Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Who is It Good For?

So the AT&T/T Mobile deal will result in higher prices for consumers and several thousand lost jobs. So who, you ask, is it good for? Let's hazard a few guesses, shall we?

  1. ibankers: The people who underwrite the deal are always first at the trough.
  2. Lawyers: Armies of 'em mobilize to do a deal like this, and they don't come cheap.
  3. Directors of AT&T and T Mobile: But for a "Ka-CHING!" moment like this, there is simply no sane person who would endure corporate board meetings.
  4. Officers of AT&T and T Mobile: No doubt various and sundry chief [INSERT ROLE HERE] officers at the respective companies have visions of "redundancy" and golden parachutes dancing in their heads.
  5. Lobbyists: Another army to be outfitted and handsomely paid to do the D.C. Shuffle in an effort to achieve regulatory approval after a bit of theatrical handwringing by our esteemed legislators.
But don't ya'll worry your pretty little heads about this. The "free" market is our guiding principle and as long as a bunch of ibankers can get rich all over again, there's always a possibility that one day, you can, too.

3 comments:

Taylor Wray said...

I've heard that T-Mobile employees across the country have been drumming up support for unionization over the last few years.

I wonder how AT&T's buyout would affect the labor picture for all those friendly customer service reps? Something tells me AT&T will be even less friendly to the possibility of unionization than T-Mobile was...

pansypoo said...

if you can't beat em, buy em.

Anonymous said...

will I get me a free phone if I buy them?
vox