Is Google's Competition Really One Click Away?

Or are they making Monopoly money?

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a massive antitrust case against Google this last week. It is the biggest case since 1998 when the government went after Microsoft. Is Google headed for a massive iceberg like 1998’s Titanic? If they get knocked down, will they get up again like 1998’s Chumbawumba?

In this week’s video I review some of the economics behind the search market. Is Google being anti-competitive? How much consumer surplus is Google creating?

This company is losing millions of dollars…literally

When we talk about a company losing millions of dollars, we mean their costs exceed their revenues. That money isn’t actually lost. Take Quibi for example. People are lamenting that the company spent $1.8 billion and is already shutting down. But that money went to actors, producers, film crews, and marketers. It wasn’t literally lost.

But some companies can apparently literally lose money. Here’s an investigative report on a vault company that lost millions of dollars. They’re like the US Postal Service of money—they have one job, to deliver money from one location to another, yet they keep losing the stuff.

Halloween Candy Taxes

Every Halloween it’s fun to revisit how candy is taxed. Because it turns out some candy is taxed higher than others! If you want to see all of the different ways candy is taxed, check out this state-by-state guide.