Posted on 05/30/2019 7:30:02 AM PDT by Kaslin
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was one of the earlier 2020 candidates to propose breaking up the largest tech companies and potentially having the government regulate them like utilities. It’s a mantra she’s repeated on the campaign trail on a regular basis. But now she’s doubling down on the message with a campaign tactic that may not make the most sense. Her team has put up a massive billboard on the subject, which isn’t all that unusual for a political campaign. It’s the location that makes it peculiar. She put it up right in Silicon Valley near many of the Big Tech companies she’s looking to fracture. (The Verge)
On Wednesday, 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) put up a billboard in the heart of Silicon Valley pressing for big tech companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Google to be broken up.
The billboard is located at 4th and Townsend, right next to the city’s primary Caltrain stop, where a substantial chunk of South Bay technology workers arrive each morning. It’s not exactly prime placement — considering it’s neither facing the Caltrain station nor along the most traffic’d sidewalks for employees commuting back to the South Bay — but the billboard is just blocks from the headquarters for Lyft and Dropbox, among other startups. Alongside the call for antitrust action, the billboard includes a short-code number for passersby to subscribe to updates from the Warren campaign, a common fundraising tactic.
Breaking up and/or regulating the Big Tech companies like Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook isn’t a particularly unique idea among Democrats, so it’s not all that crazy of a point for Warren to be campaigning and fundraising on during the primary. But when she wades directly into enemy territory and buys a huge billboard ad, doesn’t her team worry about potential backlash?
Thinks of it this way. A huge number of people passing through that train station probably work for one of those companies or they have friends or family members who do. If you use your power as president to break up those companies, there are going to be people who lose their jobs. She’s going to need all of the Democrats in that region to be voting for her in the primary (and theoretically in the general election if she wins the nomination). Also, Silicon Valley is a lucrative fundraising region. Is this smart?
Warren includes a number to send a text message to so people can “join her campaign.” But she may as well have changed the billboard message to, “Vote for Warren and enjoy exciting new adventures on the unemployment line!” I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those text messages she receives will include some four letter words that aren’t “vote.
Wow...she’s a fund-raising genius!
God help me, I agree with her on this.
I do find it funny that, despite all the lip service on the right about this, Elizabeth Warren has taken more concrete action on this issue than anyone else.
That’s the point where I would be asking myself: “Why does Elizabeth Warren really think this is a good idea?”
Because I can almost guarantee it isn’t for the same reasons that people on the right think it’s a good idea.
I work in Tech, and I agree with her on this also (heil just froze over). Quite frankly, a lot in tech will support her on this, but not for obvious reasons. A breakup will mean they will stay with at least ONE of the companies, which will now be in “startup” mode, which means they will get stock options. They will also have an easy migration to other companies should they ever choose to move, since their buddies will be in the other broken up children. In short, more money for them and long term career security.
“God help me, I agree with her on this.”
ditto ...
Is that AOC in the bottom left-hand corner???
Can't be, the girl in the picture is a bit attractive.
Most people on the right never have to take a position on the right to distract people from how far left their other positions really are.
So you are correct.
**********
Agreed.
Not to imitate Bill Clinton but we need a third way on this issue.
Billboards? What century is this?
You're right - Elizabeth Warren would probably nationalize most of our industries if she could... tech is just an 'easy pickings' place to start.
More competition is the answer but the companies too big to compete with present big problems. Maybe the AT&T solution would work... break Tech Companies up into smaller competitive companies.
Oh, but see the rapturous gaze in her admiring eyes!
Just like most cult followers.
Every single time I either hear a politician talk or see what they’ve done it reminds me they are all dumber than doorknobs. Republican or Democrat. No difference. We choose the dumbest people out of our society to represent us.
I think that a lot of the minions in Silicon Valley are starting to realize that they work for Skynet and are nervous about it but don’t want to lose their jobs.
My first response is that if not for working in congress many of them would actually be homeless.
Most of them have never actually run anything and could not even handle a lemonade stand. And yet they set up laws that make no sense whatsoever, which is why many companies are leaving the USA. Congress actually gives the companies incentives to go set up shop someplace else.
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