Russell, Is Innovation Still Worth It? Atlas Shrugged, Google, Apple… and Galt’s Invitation

, I’d love to get your take on the DOJ lawsuits against Google and Apple. I can’t help but draw parallels to Atlas Shrugged.

Google is being sued for allegedly operating a monopoly—and now might be forced to share its search data and index with competitors. Essentially, turning Google Search into a white-labeled product for others to use. During his testimony, Sundar Pichai seemed to imply, “If we’re forced to give away our crown jewel, why would we keep running it?”

Apple’s case is just as wild. They’re being sued for monopolizing their own App Store. The court just ruled they must allow developers to bypass Apple’s 30% commission by accepting payments outside the App Store. But… Apple built the iPhone and the App Store. If they can’t charge for the ecosystem they created, why would they keep investing in it?

I’m obviously not running a company at the scale of Google or Apple—but this whole thing makes me ask: What’s the reward for building something great? It seems like success today just paints a bigger target on your back.

Even crazier, most of the public seems thrilled about these rulings. Am I the only one who feels like this is upside-down? Are these lawsuits actually a good thing?

Feels like we’re just a few court decisions away from John Galt showing up to take Sundar and Tim to Galt’s Gulch. And honestly? If I were them, I’d probably go.

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