Breaking Up Giants: When Size Becomes a Problem

课文

1. A company that dominates both online shopping and cloud computing may control not just what we buy—but also how small businesses store data and run websites.

   一家同时主导在线购物和云计算的公司，不仅可能控制我们的购买行为，还可能掌控小型企业存储数据和运营网站的方式。

2. When one platform sets fees for app developers, hosts their software, and promotes competing apps, the playing field is no longer level.

   当一个平台既向应用开发者收取费用，又托管其软件，同时还推广自家竞品应用时，竞争环境便不再公平。

3. Antitrust actions aren’t about punishing success—they aim to protect choice, innovation, and fair pricing for everyone downstream.

   反垄断行动并非惩罚成功，而是旨在保护消费者的选择权、创新活力以及下游各方的公平定价。

4. In 2023, regulators questioned whether a single firm could ethically manage both social media feeds and the ad auctions that fund them.

   2023年，监管机构质疑：一家公司是否应被允许同时运营社交媒体信息流及其赖以盈利的广告竞价系统？

5. Small startups often struggle to gain visibility if algorithms favor content from owned or affiliated brands rather than independent creators.

   若算法偏向自有或关联品牌的内容，而非独立创作者，初创企业往往难以获得曝光。

6. Price transparency suffers when dominant platforms bundle services—making it hard for users to compare true costs across alternatives.

   当主导平台将多项服务捆绑销售时，价格透明度受损，用户难以在不同替代方案间准确比价。

7. Legal challenges focus less on market share alone and more on whether a firm uses its power to block rivals from entering or improving.

   法律挑战的重点已不单是市场份额，更在于企业是否利用自身优势阻碍竞争对手进入市场或提升能力。

8. Consumer harm isn’t always visible in higher prices—it appears in fewer options, slower updates, or less responsive customer service over time.

   消费者受损未必体现为价格上涨，也可能表现为可选产品减少、功能更新变慢或客服响应迟缓等长期影响。

9. Splitting infrastructure from content delivery, for example, lets multiple streaming services use the same broadband network without being throttled.

   例如，将网络基础设施与内容分发分离，可使多家流媒体服务商共享同一宽带网络而不受限速。

10. Judges weigh evidence carefully: Was growth achieved by out-innovating others—or by acquiring potential competitors before they scaled?

    法官审慎评估证据：企业的增长源于超越同行的创新，还是源于在潜在对手壮大前将其收购？

11. Even critics agree that regulation must evolve alongside technology—neither stifling progress nor ignoring concentrated influence.

    即便批评者也认同：监管必须随技术演进同步更新——既不能扼杀进步，也不能忽视权力过度集中。

12. Healthy competition doesn’t mean eliminating big players—it means ensuring no single actor defines the rules for everyone else.

    良性的竞争并不意味着消灭大企业，而是确保没有任何单一主体能为所有人制定规则。