The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 12 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
U.S. Antitrust Chief Makan Delrahim Was Once Google's Lobbyist
“Macon Dalrahim, for example, is the attorney general for antitrust in the US. He was Google's lobbyist for the double click acquisition.”
TransDigm Hikes Acquired Aircraft Component Prices by 500% to 700%
“A classic one that hedge funds love and that I think is horrific is Transtime. Basically, there's not competition because to get an FAA part approved takes a very long time, and so you and I can go and provide seat belts cheaper than Transtime, and anytime the…”
Tepper: About two-thirds of US industries have significantly less competition
“And the issue was he was trying to look at for the median industry. Are there fewer competitors? Is there less competition at the national level today versus 10, 20 years ago? And the answer is for about two thirds of industries, the answer is there's a lot le…”
Facebook Killed Twitter's Vine Platform by Blocking Video Sharing
“Facebook effectively killed off fine by preventing that from being shared, which was Twitter's video platform. Facebook wanted to own video.”
Tepper: Two Companies Effectively Control 90% of the US Beer Market
“It's very difficult for companies to get national distribution, so that those who do have it have a pretty big advantage, and then through a series of mergers, because the regulators don't honestly care, you've ended up with two companies having over 75% marke…”
Tepper: Most US states have a health insurance duopoly or triopoly
“The McCarran-Ferguson Act essentially Devolved regulation down to the state level, which meant that the state insurance commissioners are the ones who decide things, so you essentially have a duopoly or three players in almost all states when it comes to healt…”
Valeant Exploited Regulation to Charge $300,000 for a Cheap Disease Drug
“There was Wilson's disease was the classic with Valiant, where absent regulation, they would not be able to charge 300 grand a year for a life threatening drug that really should cost pennies, right?”
Tepper: Mergers Leaving Fewer Than Six Competitors Drive Up Prices
“There's extensive evidence that mergers, particularly under six players, lead to higher prices.”
Peter Thiel's Monopoly Thesis Only Addresses Network-Effect Natural Monopolies
“Thiel praised monopolies, but interestingly, if you read his book, The only examples he gives the monopolies are essentially ones that have very strong network effects, you know, and feedback loops where you do end up with a winner-take-all dynamic.”
Tepper: Academic research shows family-run businesses tend to outperform
“If you look at academic research, family run owner operator businesses tend to outperform.”