Just how big can big tech get?

Most of the market gains in tech this year have been driven by big tech with Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon leading the way. Tech in general has been largely propped up by investors pumping money into big tech to capitalize on the AI boom. Big tech has undoubtedly been the biggest benefactors of the AI trends and I don’t see that stopping anytime soon.

I am using a Windows PC to write this blog post. I have an Apple iPhone. I use google personally and for work. I scrolled Instagram this morning while I commuted. And I will probably buy something on Amazon this week. AI will continue to further our dependence on these tech tools as they are implemented in our already everyday devices and platforms.

The news today is that Alphabet is looking to acquire Hubspot which is a $25B+ CRM that powers a large chunk of the world’s businesses. Alphabet is already a $2T+ business so they are one of the few handful of companies that could acquire a $25B+ company today.

I wonder just how large big tech can get. Will we live in a world where Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon control pretty much everything? How big is too big? At what point does big tech get to the point where innovation is stalled as no one can compete?

Regulators are already all over big tech. We are seeing a modern day Rockefeller evolve in real time. It’s hard to see big tech not continue to dominate in the short-term as they are the biggest benefactors in the AI boom. But perhaps this AI boom will be the straw that breaks the camels back.