Ask HN: Remember "Acquisitions"?

I think this is at least part of the explanation. Market consolidation via mergers and acquisitions is definitely still happening - in some industries more than others - but it perhaps doesn't receive the same level of reporting as it used to. Maybe because it's become normalised, or because the narrative around monopolies seemed to shift for the better past of this century.

Matt Stoller has a very good blog about monopolies and consolidation: https://www.thebignewsletter.com/

To take one of the most recent articles:

> In October of 2023, Exxon, one of the biggest integrated oil firms, announced it would buy Pioneer Natural Resources for $59 billion, which was quickly followed by tie-ups between Chevron and Hess ($53 billion), Occidental Petroleum and CrownRock ($12 billion), Diamondback and Endeavor ($50 billion), and Chesapeake-Southwest ($7.4 billion). Other notable deals included Exxon-Denbury ($6B), Ovintiv - Black Swan, PetroLegacy, Piedra Resources ($4B), Permian Resources-Earthstone ($4.5 billion), and Civitas buying $7 billion of assets in the Permian. That’s a little less than $200 billion in mergers.

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/fear-and-consolidation-in...