Hacker News Reader

It is their guess at what is happening without proof. That is the definition of a theory. It is about two entities secretly working together to do something harmful. That's a conspiracy.

So... I mean... yeah. The comment is a perfect example a conspiracy theory. Both in literal textbook definition and the broader cultural understanding of the term.

View on HN

Two entities, not publicly, very minor harm from reduced competition, you could say the same thing about a huge fraction of discussions between two companies.

Government pressure isn't some big deal, it happens all the time.

For the broader cultural understanding, it needs to be something where making it public wouldn't be extremely boring.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com