Scenarios about 'big tech'
Big tech refers to the dominant, influential technology corporations that have amassed significant economic power, market share, and influence over digital infrastructure since the late 20th century. Companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft have transformed how people communicate, consume information, and participate in the global economy through their platforms and services. In alternate history scenarios, the development, regulation, or absence of these technology giants often serves as a critical divergence point affecting information access, privacy norms, and economic structures.
What If Antitrust Enforcement Was Stronger?
Exploring the alternate timeline where American and global antitrust regulations were more aggressively enforced, potentially reshaping corporate consolidation, market power, and technological development across the global economy.
What If Artificial Intelligence Development Stalled?
Exploring the alternate timeline where artificial intelligence research hit insurmountable barriers in the early 2000s, dramatically altering the trajectory of technological development, digital economies, and global power dynamics in the 21st century.
What If Big Tech Was Regulated Earlier?
Exploring the alternate timeline where major technology companies faced significant regulatory oversight in the early 2000s, potentially reshaping the digital landscape, data privacy standards, and market competition we experience today.
What If Machine Learning Never Advanced?
Exploring the alternate timeline where machine learning technology stalled in the early 2000s, never achieving the breakthroughs that revolutionized AI and transformed virtually every sector of the global economy.
What If Monopolies Were Broken Up More Aggressively?
Exploring the alternate timeline where the United States adopted a significantly more assertive approach to antitrust enforcement, dramatically reshaping the American and global economic landscape.
What If the Internet Had Remained Decentralized?
Exploring how digital culture, privacy, and global communication would differ if the internet had maintained its early decentralized structure instead of becoming dominated by a few tech giants.