world - the US economy.
You make it sound like a US invention, but it's way older. I'd be more interested in learning of a counterexample. Which significant government didn't have too-close ties with its industries?
2. Laws are enacted or kept that favor these companies. Like the the tax loophole that, combined with intellectual property laws, effectively gives these companies huge tax discounts globally.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-checkthebox-insig...
3. The US uses it power to force countries to sign agreements on or enforce e.g. intellectual property that favors US companies.
https://www.thelocal.se/20060621/4128
It is funny coming from them though. Well, bad news for them, united states is a leader in tech for a reason. I dont believe china can replicate that success, they will only clone. It is fine to trash talk, we know who wins in such situation.
As I've said in another thread, anyone who's used Baidu for any length of time should laugh out loud at the suggestion that it's anywhere close to Google in quality.
Yup, but what do we expect him to say anyway, that he'd lose to google? Investors would dump it right away. Similar to how xi is talking when it comes to trade wars, baidu behaves the same.
