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Comment by personomas | Hacker News Reader

Totally agree. This is behavior of authoritative and totalitarian governments, who demand to have so much authority and power, that they need to attack and undermine the most successfully businesses, bending the laws to do so (or creating abusive laws that give them the power to do so).

France authorities also recently ransacked Nvidias office in France: https://www.reuters.com/technology/nvidias-french-offices-ra...

More and more is it so, that European governments see successful companies as a threat to their power and control.

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Governments which are still closer to being democratically elected than the C-suite of these "successful companies". I'll take the lesser of the two evils, thanks.

You 'vote' when you choose to buy or refrain from buying the product. That's a much-louder voice than you are able to exercise at the ballot box.

Yes! Exactly, this too.

These C-suite successful companies were at least built and designed by successful people, who succeeded by being moral human beings at least more moral than most scummy politicians. Even if the C-suite companies are no longer directed by them, which some of them are, their culture of being moral human beings tend to live on.

Politicians on the other hand, like Mr. Trump, are usually born-rich buffoons who do anything to win, and after they win, many of them exercise their power with intolerance and arrogance. Politicians climb the ranks using their money and power, not by developing technical skills, or learning important crafts.

>These C-suite successful companies were at least built and designed by successful people, who succeeded by being moral human beings

The Great Man theory is trumped by the "Went to the right schools and my parents have connections" theory. For both C-suite and politicians.

Politicians on the other hand wield their power on these matters without contention or rebuke - they ransack companies and nobody can say anything or do anything about it! That's the difference.

In the face of politicians vs C-suite business men, you know, it's the politicians that have the authority and power, and they are at the crux to yield it responsibly. C-suite business men are like ants to the politicians - powerless in comparison with the powers of the lawmakers.

As a result, it's not so much of C-suite business men being just, as it's about politicians being unjust.

These people are the same, they are after power and they achieve it in the same way: by being lucky first, and pernicious second.

At least in our neoliberal system all these assholes are counter-powers to each other. Too bad for the environment, though.

> These C-suite successful companies were at least built and designed by successful people, who succeeded by being moral human beings at least more moral

Ah yes, the famous morality of big tobacco, as well as big oil, big pharma, big agrochemestry and now big tech.

> Ah yes, the famous morality of big tobacco, as well as big oil, big pharma, big agrochemestry and now big tech.

Big anything?

So what’s the solution?

Usually these discussions get end with everything being miraculously cured if we all go libertarian.

> Usually these discussions get end with everything being miraculously cured if we all go libertarian.

Well, going more libertarian would be a great start.

> Totally agree. This is behavior of authoritative and totalitarian governments, who demand to have so much authority and power, that they need to attack and undermine the most successfully businesses, bending the laws to do so (or creating abusive laws that give them the power to do so).

This is the kind of things police will do if they have a warrant (or the local equivalent) in any sane democracy. Democracy does not mean that we have to let companies get away with crime or nicely tell them before a search so they can destroy evidence.

> ransacked

Search, that’s the word you’re looking for.

> More and more is it so, that European governments see successful companies as a threat to their power and control.

How’s the US government handling Huawei again? Did the Atlantic Ocean close overnight?

Also, what makes you think that police investigations are more common than they used to be?

There is not a single sentence that makes sense in your post.

> This is the kind of things police will do if they have a warrant (or the local equivalent) in any sane democracy. Democracy does not mean that we have to let companies get away with crime or nicely tell them before a search so they can destroy evidence.

Democracy also doesn't mean that the authorities should ransack successful companies on a mere whim. Democracy also doesn't mean that the states and government should exercise their power limitlessly, nor turn their power into oppressing the people.

> How’s the US government handling Huawei again? Did the Atlantic Ocean close overnight?

This isn't about Huawei. The OP above me wrote about Google, and I included Nividia.

> Also, what makes you think that police investigations are more common than they used to be?

Obviously, this isn't something I'm going to be able to prove. Not all my arguments need to be backed by some sort of a sourceable evidence. If you don't want to believe this part of my statement, then don't, it's up to the reader to form their own opinion - that by no means discredits my post, since I'm obviously giving my opinion and you don't have to agree.

> Search, that’s the word you’re looking for.

Ransacked: search through (a place or receptacle) to find something, especially in such a way as to cause disorder and damage.

^ Yup, that's the one.

Governments don't care about "successful" companies (whatever that means) as long as they pay taxes and don't make it so obvious when they break laws that it makes them look bad if they don't react. Governments can and have to intervene if they feel that companies threaten their power and authority. To prevent that, it usually helps to lobby well. Unless they are perceived to be organs of a foreign, unfriendly government of course.

In America, sure. Come over to Europe where successful companies are the politician's escape-goat. "The world is burning, and it's because of the rich, business owners, and high paying businessmen".

Furthermore, the European elite hate the successful american companies with a passion, and they purposely undermine them to help their own companies instead.

I don’t know that you’re wrong, but are the US elites any better?

There have been plenty of scandals where the US has engineered spying to help US companies [1]. Corruption is corruption except when it’s international and in your own nations interest.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/business/us-snooping-on-c...

The US government would do the same if European companies would be economically dominant. And it indeed gleefully persecuted Deutsche Bank and Volkswagen (IMHO well-deserved)

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