Corporate Consolidation: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Big businesses are getting even bigger thanks to a rise in corporate mergers. John Oliver explains why that could make you want to physically destroy your cable box.
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[@TheDivagirl426]

"Small businesses are the backbone of our economy" is like the political version of "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell"

[@williestyle35]

It has become nearly universally said, to keep people hopeful.

[@Dan1elAndrade]

it isn't???????

[@mikan1998ful]

,😂😂😂👏👏👏👏👏

[@iSaintRichie23]

In high school, my anatomy teacher managed to get our class to chant POWERHOUSE and go bat shit crazy whenever he referenced the mitochondria. He was the best.

[@christianpetersen163]

Except the mitochondria really are the powerhouse of the cell, and small businesses are certainly not the backbone of our economies.

[@mikelaw5606]

"Small backbones are the business of our economy"

[@DavidzurDZ]

So let's put them together to get a bigger backbones

[@DavidzurDZ]

Go to "dan pena" on KZbin his students made 665,000,000,000$ (665 billion dollars)

[@vinzerx]

Underrated comment right here. This needs more love.

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

It's true in a way.

[@TheMunz]

And consumers have the power to choose small businesses over big corporations.

[@MrMattchew77]

The one thing you missed to mention in this episode was the reason that small business is the backbone of this country. It's because all the big businesses that run the monopolies don't pay any taxes. Now that's messed up that our country has to rely on our dwindling small businesses in order to run the country.

[@Powderlover1]

Oh and the middle class. The good news is that rich rich ceo can finally buy a new yacht. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to go hungry for.

[@questionforquestion]

@@Powderlover1 but that could be you one day!!!1!!! So keep taxes low on the rich in the hope your scratch card will somehow give you both millions of dollars and the financial and social background necessary to safely keep it all!

[@buckiemohawk3643]

I go to open a small used bookstore. Before I even lease out of a property I have to purchase a business license. Then I have to registrar with chamber of commerce which has licensing fees and all these things were done by big business saying they create jobs. Which while they do create jobs, they create shitty jobs.

[@chaotic.tired.goblin.]

I worked tech support for 8 months. It payed well but the company seemed more interested in work around and dodging complaints rather than helping out their customers. What company did I work for, you ask? AT&T 🙃

[@westhammer81]

It's tricky. On one hand, most support techs want to fix the problem because they don't want to deal with the customer again. On the other hand, relying on the customer to follow the simplest of directions is like praying for a tsunami halfway up Everest. Go for it, you're still going to be freezing your a** off... but you'll be dry.

[@aaronlampkin284]

Comcast is the Super Devil.

[@RedAnalog]

@@aaronlampkin284 not from America so don't really understand why - care to share?

[@jameszumwalt7338]

GOT YOU, BUSINESS DADDY

[@soccrstar4]

Did you ever receive a question that you new about/were aware was a problem, and were told to play dumb? I’m honestly wondering if the porn sites I visit create things tech industries can’t help with or they’ve been told not to.

[@cpedersenatgmailcom]

The image of John casually polishing his Emmy after overlaying a fartnoise on Mad Money is absolutely fucking priceless. How John Oliver and his supporting staff constantly manages to make tv that is both extremely relevant and laugh-out-loud funny is amazing.

[@willhiggins9563]

And that how you get a Emmy.

[@mutonenyinae8662]

Reminiscent of South Park episode “more crap” after winning an Emmy.

[@ahums16]

So sad that they lost that magic a couple years ago. :( I wish the genius writing would return. I only watch for the reporting at this point and cringe the rest of the time.

[@slavikk6712]

John is a douche that doesn’t deserve an Emmy

[@SharienGaming]

@@ahums16 i think they lost a bit of their funny when frustration about the world set in... 4 years of trump cam probably do that...

[@albertm7178]

"If a bank is too big to fail, that bank is too big to exist." -Bernie Sanders 2015 The same applies to companies,

[@Nosirt]

Teddy Roosevelt wouldn't say something cool, he'd just do it. The problem with our politicians, both party, is that they talk big, talk sweet, and talk long but talking too big for too long means you have less time to do what you say.

[@DanGolag]

Except neither actually makes sense when you get down to the nitty gritty.

[@JevPrivate]

gooka boo u just said "doubt" so u don't actually know. so y r u making assumptions. y dont u just look it up.

[@grantray98]

Gal Dagon What's the "nitty gritty" that makes this nonsensical? Please do enlighten me.

[@DanGolag]

1. What's the maximum size of a bank or company that's not too big to fail? By what metric do you even determine that size? How should the government prevent them from growing any larger? What should be done about the savings of customers of a bank that failed even though it was small enough? It's a meaningless slogan when you think about it. 2. He voted both ways: www.latimes.com/opinion/la-ol-sanders-auto-bailout-20160307-story.html

[@seanhallahan9142]

That Sunglass CEO was incredible. That dude is a pure sociopath and he doesn't even try to hide it..holy shit lol

[@ernesthill4017]

Folks, even rich ones, once had a sense of shame, or propriety. Now the higher up the food chain, the more they brag about getting away shit that'd land us lesser mortals in prison

[@coldfusionstormgaming1808]

Johns Bond Villan Impression was so fucking spot on it was amazing! 11:30

[@antonbrakhage490]

@@coldfusionstormgaming1808 Maybe he can be the villain in the new Bond film, "Aversion to Violence", starring John Oliver as 007.

[@hmnhntr]

@@dmitrybykh9880 That is in no way a defense for his actions

[@tifforo1]

Not just sunglasses - almost every upscale prescription glasses manufacturer AND retailer is owned by them.

[@tylerspeier3161]

Nearly two years later John Oliver still giving it to business daddy

[@davidestrada4942]

This baby can’t be tamed waaa waaa

[@Quintusblake]

Poor business daddy. He’s trying his hardest, but John just won’t cut him any slack.

[@HopeRock425]

@@Quintusblake well how would he know how much they try if their service is so shity they can't tell him anything?

[@Quintusblake]

@@HopeRock425 oof

[@bengal4047]

@@HopeRock425 *dead body reported*

[@DoctorPortal_IX]

Him polishing his Emmy makes me laugh every time.

[@tommurphy4592]

I'd cheerfully help, just sayin' ! ;)-

[@DoctorPortal_IX]

@@ThomasR415 honestly? Considering it’s John Oliver we’re talking about, I _really can’t say for certain_

[@maddogkilla1]

And they always use that emmy joke after the most juvenile joke... Haha love it

[@DwayneIsK1NG]

@@DoctorPortal_IX I automatically thought it was real because of how good the show is. There's ZERO chance that he DOESN'T have an Emmy

[@DwayneIsK1NG]

@@ThomasR415 I feel like it HAS to be his

[@O_Towne_Bear]

So, if TW merges with AT&T does it rebrand as TWAT&T?

[@benthomason3307]

GOLD

[@insidiousfastidious6224]

Love it

[@irvrhees]

Cambro 64 for the win! Kudos, my friend.

[@wannabehistorian371]

@The man your Mom warned you about r/woosh

[@koolk1dde]

Poke Emblem I am posting this on reddit

[@danaeunrine3316]

The fart joke was funny enough, but John polishing his Emmy after it was just the icing on the cake.

[@lordvoldemort8904]

That cult-like small business montage was awesome.

[@STAROMEGA54]

It sounds like the Borg collective at the end.😆

[@kamuelalee]

Hypocritcal bastards! Stop giving breaks to mega-corporations and start helping the people of our country. Impeach Trump Now, as well!

[@josh0g]

"The greater good..."

[@arans5526]

Tag the time please? 13:51 :)

[@3Rayfire]

Great Harmony.

[@ntm4]

What politicians mean: Big businesses are the backbone of our financial support but we have to PRETEND to value the little guy because that's what people want and they are the backbone of our voting base.

[@MrMartinNeumann]

Small businesses are actually the backbone of the economy and I'm sure that they aware of it. They pay the most taxes and employ the most people (in relation to revenue they create). Its just that they don't pay the most money to the Politicians.

[@Alphenex]

Martin Neumann - but corporations are the backbone of political donations which is why lax anti trust laws that make small businesses get crushed like Oakley and either beaten down and then gobbled up or completely put out of businesses if they get in the way, or they win the war and become the next and eventually join hands like google and Facebook etc. Cable and internet companies are monopolies in many places, electric companies are state sanctioned monopolies, and more and more industries are oligopolies, this does not benefit anyone as if they all do anti consumer practices how can you vote with your wallet? Even if you are lucky enough to have multiple internet providers you go from the worst ranked to the second worst ranked company or reversed in customer service. Net neutrality and pay for data limits or potentially moving towards pay per data block is the future they are heading to and no amount of customer outrage stops them anymore because regular capitalist principles no longer apply to these businesses as it’s a necessary goods and services with no other options if they all work in unison or are a monopoly. So because the corporations pay the money to politicians they get the benefit through that and the massive amount of lobbying the do of the laws the politicians make and the cutting of govt agencies which are meant to regulate anti trust, putting in deregulators in key Office who are against anti trust laws, cutting corporate tax rates without closing loopholes and creating more loopholes. The smaller the pool of companies the less it’s a capitalist society and average person has little ability to vote for their wallet or get the best product, industry innovation, or driving down inflated prices. Hell even bad practices or defective products no longer hurt companies, customer service is less of a concern if the customer has really no choice and all the ones you bleed end up going to a competitor that does the same thing so you get back through the bleeding your competitor does around the same you bleed and is consumers every few years get fed up and switch brands or companies only to eventually realize it’s the same.

[@TheVivianable]

ntm4 true

[@jdsmith542]

Small business are pretty much dead, and have been for decades. But it is an image that politicians like to trot out so they sound good.

[@bananawal8215]

Those burns on AT&T were priceless 😂😂

[@wskylar21]

They were ruthless, but I like AT&T D:

[@72marshflower15]

BANA Nawal at&t is a staunch supporter of the GOP...

[@JesusPerez-pe8vk]

Dude at and t's prices are a rip off sadly i cant even upgrade on these shitty prices because of my area

[@C_mao]

at&t bought Direct TV, they offered a 'deal' making it sound like the price is 'fixed' for 2 years (what they hide in the small print) is after the 1st year the rates increase by about $55(per month)/unless you add another service(but their satellite freezes up during rain storms) so by having internet from SPECTRUM my internet continues to work while the tv is glitchy or even completely blacked out(so 'why' would i want their internet service?) Just say'n they went out of their way to make it 'appear' that i would get direct tv for around $65/mo and it wouldn't increase for two years(i won't use them again)

[@Triobian]

Not as priceless as the satisfaction you get from their crystal clear, reliably strong, and overall GREAT SERVICE!!! #TotallyNotAnAd

[@natkatmac]

The hypothetical best part of capitalism - strong competition between independent small businesses making quality products for the consumer and quality jobs for employees. The realistic worst part of capitalism - no competition between a handful of major corporations that intentionally stay out of each other's way to maximize their revenue at the expense of quality for both customers and employees.

[@xmateinc]

cable companies are a perfect example of the worst part of capitalism.

[@behemoththekitty]

I notice Americans often don't understand what capitalism actually means. It's a system designed for maximum profit margins which must be archived through efficiency and the way to archive efficiency in the free market is through capitalisation. That's why it's called capitalism. The free market is competitive by design and competition is inherently exclusionary - losers leave and winners stay this process alway results in a few or just one big Corp. left in the end in a given field and it's inevitable, because that's the goal, by design.

[@jasonstormsong4940]

@@behemoththekitty Alas, competition dies when the market is impenetrable to new companies. Because a company without competition is safe to exploit its workers and customers.

[@ahm6006]

@@jasonstormsong4940 That is what is always going to happen in an inherently exclusionary system like Asbestos said, capitalism having a free market is pretty much an oxymoron.

[@lait3967]

one word: disney D I S N E Y

[@neilstone7513]

True

[@jlord5078]

It's so accurate!

[@1WEareBUFO1]

gobbling em' up.

[@jimmyjohn8008]

What happened to 20th century Fox?

[@matheuspinheiro4796]

@@jimmyjohn8008 Disney

[@AmethystEyes]

You know they got one intern to find all of those "backbone" clips. Lol

[@Asvadel]

I'd wager it wasn't that hard. Pick a politician who's been in office for more than say... four to six years, and they've probably said it at least once. One of those charming platitudes that has virtually no connection to reality but makes people feel better and more at home with being stepped on by the faceless corporate entities that have long since come to rule the industrialized world.

[@samg6534]

I sometimes pity the Last Week Tonight interns

[@SkremoMcThrftsto]

Don't. I'm certain they are well-compensated and love their job. Who wouldn't?

[@jorgeanthony878]

I know the feel 😒

[@Dan1elAndrade]

A machine does that

[@bananawal8215]

A cable box blowing up in slow motion, sparks flying everywhere, with dramatic music playing in the background This is the quality content I subscribed to this channel for

[@Thumbsupurbum]

That and 2:18 and 14:17

[@C_mao]

Not to mention the epic, informative, hilarious rants, and then just throw in some ridiculous, funny sh*t at the end for good measure, as the icing on the cake (:

[@ruikirisame1744]

I just noticed the motorola logo. and here i thought that company went down the drain

[@CompproB237]

I've owned that specific Motorola cable box... That was cathartic.

[@avigutierrez8948]

You know long ago I thought cable boxes were cool til I realize how boring they can be. :(. Used to had digital well still got but anyway hbo go nada so yeah seeing that cable box being blown up brings a smile in fact a lot of smiles when people saw that. 👍🏻Keep up the good work mister Oliver.

[@danadomino]

Loved this segment so much and was so intrigued by it I turned it into a research proposal and will be doing a research based masters thesis on it this September!

[@cheri_inspired]

Dana ! How did your Research paper turn out ?

[@nicoolio930]

Can I read it?

[@uhohspaghettio2195]

Good luck!

[@Rexmoona]

Bella Snid they take forever to write

[@roberte.vancleef2893]

I would really like to see the resulting report.

[@ioncamin5]

he was buring AT&T before and after the merger, say what you want, John Oliver takes this seriously

[@leatheryfoot6354]

You don't know how happy I am to hear John again.

[@JLPicard1648]

The screeching sounds, presumably made by tiny ejaculating macaws inside of his skull, eventually become soothing, like an audial manifestation of Stockholm syndrome

[@dengie6991]

Leatheryfoot I've just watched a lot of last week tonight with John Oliver to make up for how long he has been gone XD

[@MegaBierMaster]

John is the backbone of the US

[@NathanTAK]

Very?

[@umiluv]

Got rid of cable 7 years ago! Never going back. Now if only Internet wasn't monopolized by the cable companies. 😩

[@justuslm]

I never had cable, you know... Here, in the magical lands, where political leaders aren't retards (Europe), satellite TV has been the standard for years.

[@justuslm]

Another Made Up Internet Subculture Lol, either your technology is far behind, or your satellite dish is somewhat defective, or it's not aligned properly and just barely gets a signal in perfect weather. Because I grew up with satellite TV and I live in Germany, at the coast of the northern sea. Basically, our weather is the same as in England. Still, weather never had an influence on our TV experience. Satellite worked in the worst of thunderstorms.

[@joeyclemenza7339]

umiluv if net neutrality doesn't stick..... it'll get much worse.

[@davidestrada9462]

Lol who watches tv anymore

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

Your satellite providers must give you better dishes than, I've known a few people here in the US with satellite, and it was just as the user above described.

[@greghmn]

0:10 “So not only does this thing exist, but now you have deprived everyone of cake.” - Ron Swanson

[@adrielsebastian5216]

"Take a walk, Ron."

[@maxxpass]

So they were bragging about record profits, but now in 2020 they want a bailout? Crazy how this has came back into play

[@Joekuh]

And because there is no competition.....

[@AveRegina_]

Could you please elaborate your comment.. I would love to know the details of this corporate game from someone in another country

[@Joekuh]

Corporations/big business are given tax cut after tax cut to generate profits for owners and presidents of these companies. Then when things go wrong, like the 08 financial collapse and this pandemic, big business is at the front of the line asking for MORE free money to prop their company up. And its given to them. Every time. TO PUT MORE MONEY IN THE POCKETS OF THE PRESIDENTS AND CEOS. Not to the workers or worker safety.

[@Dutch3DMaster]

The worst thing I saw in The Netherlands was some companies probably being the most logical ones to want financial support due to the pandemic because of how their customers stopped using their products (public transportation, for the most part) suddenly had to fight for them, along with the fact that transportation companies were at risk of getting fined for cutting services because the money they normally received from commuters was now going low very quickly. But back in 2015 or 2016, the transportation company in my area was complaining about financial shortages making them unable to pay the wages for their drivers, but how did they end up getting into those shortages? By having marketed themselves to want to run the services in a concession contract for such a low amount of money, any economist could've said "You can't do that for the amount of years you need to run your buses, and pay your personnel." Yet somehow, when they DELIBERATELY decided to sell themselves short and got into financial trouble, they were allowed to beg at the people who made the contract, to have the contract changed. I seriously didn't understand how deliberately undercutting yourself could make you able as a company to say "Oh let's change the contract mid-way" but when something happens they LITERALLY had no control over, government going "Not our problem...."

[@Daenym]

The "small business is the backbone of our economy" gag was excellent. The show never fails to impress.

[@kurtsudheim825]

Daenym I dont want to sound mean, but that was a really cheap/easy gag, which is why he joked he was above it

[@Daenym]

Kurt Sudheim Except he... didn't? He joked he was above the fart jokes bit.

[@SwogFrog]

OOH looks like you were the fuckhead this time, idiot!

[@KartikSoniOakmano]

I'm glad they touched on glasses and luxotica. There are actually other companies where you put in your "numbers" and a few extra parameters, and they can make your glasses for $7! But to counteract this, luxotica started taking those key number out of eye exams so you couldn't do that. One main one they removed is called "Pupilary distance" or the distance between your pupils. I know of a company that sold glasses cheap called Zennioptical that circumvented this by letting you print out a pap that you hold to your face to measure it by your self! Once i hear about this i died from how easy it was to stop what Luxotica was trying to do.

[@ashbro3214]

Kartik Soni this needs to be at the top of comment section.. Holy shit I never knew this was suck scam.. I always thought producing glasses was an expensive process

[@KartikSoniOakmano]

Ash bro only when they make it out of real glass, which is still pretty cheap. Nowadays they're all made of plastics

[@gracedewald5203]

Zenni is amazing! I hope they don't get bought out :(

[@macemoneta]

Our optometrist actually has his office inside a Lens Crafters (he is independent). When we told him we were going to get our glasses online at Zenni, his reply was "Great! those guys are awesome! Let me add your pupillary distance...". So if your optometrist is being a dick, get a different optometrist.

[@PluralPaul]

I had the same experience! My optometrist was acting like, "Well, technically I shouldn't be helping you get cheaper glasses," but he gave me all of the information I needed to get the glasses I wanted.

[@coldfusionstormgaming1808]

"i understand your Theory.,They understood that life was better together mr. bond.. no?" That is a effing underrated line XD

[@ForrestFox626]

He'd make a hilarious Bond villain!

[@eugeniegodin8079]

This show has stayed chaotic through its entire run so far and I respect it

[@henrymumba6427]

"Stop talking about backbones and actually grow one"

[@FBI-ov7lb]

*Take a stand America*

[@willhiggins9563]

Applies to almost everything in politics. Especially Republicans with Trump.

[@elijah_9392]

Will Higgins Well Obama was on the left and did nothing of what he promised.

[@elijah_9392]

Will Higgins Both sides are guilty

[@GenJotsu]

Good on you Oliver, talking crap about Time Warner. "Only people I trust, are the ones brave enough to shit on themselves."

[@GenJotsu]

That may be what it sounds like to you. To me it sounds like someone is smart enough to know the difference between confidence and arrogance.

[@readyxxi]

LEMMING MARXIST

[@directcharge6648]

Jo King you think you're very intelligent don't you?

[@rich1051414]

Those who cannot make fun of themselves lack confidence and are weak cowards. They rely on their ego to compensate for their weak character.

[@tuesday3735]

Jo King bin

[@ruby5787]

I had to explain this to my husband once when he was telling me that he was going to boycott American Airlines because of how absolutely horribly they treated one of his best friends. But I told him who did he think he was going to fly with then? Every airline in our town or at the nearest large airport where a lot of our flights would have to go out of is either owned by American or has the EXACT same business practices. Oh, and that nearest large airport? It's Sky Harbor which is a hub for American airlines.

[@josephmontoya5822]

AZ resident I had the same problem!

[@ruby5787]

@@josephmontoya5822 we're in Tucson!

[@josephmontoya5822]

@@ruby5787 dont tell the internet!

[@kani75]

Just think about what this video was about and then remember that you got only two major political parties. ;)

[@willkroon3372]

Bundit meanwhile in the Netherlands we have 13 atm

[@mafia6330]

If we had more than 2, a lot of elections would be decided by the house of representatives because there would be few majority winners and more pluralities. Always geared toward two party system. Real concern is the shitty options we're given by both parties, especially as of recent years.

[@TheBoxingCannabyte]

Kinda hard to forget. Lol. What sucks is how tribal we are. I was an Army Ranger for nearly a decade before a vbIED took my eye and riddled me with shrapnel including bone fragments of dear friends thst didnt survive fucked me up up mentally and physically. After a year in z wheelchair and a lot of hard PT i reupped, leanred to use my rifle left handed which im luckily cross dominant (eyesight for how you sight in with a firearm, approx 1/3 of people are). My long-winded point is that in war and when working in warzones and broken parts or the world the politics of the person watching your back usually melts away. Practicsl, logical, rational decisions become very important and we lost the ability to do that here. We need to empathize with each other or we are fucked. Thank fuck for my wife and brothers in arms, they brought me back from a very self destructive bender and way of living when i got back ti the real world. Which feels so spoiled, slow in some ways. And he's too many peoole looking for the latest problems like fads

[@TheBoxingCannabyte]

@@mafia6330 Bernie is our best option and i say this as a gun toting semi libertarian combat veteran. He's as honest as we can hope for and as far as i can see he isnt owned by any corporations. The country really started going to hell with Reagan and Reaganomics, deregulation, 401ks replacing pensions, etc. It's a historical fact that every democratic president has left office with the economy on the rise, if not leaving us with a growing surplus vs deficit. Bill Clinton for all his bullshit and huge array of problems did a lot of good for the U.S and Jimmy Carter daerved a 2nd term more than almost.anyone. Obama's biggest mistake was thinking he could work with the other side, ideally he should've. It should be noted hes the most filibustered president in history, by far. I saw a bill for medical aid for 9-11 responders get filibustered and held up right before Christmas by, thunk, McConnell who out the also said his main goal was to make Obama a one termer. It's insane to.me.we.got a birther in office right now

[@mafia6330]

@Roman Hauksson-Neill The problem with approval voting is that candidates would only focus on densely populated areas of the country and leave the small, rural populations behind (save more money, reach more people). A few states would be in control and receive the most attention.

[@rayflyers]

Shoutout to the people who worked hard in college learning to do video and audio editing just to replace Jim Cramer's buttons with fart noises. I hope your families are proud. I am!

[@rich1051414]

Their 7 year old self's have tears of joy.

[@walesvlogs1]

... or just watched a short youtube tutorial on how to do edit for free

[@Unst0pableGamer]

It takes about 5 minutes of video watching and even less time doing it. Glad to see you understand a joke!

[@Nick30468]

more likely it was the interns still in college :)

[@AnEvolvingApe]

Nothing makes me lol harder than fart jokes and I really can't stand the fact my sense of humor is this way.

[@PushoverMediaCritic]

Remember when Disney bought Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm? And how they just announced a streaming service to distribute their films and shows with exclusivity? That's called "vertical integration" and it's when a movie studio is capable of controlling all steps of the film process, from production to distribution, and ending vertical integration in the film industry was the main catalyst towards the Hollywood Antitrust Case of 1948.

[@BlackSteelKeyChain]

PushoverMediaCritic same reason time Warner is now heavily pushing their streaming services to challenge them. Barely anyone seriously questioned Disney buying spree until it's too late and they control literally everything worth while to watch

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

BlackSteel KeyChain Honestly, I felt Disney owning Marvel was an inevitability since Time Warner has DC

[@BlackSteelKeyChain]

CN What I'm Saiyan? Me too, as well as pixar to compete with Universal purchase of DreamWorks, but not LucasFilm and the other two at the same time, it's too much influence.

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

As far as entertainment goes, I feel the biggest issue is the absurdly long time copyright lasts. If copyright only lasted 15-20 years, media companies wouldn't be able to have the huge monopolies they have now, as most of their characters would be in the public domain. While Disney could still make new Marvel movies, and would own the rights to publish those particular movies, the characters could be freely used by Time Warner, or even an independent studio for that matter.

[@BlackSteelKeyChain]

Another Made Up Internet Subculture whats ESPN? 🙃

[@abhisardahiya9156]

7:55 you can see his excitement and glee when he's about to make another AT&T joke. He genuinely loves taking the piss out of them lol

[@JaydevRaol]

True

[@Dave-um7mw]

I used to work in the sunglasses industry and I can tell you that this show only scratches the tip of the iceberg. They don't only own Lenscrafters and several other eyeglass retailers, they own vision insurance companies, the rights to manufacture sunglasses for a vast majority of fashion brands, and nearly every sunglass retailer. Also, the dispute with Oakley is that Luxottica wanted Oakley to increase their prices. Oakleys typically had the lowest markup at 100% so if the glasses retailed for $100, they cost $50 to make. Again by for the lowest markup. Anyway, Luxottica not wanting to destroy the Sunglass Hut brand by selling a very popular sunglass brand at higher price than it's competitors, told Oakley to increase the minimum price that retailers could sell their sunglasses for. Oakley didn't want to increase the pricing so Luxottica flexed it's muscles and the rest is history.

[@OneRandomLeo]

As soon as John started telling the story, I was like "I bet he wanted Oakley to increase their prices and they said no."

[@mathisawesome618]

i love how he always goes "the point is, the point is..." when the crowd get's louder so they start listening again haha

[@TheSecondVersion]

They should add these to the John Oliver Drinking Game, along with him ending a clip with "HO-LY *SHIT* "

[@obliviousotterI]

@@TheSecondVersion Somebody needs to make a current compilation of those

[@samwert2316]

Is that bulma I see as ur profile pic lol

[@myteath]

When you have AT&T for your internet provider.

[@CNWhatImSaiyan]

HA-HA!

[@gin3868]

may god help you poor man

[@Kyman102]

I'm in a Comcast area. Not much better.

[@AlrekArinbjorn]

#ThanksFiberOne #Feminism #Farts

[@6105boe]

When you're not from the US and don't have to deal with shitty ISP's. \o/

[@tragicrhythm]

Still relevant. We found out during the pandemic when supply chains started breaking down just how few companies control the meat packing industry. More recently the baby formula shortage. Apparently 4 companies control 90% of the market.

[@ToddtheExploder]

The violent destruction of that cable box was amazingly cathartic! Bravo!

[@krakua200]

Fun fact: The casket industry is now dominated by only two companies. Matthews and aurora went through a merger last year

[@milesrowe2263]

Spencer Tracy lol

[@froidesprit]

Great, now I have fewer choices once I have to roll in my grave.

[@starcherry6814]

That’s okay I don’t like caskets anyways #TeamCoffin

[@stephanewd]

Frederic Bastiat Are you trolling? Or are you genuinely stupid?

[@johnnyb6067]

I'm going to get buried in "The Cardboard Warrior".

[@brendanmurphy4034]

Teddy Roosevelt's Ghost angrily rises from the grave

[@joeytoby1]

Brendan Murphy Who you gonna call? Trust Busters!

[@Seadalgo]

Corporations are stronger now, you'd need Teddy, Che, Trotsky, Robspierre, and Bernie to touch rings and combine their powers

[@Saternalia]

BIG STICK!!

[@1krani]

I would kill myself just to join his posse.

[@athroughzdude]

WHAT'S UP, BITCHES?!

[@BenjaminGlatt]

Honestly, I saw the "Bing" joke coming from a mile away and was right there with John.

[@kaffohrt9858]

Replace "companies" with "nobelman/lords" and we went full circle back to feudalism

[@47shadows76]

Well said Richard Wolfe

[@Hornswroggle]

Capitalism gravitates to monarchy, because through lobbying these also essentially write laws for themselves

[@Karl_der_Genosse]

„Sozialismus und Demokratie sind nicht dasselbe, aber sie sind nur ein verschiedener Ausdruck desselben Grundgedankens; sie gehören zueinander, ergänzen einander, können nie miteinander in Widerspruch stehen. […] Der demokratische Staat ist die einzig mögliche Form der sozialistisch organisierten Gesellschaft. […] Weil wir die Untrennbarkeit der Demokratie und des Sozialismus begriffen haben, nennen wir uns Sozialdemokraten.“ “Socialism and Democracy are not the same, but they are different implementations of the same idea; They belong to each other, fulfill each other and cannot exist without the other. The democratic state is the only way though which a socialist country can exist. Because we believe in the unseperatability of Democracy and Socialism, we call ourselves Social Democrats." Speech of ond of the founders of the German Social Democratic Party.

[@Karl_der_Genosse]

@raffle baffle Not at all! We even have an active Socialist Party in Germany. In Germany it is forbidden to display Nazi Symbols, be a Nazi, glorify the Third Reich or deny the Holocaust. Sure, that's against freedom of speech, but in this case, your freedom would activly hurt somebody elses freedom. That's why this policy is very much accepted in Germany. Please don't confuse Socialism with National Socialism, they are VERY different and basically opposed.

[@natesmodelsdoodles5403]

just wait til the revolution kicks in.

[@KevinRay_man]

I’ve never been so unaware that I was in dire need of something until John Oliver blessed me with the Kramer fart blaster button montage. Quality. Hilarious, hilarious quality.

[@shaha9872]

Kevin Ray

[@HindruD]

Do you hear that? Its Theodore Roosevelt angrily banging on the roof of his coffin.

[@Seth9809]

Is he going to leap out and assemble an army of cowboys to storm Capitol Hill?

[@wolfattacker1]

Hindru Denver bruuuuh 😂

[@Garhunt05]

Howard Taft too

[@austinsetser6081]

Long live the bull moose party

[@1WEareBUFO1]

" You'll never be my real DAD!!" John Oliver 2017

[@tuenhatran3589]

John Oliver: the only man on earth that can make a cable box explosion feel more majestic than fireworks on new year in Dubai.

[@mikepagebrand]

United: Our prices are unbeatable but our passengers aren't

[@stevethesnail963]

Our planes look likes dicks and fly like one.

[@loreaver3882]

United, we hold a great legacy starting with our founder, Randy Orton

[@alex9621]

Made my day 😂😂😂😂😂

[@edmundburke498]

XD

[@carloslarry3593]

BurningEagle 😂😂

[@slowdancers]

i'm still surprised he didn't mention the fact that disney owns a shit ton of other companies, but this video was excellent!

[@bluedreamkush2392]

andy garcia except they really aren't that big seeing as though they are owned by a more bigger company

[@jamesonjunky]

andy garcia Disney owns everything

[@themacaronichronicles717]

andy garcia Disney will destroy anyone

[@bloodraighna]

Yeah my HS choir went to sing at Disneyworld and for some reason they wouldn't allow us to sing any Disney songs because they were copyrighted. I'm also surprised that he didn't mention Amazon either. :/

[@Dliciousization]

Amazon was mentioned alongside Walmart and Google as dominating industries that are impossible to create start-up companies against in the same field.

[@ashermitchell2794]

I'm genuinely curious in exactly how many horse sex jokes this show has delivered over the years, and I'm genuinely frightened by how many are yet to come.

[@adrielsebastian5216]

There's one from the Turkmenistan episode, another from the sheriff episode, and I lost count

[@alicestolze8327]

We all know the religion he was referring to was Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption

[@fakename287]

Someone made that comment 4 months before you did lmao

[@Slyphoria]

@kainoamh It's absolutely Scientology. Nothing else would make sense for the joke.

[@bengal4047]

Praise be!

[@jdas5842]

Congratulations for the Emmys . 🙌🙌🙌

[@letashijol1995]

Raycher Smith I

[@liizzset]

I was going to say that. But agreed with you though. Congrats on their Emmys.

[@thatonegirl531]

Thanks!

[@Drbeckerproductions]

I wish people would stop giving a fuck about television award ceremonies. It feels like a circlejerk that the little unpopular guy always looses.

[@charlies2197]

Raycher Smith n n n No N Ng j j. M.

[@lolipedofin]

13:20 There is only 1 true faith!!! Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption. Praise be.

[@Phroggster]

Lollipop Mari Clearly you are living under a rock. kzbin.info/www/bejne/baqUqX13i7-rjsk Praise be.

[@judithw7600]

lolipedofin Praise be.

[@luiseatoll6368]

Praise be, brother!

[@lolipedofin]

Praise be, brothers and sisters in faith. Keep sending those seeds... praise be.

[@sagniknath5537]

I thought it was Mormonism

[@princealphanso3332]

We'll doesn't matter how many jokes John makes on AT&T it never gets old, and it's actually good for AT&T to because I didn't even knew about such a service provider.

[@majarimennamazerinth5753]

I’m not a cannibal, we just understood that life was better together.

[@TheGameRonin0619]

The problem with trying to go up against the corporations now, is that you could go to congress to have them make stronger laws, but most congress receive some "donations" from these big corporations and they'll come up with some bullshit excuse as to why better changes should be made, and we'll be stuck with these problems

[@PTSDSquirrel]

get too deep, and rock the boat too much, and they might just make you disappear. After all whats one little human in the world.

[@Shaeger5000]

The laws already exist in the form of anti trust. We don't enforce them. I'm not saying you're wrong, those donations are just heading to a different place, and an even more fucked up place since I would like to think an AG's office should at least pretend to look at everything and everyone equally...

[@themacaronichronicles717]

AnarchyAlchemist donations are a bit of an understatement. I’ve been reading up on it and they literally receive TRILLILONS of dollars a year. And that’s ONLY from Pharmacy companies. I can’t imagine what it would be if you added all the other ones with it.

[@SomeRandomJackAss]

See: Ajit Pai and the Internet.

[@AChungusAmongUs]

The part that Oliver misses is the reason why these oligopolies are possible. He claims that we need more regulations and harsher implementations of them. We have FAR more regulations on the books now than we did in 1970. That's not the solution. Lobbyists have successfully pushed legislation and regulation that makes it difficult for small businesses to compete. Harsher implementation means a larger bureaucracy and a greater burden on small businesses and on taxpayers in general. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp3NZY2Za5eLra8

[@Jabadamazo]

It's so nice to see the writing staff of this show actually listening to the fans and dialing it back on John's shouting tirades that really interrupted the flow of what he's talking about and weren't really very relevant. The funny bits feel organic and natural, and he's not shouting anymore. This is why Last Week Tonight is definitely one of the best shows running right now - they actually give a shit and listen to feedback that they're given. Props guys, and I hope you get 20 seasons :D.

[@SpencerGD]

"You wanna fuckin' Rollerblade to Houston? Shut up and get in." 😆

[@dilsadmeraler]

I came back to watch this segment again after senator Amy Klobuchard keeps talking about it. And I enjoyed all over again You are timeless (unfortunately) John Oliver because nothing is changing 😢

[@nakianiteshade]

Every dystopic future film shows the world run by one corporation. We are inching ever so closer to that reality every fucking week.

[@5pctLowBattery]

chasemebaby like the "corporate congress" on that tv show Continuum.

[@AJF786]

is that Novacorp or Lexicorp?

[@MegaBlueT]

According to Sovereign Citizens, the US is already one big corporation. Gotta love the videos with traffic stops though...

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

MegaBlueT Are corporations inherently bad, though?

[@ryan-jb9fh]

Pretty sure the majority of dystopian literature involves the world being run by one government, not necessarily one corporation.

[@johnchessant3012]

11:45 - No, I don't have a cable box. That's why I'm here, stealing HBO from KZbin.

[@stayfrosty8470]

John Chessant its not worth the hassle. I have one and i litterally only turn it on for game of thrones and nothing else.

[@patrickmouzawak]

not for long though.

[@stayfrosty8470]

TheUmbrellaCorpX7 im actually planning on returning it for the next 2 years. I just have to sell the idea to my gf

[@maxant4285]

You are not stealing anything here. This is official channel.

[@gantzuka]

@@stayfrosty8470 If she insist on the cable box she is literally a waste of money. Get rid of her and you'll save money.

[@Miss11779]

11:18 LMAO!!!! How does he do EVERYTHING so perfectly?!

[@spacedragon8929]

I actually knew about Luxottica, thanks to -Adam- Emily Ruins Everything.

[@Gnomeitall]

Yup. As soon as he mentioned eyeglasses, I thought, "Luxxotica". Adam's segment on internet providers also fits into this.

[@kawau]

small businesses may be the backbone of our economy, but mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell

[@InfinityBeard]

Really? I haven't heard that joke before. Do you also still prank call people to see if their "fridge is still running"?

[@swornimkc6168]

Jakub K exactly

[@TheDilloWolf]

And pee is stored in the balls. (I'm so sorry. I'll leave)

[@GhostEmblem]

TheDilloWolf so girls dont pee?

[@JackRabbitSlim]

Have you ever seen a girl pee? Exactly.

[@AmethystEyes]

People don't know it but most funeral homes are now run by corporate companies. They buy the smaller funeral homes and just keep the family name. Corporate keeps pushing funeral directors and morticians to upscale ridiculously expensive caskets.

[@deborahfreedman333]

Yes, we've all watched 'Six Feet Under'/

[@PTSDSquirrel]

oh my dear... it goes much deeper We do have a monopoly. Everything, EVERYTHING, every large company to every small mom and pop shops is OWNED by 13 families. 8 people own 50%, and rising, of the worlds wealth. They own the banks, food production, medical care, housing, land development, land in general, water rights, mineral rights, school systems, entertainment, manufacturing, retail chains, science boards, academia, the News networks, defense contractors, the IRS, some small countries, and nearly EVERY SINGLE GOVERNMENT ON EARTH. They own it. How do you fight such a thing. Don't believe me still believe your NOT a slave to these families? Follow the money, but beware once you go down this path, you may soon harbor the deep hatred i have for the "Ruling Class" And wish for not only their deaths but the death of this EVIL system. We would all be more free and safe living in the fucking woods then with these vampires

[@raziel1132]

+PTSDSquirrel are you literally just copy pasting this?

[@PTSDSquirrel]

I am, many know of the power structure they can see, but find out who rules the rulers. The message must be heard. Mankind must know, if they are to be released from bondage of the Secret Aristocracy. Vivat et liberet homines

[@LittleBoxXx]

Deborah Freedman lol was going to post the same.

[@chrisdavis7836]

And now I finally know the origins of his beef with with AT&T

[@LiveNiceness14]

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” said the Borg collective.

[@Dutch3DMaster]

"Business as you know it is over. We will add your financial and economic distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."

[@skunktotem8785]

“I am Luxottica of the Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.”

[@SlateofGranite]

I remember last year when the company I worked for (Relay Foods) announced that it was merging with another company (Door to Door Organics). I remember everyone I worked with asking why a company that ran almost 15 states would "merge" with ours when we only worked in Virginia, D.C., and One small area in North Carolina. We quickly realized we were really just bought out when we started doing everything the way DtoD wanted us to do it, even though our previous method was smoother and took up less time/people. A few months later, every Relay employee was fired, because those Organic f**kers wanted all the money we were making for themselves. I remember fondly our human resource person sending out an email that everything was fine and that Relay, alongside DtoD, were the "warriors on the front lines of online grocery." I replied that we were "corpses being led off on the back of an enslaved Relay, conquered by one Door to Door Organics." Still can't believe I wasn't fired, but that's why I liked working there. so yeah, f**k big business, and f**k anyone who thinks deregulation will benefit us, cause it clearly didn't for me

[@undrtakr900]

Dam that sucks, sorry to hear that. Mergers and Deregulations only help the corporation, while fucking over the customers & employees😫

[@maximemeis2867]

Sad story for you but it's irrelevant. Business owners have a right to buy, sell, merge their business. It's their property. And sometimes a business owner sells his business and the guy who buys it is a total as... So what? It happens. That doesn't mean that the government has the right to dictate which company can buy which companies. And it doesn't mean that "deregulation" isn't benefiting us. Things change. If you no longer like your place of work simply quit. It's ridiculous to cry that the government should regulate that because things didn't go that well at your place.

[@SlateofGranite]

Well that's your opinion. I mean, it's a pretty stupid opinion because deregulation and allowing companies to merge with whatever and whoever played a major part in the 2008 recession. (go watch Too Big to Fail) And another thing, my "Sad story" wasn't supposed to be sad. We all eventually moved past it. I wrote that comment to support John's argument that people suffer from corporate consolidation. So until you tell a story about how this crap has screwed you over somehow, I can't take your opinion seriously. Of course, If you're one of those people that have had life handed to you on a silver platter and have never had to live the life of the lower working class, then f**k you, you have no right to criticize me.

[@maximemeis2867]

First property rights aren't opinions. If I built a company I would have the right to sell it. Period. Second your claim that deregulation and merger played a part in the 2008 is ridiculous where to start? First do you know that 90+% of a bank's capital (in the context equity + debt) is shielded from loss by the government? It's called deposit insurance and shields depositors from losses. Since the huge majority of banks' capital is provided by deposit, it shield that vast majority of these capital providers from losses. What happens then? Since they can only gain they go for more risk for more gain. For example millions flocked to Country Wide Financial, which had higher interest on certificates of deposits but was also riskier. It had a sweet deal with other government back insitutions: Freddie and Fannie (whose debt is guaranteed by the government) to pass on most those crappy mortgages to them. Before the crisis Chris Dodds and Barnie Frank (democrats) were pounding the table for the government to allow Fannie and Freddie to buy even more crappy loans (to help affordable housing goals). And then there's the time when Clinton sued banks that weren't making enough crappy loans. But I guess your documentary talks about the evil "repeal of Glass Steagal", which allowed for a bank to do both commercial and investment activities. So Glass Steagal would not have affected Country Wide Financial (commercial, failed), Bear Sterns (investment, failed), WaMu (commerical, failed) but would have affected JPM (mixed, didn't fail), Wells Fargo (mixed didn't fail) and Citygroup (mixed, failed). So it would just have affected Citygroup which would have failed anyone since it's in max risk each time since it's always bailed out by the government. That's an awefull lot of regulations the glance over in order to claim the industry was deregulated. Now to your second point "people suffer from corporate consoldiation". People also "suffer" from people closing down their business, changing location, trying new strategies and failing,... Does that mean the government should step in and regulate those as well? Businesses are properties. Owners have a moral right to do whatever they want with them. If it makes sense to close a branch than they have every right to close it even if employees and customers are made worse off. You have a right to buy what companies offer you at whatever price they offered it to you or not to buy anything from them. We are in the market to make ourselves better off. Companies are in the market to make themselves better off. But you have no moral right to go to the government and use it to point a gun at companies and force them to offer you the deal they want. As for your last ridiculous line, "Of course, If you're one of those people that have had life handed to you on a silver platter and have never had to live the life of the lower working class, then f**k you, you have no right to criticize me" it's simply an ad hominem attack. My personnal character or experience has no bearing on me calling your arguments bs. The validity of an argument isn't affected by the character of the person who speaks it. So yeah to summarize my first argument. "Maybe the company you worker for made choices that made you worse off. But that's no argument for getting the government to regulate their activities. They have a right to opperate as they see fit. And if you don't like it you have a right to quit. Period."

[@SlateofGranite]

Alright, this is going to be my last reply to you, because quite frankly I've got better things to do than to defend myself from a triggered wannabe economist who I'm most likely never going to meet IRL. I don't think I can say anything that you won't label as bs, and based upon how you responded to my last bit, and how you haven't giving an example of how this system has screwed you over, It only strengthens my original theory that you've never worked a hard day in your life, so once again, f**k you. Now, if I am wrong, and you have worked a lower class job, well then I'm wrong, but I won't know. Seriously, I'm done talking to you, so try to resist the urge to respond, you'll just be wasting your time. One last thing though. You could at least bother to research that film before going off making some stupid speculation about it. It's not a documentary, it's a bio drama centered around treasury secretary Hank Paulson and his team trying to find a way to stabilize the banks. If anything, just watch it for James Woods's acting (he plays Dick Fuld)

[@RarelyReplies]

I was with Time Warner for a while. Now they are spectrum. It is spectrum TWC or Spectrum Charter. The competitors are consolidated. They jacked the price up from my 120 a month to 160 a month because I was not a new customer. So I call to try and change some things and lower the price. I have options removed and my bill goes up to 170. How is that possible? I speak to someone else and they do not understand how the other person got 170. It should actually be 185 under the Specrum pricing model. Then this jack off tries to be a sales man. Tells me that I am upgrading and its like buying a new car. Asks me if I would expect to pay more if I got a new car. “Yes, but the new version has a nicer ride, more powerful engine, better car all together. If i stay its less service and paying more. What else ya got? Well what if you look at it like this is what it actually costs to get these services? “Well then that only makes it more of a reason to leave and just cut the cord?” He got frustrated, I kept going and frustrated him more. I called Direct and got a better service for 95 a month. Now Spectrum is calling and asking me to come back at a super low rate. What the hell? Better to just cut the cord all together. That is what these companies need to happen.

[@scottthewaterwarrior]

It's only possible to cut the cord when you actually have an alternative. Even when there is an "alternative" it usualy isn't any better. Around me there are two providers, and if you took their name off of the advertisements, you couldn't even tell them apart, same price, same claim of high speed, but same shitty service once you hook up.

[@ALYSSAISTHEBESTWOO]

I always threaten to cancel service. Seems to work for me, but it is extremely annoying to have to do it every single year. We don't even have any option besides Time Warner where we live, so if they called my bluff we would be stuck without internet. It sucks!

[@pikminmj9986]

I feel like cable/internet providers are the one company who loveeeee punishing loyal customers, the longer you stay the more you pay. We just kept going from direct tv, to spectrum, to uverse, back to direct tv, spectrum, ect cause the entry pricing is always the cheapest.

[@jpxyUA]

Aren't ya in a 3G/LTE covered area? You can get a simple SIM-router and get a new card with only data on it and have a wifi. Of course you won't be able to play online competitively but it's enough for chat, even movies.

[@RarelyReplies]

Alyssa Wolfe i did that for 5 years. Every time i would give them prices for direct or who ever and they would back down and give me a lower price. The guy this time actually told me that spectrum wont do that anymore. That he was a TWC employee and lowered prices for people every day. But not anymore.

[@thisisabadname7599]

Bing The best place to search Google And NOTHING else

[@tushargowda8634]

"YOU WANT TO FUCKIN ROLLERBADE TO HOUSTON, GET IN!!" lmfao🤣🤣🤣

[@armartin0003]

Is it weird that when they blew up that cable box that I said, "Merica" and held my hand over my heart?

[@Tukaro]

So long as you weren't kneeling at the time, that's fine

[@voretextcomm.5173]

I'm surprised my AT&T wireless network didn't conveniently cut out while I was watching this like it does so often.

[@Ward1706]

VoreText Comm. Yeah, I'm also surprised that my NBN connection didn't di- *the connection was interrupted*

[@paulschlachter4144]

They're working on the technology to do just that.

[@cl0wnkid973]

was this the first business daddy joke?

[@DrMongoloid]

Have I finally stumbled on to the start of the 'business daddy' meme?

[@PikeyWikey]

Glad to have you back, Nerdy Puffin Man.

[@marvincool3744]

*Owl who couldn't get a prom date

[@BS_stuG]

John’s research team is amazing, they can literally find anything on anyone *Maybe they can help me find my dad…*

[@BikesAndBatallas]

If they can't, I'm sure their graphics team could slide him into your family portraits!

[@2012Parag]

Didn't find much on Hillary Clinton....................lots there.

[@CRiley-zx1ws]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nmKvl5dnlqdsj6s

[@ATTACKofthe6STRINGS]

Jawel Zimbabwe hey son, I finally found those cigarettes

[@BS_stuG]

Trigger Town Yes they did… did you watch his piece on Clinton and Trump? Also, who gives a shit about Hillary? The election’s over, move on

[@ruby5787]

In 2022, it's been so long since he first mentioned the AT&T thing that I almost forgot he hadn't ALWAYS been making the "fuck you, business daddy" jokes

[@drakosflame]

*sighs at self* The symphony of farts at the end made me giggle almost uncontrollably. I... needed the giggle.

[@darthmalgus786]

Memes are the real backbone of our economy

[@Tamaki742]

THE MEMES JACK, THE MEMES

[@salomeguzman8611]

Actually... Bees are. They pollinate our fruits, vegetables, make honey, wax and most importantly... they like Jazz.

[@sprybug]

Just wait until a meme lord consolidates most of the popular memes.

[@mortarpestle.4267]

+sprybug That's the beautiful thing of memes, the memelords can't start a fourth meme reich, constantly ensuring competition.

[@sanfran224]

I studied business in the US, the books pro corporate consolidation actually. and the curriculums prepare students to work in big corporate not small businesses or even starting a business.

[@InfinityBeard]

That's because it's great for the companies, it's just bad for everyone else.

[@ThroneOfBhaal]

Well that became the Borg Collective really bloody quickly.

[@hya2in8]

2,800 dislikes, hmm I guess there are more megacompanies out there than we thought

[@Poldovico]

That's the lot of them, for the whole planet.

[@jv-lk7bc]

nope, only about a half dozen. They're just very good at buying votes.

[@benediss132]

He calls out corporations and this is the first time LWT isn't trending in over a year. Coincidence?

[@MackMillicco]

KZbin's not even trying to hide their agenda anymore. Pricks.

[@christopherweaver9543]

Google is owned by Alphabet, a corporation that owns many, many key companies.

[@christopherweaver9543]

Mainly research and other parts of googles. Still very big.

[@Mave-rick]

Google is a little different, but yeah, they basically split themselves up into tiny companies, formed Alphabet, and classified themselves (Google) as a subsidiary of Alphabet. If anything goes "horribly wrong" one day, they'll just blame their parent company Alphabet, even though they operate independently.

[@TomasSowellIsGreat]

I think not! ;)

[@WishingThePanda]

For a country that values capitalism and competition so much we really love our monopolies...

[@JPMandz]

TheWishingPanda that's because republicans love low taxes for corporations, and democrats love regulation of businesses, both or which are directly or indirectly effective at protecting big business interests. If anything we should raise taxes for big businesses and deregulate small businesses (50 or less employees)...

[@MackMillicco]

The economy is a complex system with too many loopholes for businesses to take advantage of. They indirectly harm the nation and their consumers for self gain. It's awful.

[@flyingavocadosofdoom]

TheWishingPanda this is more a worldwide problem then you'd think

[@breakingbacon658]

We love board games.

[@christopherweaver9543]

Capitalism is for profit, these companies are sure as hell getting profit.

[@clownkiwi]

absolutely terrifying that a few months after this came out, disney announced their planned purchase of 21st century fox and look where we are now...

[@MuggsMcGinnis]

"Bing, the best way to Google something" Brilliant!

[@miguelgordillo3257]

Congratulations on the Emmy.

[@zora99ny]

Miguel Gordillo no exclamation point?

[@mortarpestle.4267]

+NYCzora Why'd you need that? This corner of the internet is for soft-spoken gentlemen slightly less off-kilter than Ben Carson.

[@jessstuart7495]

Large corporations can afford to employ teams of lawyers who can bury smaller businesses in litigation. This allows large corporations to really push the limits on what they can get away with, while the smaller guys cannot afford such a legal fight. The judicial process becomes a contest of who has deeper pockets. Justice isn't so blind anymore. Large corporations can also afford to comply with complex regulation that would be a large financial burden for small businesses. Our tax system is way too complicated also. Corporations can afford to hire full-time tax specialists who find loopholes that ordinary businesses either would not qualify for, or would simply not know about because they are too busy running their company.

[@williestyle35]

Justice was never "blind".

[@im.empimp]

It also means if you specialize in an area with a behemoth, you can be required to sign a non-compete which extends past your employment - so you can't even get a job in your own specialty!

[@jessstuart7495]

I wonder how many people actually get sued because they violated a non-compete agreement. It would take some effort for your previous employer to find out. A lot of times people can switch from working in a corporate job to being a contractor or vice-versa so they can get around the non-competes.

[@Biogreg1]

It depends on where you live. I busted a non compete as it violated basic labor laws in the region I was working. Most of them are illegal and rely on fear to enforce them. If you are under a non compete, ask a labor specialist, it is likely BS.

[@chinmaymurthy2752]

Don't forget the massive amounts of $ they use to bribe our politicians so that they will repeal the business regulations that prevent those types of mergers from occurring. Also don't forget how they put an office or manufacturing plant in an important politician's constituency and threaten to leave if regulations aren't repealed. If the regulations are not repealed, the trust pulls out and the politician loses the next election because a bunch of people in their constituency just lost their jobs.

[@twstf8905]

Amtrak is a perfectly good way to travel between States. Especially if you're only going a State or two away. If you'd rather not fly for an hour or two, and you've got a couple days and were considering taking a Greyhound bus anyway, the Train is the same price, sometimes even cheaper, makes far fewer stops on the way, and you can walk up to the dining car and sit looking out the window the whole way with all the legroom you could ever need!

[@pascalxus]

i feel like john oliver brings up so many great points. It's impressive how he can both be funny and make great logical points

[@mickiddymichael924]

I live in a town of 35k people and there are maybe ten to eleven small business at any given time. Five of them are bars and those stick around. The others just lease the same buildings till they go bankrupt and someone else who thinks they are going to make it work moves in.

[@DarthSenorQueso]

In cities there are actually more small businesses, mostly food but also some things like antiques, or card shops. Mostly things big business doesn't want to deal with.

[@talosbitch8434]

Mickiddy Michael I live in a small town of 25k we do just fine over here. There's like 30 businesses in the downtown district alone. And about 5 or six donut shops. All family owned.

[@hirammcdaniels6310]

Is that one religion that controls the afterlife Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption?

[@ERI_Clip-and-Snip]

I started to think it so

[@dr.samuelhayden8991]

Praise be

[@TomasSowellIsGreat]

I hope so!

[@PrincessArielAngel]

lol no

[@angelagetler]

I think it may be Mormons, because they baptise you even if you're already long dead. So, at some point in time, we'll all be mormons x)

[@sambarrett6445]

"We are the Borg, small business's are the backbone of our economy"

[@heiderichter-airijoki6174]

„We seem to have forgotten how important Anti-Trust is“ - how true.

[@rainydaygirl57]

"A business casual Louis C.K. with a sound effects board..." hahahahahahahha!

[@BlueSkyOcean]

My friend was working for Time Warner Cable until the company merge with Charter. Charter was a horrible company that use a lot of cheap oversea labor and didn't help with US economy at all. Unfortunately, consumer have to stuck with huge corporation that has bad ethical practices within the company and globally. Consumers end up paying for those corruptions happening in the company with horrible service, overprice products. It was very sad in this economy stage, we, the little people have no way to save and have voice on what we need. No one out there is protecting our right.

[@Jackie_burnp]

People talk about the "Small businesses are the backbone" montage but that last line at 13:56 is also fucking spectacular, god bless John Oliver

[@LaniSternRealty]

I truly and utterly adore this show! Thank you John