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Comment by lbarrow | Hacker News Reader

Remember, though, social media giants are monopolists and it's impossible to compete against them.

This isn't really small startups competing, though. It's a state sponsored/backed entity with more goals than just disrupting the market.

You must surely see the parallels between the US Government agencies' interest on even small email providers, the US Government threatening to prohibit TikTok on the grounds of doing the same as several near-monopolies based on US soil do all over the world but in TikTok's case being Chinese, and what you're saying?

That the US Govt can just reap without sowing as the Chinese Govt does through state-run banks is just a convenience.

Unless you say that Chinese government is forcing appstores to fake numbers, then it's not relevant. Products with great market fit can get infinite amount of money from VC and other investors.

How is TikTok state sponsored?

You just have to be the Chinese government?

The main antitrust complaint against social media giants is that competitors are either acquired or bullied out of the market.

The only reason this hasn't happened with TikTok is it's based in China.

These social media companies are so young, and most of them had to topple the previously largest company in their space to obtain their position now. I think with a little time that the social media giants will start bleeding market share, any monopoly regulation will be wildly out of touch by the time it makes it through the courts.

Every social media entity took its position from an entrenched giant.

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