In response to a recent Boston Globe editorial, Computer & Communications Industry Association president and CEO Ed Black pushed back against tech critics who call for break-up without pointing to concrete consumer harms. “Simply put,” writes Black, “companies like Google succeed because they provide high-quality products and services that consumers value. Regulators shouldn’t punish this, particularly when consumers can easily switch between platforms.”

The full piece below:

BOSTON GLOBE: With Favorability So High, It’s Hard To See Case For Breaking Up Google
By: Ed Black

In its June 17 editorial the Globe asserts that the case for breaking up Google, a company with a net favorability among consumers of 82 percent, is “obvious,” while failing to point to any concrete consumer harms. The piece ignores that many antitrust officials, such as Makan Delrahim, assistant attorney general for antitrust, have made clear they rely on an “evidence-based” approach that calls for concrete examples of consumer harm — examples the Globe does not furnish.

Simply put, companies like Google succeed because they provide high-quality products and services that consumers value. Regulators shouldn’t punish this, particularly when consumers can easily switch between platforms.

Unsurprisingly, public sentiment disagrees with the portrait painted by the Globe editorial board. We found in a survey that nearly three in four Americans have a positive view of the tech sector, and almost four in five Americans believe the industry has a positive impact on the economy overall.

On the economic impact in particular, these companies consistently invest the most in research and development, driving innovation for consumers. Were these companies truly monopolies, as the editorial claims, they would not be investing so heavily in R&D while continually lowering prices for consumers.