Robert ReichApr 16, 2023

Zuckerberg owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post.

Elon Musk owns Twitter.

When multi-billionaires take control of our most vital platforms for communication, it’s not a win for free speech. It’s a win for oligarchy.

Show threadPanamint
@rbreich It’s a win for authoritarianism. All three of these clowns run their respective companies as authoritarian dictators. They don’t know how to create or manage a company without relying on authoritarianism. If they believed in a participatory democracy, several employees who labor for them would be on the company’s board.
Apr 16, 2023 at 11:37pmWeb
Show threadJBBApr 16, 2023
@PanamintQuarters @rbreich This could be true of Musk and Zuckerberg. But Bezos doesn't control Amazon. He owns around 10% of it and doesn't have the fancy voting shares that Zuckerberg has at Meta or Page and Brin have at Alphabet (though he controls few more percentage points of voting power by way of his ex-wife's shares).
Show threadJBBApr 16, 2023

@PanamintQuarters @rbreich As for WaPo, I've never read anything about him exerting much influence. It's hypothetically possible, and the fact of his ownership is concerning.

Though, sure, these are capitalist-owned enterprises, not worker collectives. Like most of our economy.

Show threadPanamintApr 17, 2023
@JBB @rbreich Bezos owns all of Nash Holdings, the privately held company that Bezo used for tax reasons to buy the WAPO for $250 million. He controls all board members and all decision making for Nash Holdings.