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The man who coined the term "net neutrality" now says that Apple is the company that most endangers the freedom of the Internet. Columbia law professor Tim Wu also tells the New York Times that he expects that danger to outlive Steve Jobs' tenure at Apple.
Wu recently published the book The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, in which he details what he calls "information empires" such as AT&T, NBC, Facebook, and Google. In an interview, he told the New York Times, "It's largely a story of the American affection for information monopolists and the consequences of that fondness."
In the interview, he describes how AT&T eventually became a monopolist and supressed technologies that might be able to compete against it. Here's what he had to say about AT&T specifically, and information empires in general:
When asked whether the Internet could similarly be controlled by large companies, he said this:
Which companies do you fear the most?
What worries you about Apple?
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Wu recently published the book The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires, in which he details what he calls "information empires" such as AT&T, NBC, Facebook, and Google. In an interview, he told the New York Times, "It's largely a story of the American affection for information monopolists and the consequences of that fondness."
In the interview, he describes how AT&T eventually became a monopolist and supressed technologies that might be able to compete against it. Here's what he had to say about AT&T specifically, and information empires in general:
Most monopolists create a golden age that lasts a decade or more, and then slowly they became more interested in being in power. AT&T became dangerous when they began to suppress technologies that might threaten their rule.
When asked whether the Internet could similarly be controlled by large companies, he said this:
I know the Internet was designed to resist integration, designed to resist centralized control, and that design defeated firms like AOL and Time Warner. But firms today, like Apple, make it unclear if the Internet is something lasting or just another cycle.
Later in the interview came this exchange:
Which companies do you fear the most?
Right now, I’d have to say Apple.
What worries you about Apple?
As I discuss in the book, Steve Jobs has the charisma, vision and instincts of every great information emperor. The man who helped create the personal computer 40 years ago is probably the leading candidate to help exterminate it. His vision has an undeniable appeal, but he wants too much control.
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