Microsoft lays off 1,900 employees from Activision Blizzard and Xbox - eviltoast
  • a lil bee 🐝@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    10 months ago

    Can you please cite any law that could be interpreted to consider a layoff of ~1000 employees as anti competitive? I’m just not seeing it. Not a shill, not a hidden astroturfer, and I’ve even been impacted by post-acquisition layoffs twice in my career. I just don’t think this is a legal issue or a valid reason to kill the acquisition.

    • paultimate14@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      10 months ago

      Assuming you’re in the US, you should have learned about the Sherman Antitrust Act in school, so that would be a good place for you to start looking if you’re interested.

      Section 1:

          Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is hereby declared to be illegal.
      
      Section 2:
      
          Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor [. . . ]
      

      Nowhere does it mention that “competition” is only related to consumer prices. It’s covers all transactional relationships. There have been further anti-trust laws passed in the US, but this is basically where it all started.

      The FTC and DOJ have also partnered in recent years on other labor-related monopoly issues. For example, the FTC is expected to vote this year on banning non-compete clauses from employment agreements.

      • a lil bee 🐝@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        I know what the Sherman Antitrust Act is. I’m asking you to cite anything at all, a section of the law, an application in a case, anything, where this law or any other could be interpreted as prohibiting these layoffs. I’m sorry, but if the argument is that ~1000 layoffs is somehow impacting competition in the industry, that’s just not convincing to me. And again, you want to argue that other impacts of this acquisition impact competition, that’s entirely reasonable, but if you’re hinging all of this on the idea that a couple thousand layoffs violate the basic text of the Sherman Antitrust Act, I do not believe your interpretation of that act is correct.

        • paultimate14@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          I literally cited the law dude, you’re just engaging in conservative bot troll rhetoric now.

          • a lil bee 🐝@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            10 months ago

            You haven’t cited anything that actually applies here? Like, at all? If you think the two small snippets from Sherman make your argument for you, I don’t think I’m the one with a legal understanding gap. And per your other message, I agree with you. I don’t usually ask for something like that, unless somebody is making a really strong claim that needs backed up, which is the case here.

            Fwiw, I really don’t care about you proving yourself right or not, so feel free not to. The merger is already through, and the regulators obviously agree with my interpretation of the laws. If you have something stronger to cite though, I’d be happy to hear out your argument. Otherwise, we can just call it good and agree to disagree.

        • paultimate14@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          Seriously, asking someone on Lemmy to cite case studies. Ridiculous. Companies have staffs of people they pay millions of dollars for to do legal research and you expect to get that for free on Lemmy? Go pay tuition for law school if you want more info