Monopoly

Reporting from Taipei frames Taiwan as the potential deciding factor in the escalating technology rivalry between the United States and China. Taiwan's tech industry produces more than 90 percent of the world's most advanced semiconductors, the chips that power AI servers, giving the island outsized strategic importance as both superpowers compete for dominance in artificial intelligence.

TSMC is increasingly dictating pricing across the AI chip industry, as the Taiwanese foundry remains the dominant manufacturer of advanced chips for companies like Nvidia, AMD and countless AI startups. With demand for leading-edge fabrication capacity outstripping supply, TSMC's pricing power shapes costs and margins across the entire AI hardware ecosystem.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has put forward a proposal for GB Grid, a new state body intended to galvanise and accelerate investment in the UK's energy infrastructure. It would be funded using money already allocated to GB Energy. The argument is that energy infrastructure is a natural monopoly that has been disrupted, and that public coordination could speed up badly needed grid investment.

Discussion in Belgium and the Netherlands is focusing on Chocomel and its Belgian counterpart Cécémel, both owned by FrieslandCampina, and their claim to the colour yellow for chocolate milk packaging. A retail sector report notes that Cécémel effectively holds a monopoly on yellow branding in the Benelux region, underlining how strongly the colour is tied to the brand across the two markets.

McDonald's has brought back its Monopoly promotion in the United States, and USA Today has published a guide explaining how to play. Customers collect game pieces from food and drink purchases for a chance to win cash prizes, free food, and other rewards. The fast-food chain's popular game has a devoted following, and its return is drawing attention as fans look up the rules and odds.

Mozilla's head of Firefox says a major browser redesign is central to the company's effort to win users back from Google Chrome. In an interview with Ars Technica, he also discussed product priorities and voiced skepticism about AI features, arguing browser choice matters as Chrome's dominance grows.

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Volodarskaya linear production and dispatch station in Konstantinovo, Moscow region, setting at least two storage silos on fire. The facility is a branch of Transneft Upper Volga, part of Russia's state oil pipeline monopoly. The strike extends Kyiv's campaign against Russian energy and oil infrastructure far behind the front lines.

Monopoli are preparing to face Savoia in an Italian football fixture that forms part of a wider round of matches pairing clubs from Puglia and Campania. Outlets are framing the matchday as a regional confrontation, noting similar cross-region matchups such as Giugliano-Barletta and Sorrento-Casarano, and the ties are drawing attention from supporters in both areas.

A blog post urging people to stop using Google, framed as ditching the search giant as a verb as well as a service, has drawn attention among tech readers. The piece reflects ongoing frustration with Google's dominance in search and the growing push toward alternatives, including other search engines and AI-powered tools.

Substrate, a stealth semiconductor startup, has reportedly raised $100 million at a valuation above $1.2 billion to develop a radically different lithography approach, aiming to compete with ASML, the dominant supplier of chipmaking equipment. Observers are debating whether the venture represents a genuine breakthrough or a risky bet, given the enormous technical and financial barriers in lithography.

A widely shared essay argues that MTV's decline was not caused by a drop in programming quality or taste, but by the moment its gatekeeping role disappeared — when the 'doors' to music video exposure multiplied, diluting the channel's cultural monopoly. The piece is drawing debate about how distribution changes, rather than content, kill media brands.

A US judge has dismissed two lawsuits alleging that Google's AI Overviews feature siphons web traffic from publishers, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to show a compelling case that the company leveraged its search monopoly. The decision is a win for Google as it faces ongoing antitrust scrutiny over its dominance in search.

A discussion thread asks how people would feel if a hypothetical, benevolent US government passed a Constitutional amendment to nationalize Alphabet, turning Google into public property. The prompt has drawn arguments over state control of core internet infrastructure, censorship risks, and whether private tech monopolies should face similar public ownership instead.

Reports are circulating about a possible fusion of the space activities of Airbus, Thales and Leonardo, a move being described as creating a European space monopoly. The discussion, tied to aerospace industry orders and consolidation, references a La Tribune report on defense and space, with observers weighing what a combined European champion would mean for the sector.

Geronimo Cardia, president of the Italian amusement and gambling operators' association ACADI, has set out seven proposals aimed at breaking the stalemate in Italy's public gambling sector. His plan covers extending concessions, revising taxation, introducing next-generation AWPs and VLTs, clarifying the customs and monopolies agency ADM's role in territorial disputes, and addressing market concentration and governance. Industry observers say the proposals could shape the sector's long-awaited regulatory reform.

French-language defense discussions are focused on the idea that Boeing holds a monopoly position in the United States for the development of sixth-generation fighter aircraft. Commentators are linking the aircraft manufacturer to the future of American military aviation and defense capability, raising questions about competition and reliance on a single aerospace firm for next-generation combat jets.

ASML, the Dutch maker of lithography machines essential for cutting-edge chip production, has no genuine competitor in advanced chipmaking equipment, and analysts are revisiting its long-term investment case. A widely circulated analysis estimates what a $1,000 investment today could be worth by 2030, framing the company as a near-monopoly in a critical link of the semiconductor supply chain.

Investors are weighing Applied Materials against ASML as a technology stock pick for 2026. Both companies dominate semiconductor equipment: Applied Materials supplies deposition and etch tools, while ASML holds a monopoly on extreme ultraviolet lithography machines essential for advanced chips. The comparison comes as chipmakers ramp spending on AI-driven capacity, leaving analysts divided over which equipment maker offers the better outlook for next year.

Conservative MP (Brandie Elliott?) is pressing for health-care reform, arguing that no one in a free country should wait for treatment while their condition worsens. She calls for ending federal monopolies over health care, empowering provinces, and giving Canadians real choice among providers, and shares a video message laying out her position.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed the state's anti-monopoly bill into law, but the final version is significantly weaker than originally proposed. According to CalMatters, business groups successfully lobbied to water down the measure before it reached his desk. The law still targets corporate consolidation in the largest US state economy, but critics say key enforcement provisions were stripped out during negotiations.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the difficulties Hasbro faces in trying to produce the Monopoly board game entirely in the United States. The article describes the challenge of rebuilding domestic supply chains for components like the game board, tokens, cards and money, which have long been made abroad, calling the effort a 'colossal headache' for the iconic toy brand.