--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The big tech companies—the Europeans have…" description: "\"“The big tech companies—the Europeans have charmingly, and correctly, lumped them together as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon)—are shredding the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/franklin-foer-3604_ambitious-goals_the-big-tech-companies-the-europeans-hav_3024313.jpg" --- # The big tech companies—the Europeans have charmingly, and… ![“The big tech companies—the Europeans have charmingly, and correctly, lumped them together as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon)—are shredding the principles that protect individuality. Their devices and sites have collapsed privacy; they disrespect the value of authorship, with their hostility…” quote by Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/franklin-foer-3604_ambitious-goals_the-big-tech-companies-the-europeans-hav_3024313.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/franklin-foer-3604_ambitious-goals_the-big-tech-companies-the-europeans-hav_3024313.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65e/franklin-foer-3604_ambitious-goals_the-big-tech-companies-the-europeans-hav_3024313.jpg) > ““The big tech companies—the Europeans have charmingly, and correctly, lumped them together as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon)—are shredding the principles that protect individuality. Their devices and sites have collapsed privacy; they disrespect the value of authorship, with their hostility to intellectual property. In the realm of economics, they justify monopoly with their well-articulated belief that competition undermines our pursuit of the common good and ambitious goals.”” [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Big tech erodes privacy and authorship, justifying monopolies under the guise of competition, harming individuality. **In simple terms:** Tech giants threaten privacy and creativity. Key Takeaway Advocate for digital rights. Themes privacy monopoly individuality Mood critical analytical Type opinion expository When to use this quote - online platforms - legislation - consumer protection Key Concepts intellectual property economic power Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance innovation and privacy? - What policies protect creators? A Different Perspective The view may overlook benefits of tech innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious-goals/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Common good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-good/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Intellectual property](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-property/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [The big tech companies understood that the government had not only damaged American principles, it had hurt their businesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-big-tech-companies-understood-that-the-government-had-not-only/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“The tech companies are destroying something precious, which is the possibility of contemplation. They have created a world in which we’re constantly watched and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/the-tech-companies-are-destroying-something-precious-which-is-the/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [I am proud to join the Freedom from Big Tech Caucus, which is aimed at squarely taking the fight to Big Tech on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/i-am-proud-to-join-the-freedom-from-big-tech-caucus-which-is-aimed-at/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [Big Tech seems focused on acting as an extension of big government, quashing content from those who oppose their liberal ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-malliotakis/big-tech-seems-focused-on-acting-as-an-extension-of-big-government/) [Nicole Malliotakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-malliotakis/) > [What we're now seeing is that big tech is just like any other industry. When push comes to shove, when it affects profit, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wylie/what-we-re-now-seeing-is-that-big-tech-is-just-like-any-other/) [Christopher Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wylie/) > [Facebook's decision to uphold its suspension of former President Donald Trump's account underscores that Big Tech corporations are attempting to control what the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/facebook-s-decision-to-uphold-its-suspension-of-former-president/) [Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/) > [There's a new set of transformative technologies such as machine learning, AI, and virtual reality that will spawn another set of big tech franchises.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/there-s-a-new-set-of-transformative-technologies-such-as-machine/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [If we want to prevent another Cambridge Analytica from happening... that starts with regulating big tech beyond just data protection issues, but also looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wylie/if-we-want-to-prevent-another-cambridge-analytica-from-happening-that/) [Christopher Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wylie/) > [We have a pretty ambitious goal for the world. What we think will make the Web better. What we think will make all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/we-have-a-pretty-ambitious-goal-for-the-world-what-we-think-will-make/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Our goal in Washington must not be to impose but to expect and assist: Expect the most of educators and students and assist them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/our-goal-in-washington-must-not-be-to-impose-but-to-expect-and-assist/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [We have always wanted Google to be a company that is deserving of great love. But we recognize this is an ambitious goal because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/we-have-always-wanted-google-to-be-a-company-that-is-deserving-of/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [Super-ambitious goals tend to be unifying and energizing to people; but only if they believe there's a chance of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/super-ambitious-goals-tend-to-be-unifying-and-energizing-to-people/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [We always set ambitious goals in our group, and I have found that if you set your mind to it, you can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-piramal/we-always-set-ambitious-goals-in-our-group-and-i-have-found-that-if/) [Ajay Piramal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-piramal/) > [Palantir owes much of its success to the amazing talent of the first 30-40 technologists who joined the company, as well as to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/palantir-owes-much-of-its-success-to-the-amazing-talent-of-the-first/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [Don't be afraid to be ambitious about your goals. Hard work never stops. Neither should your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/don-t-be-afraid-to-be-ambitious-about-your-goals-hard-work-never/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) ## More by Franklin Foer > [Once upon a time, if you were going to get a loan from me, I would have had to look at your file, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/once-upon-a-time-if-you-were-going-to-get-a-loan-from-me-i-would-have/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“But in the end, the hackers were misunderstood figures. They wanted nothing more than to belong, to subsume their brilliant selves in an even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/but-in-the-end-the-hackers-were-misunderstood-figures-they-wanted/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [Not even Trump's father's wealth, nor his father's faith in his son's destiny, could save Trump from incessant discipline. At the age of 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/not-even-trump-s-father-s-wealth-nor-his-father-s-faith-in-his-son-s/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [If I'm reading my Facebook feed, it's using algorithms, procedures, and methods to give me what I want, or what it thinks that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/if-i-m-reading-my-facebook-feed-it-s-using-algorithms-procedures-and/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [Brazil is strewn with ruins of projects - refineries, power plants - begun but never finished. Most of this investment never landed in places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/brazil-is-strewn-with-ruins-of-projects-refineries-power-plants-begun/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“More than any previous coterie of corporations, the tech monopolies aspire to mold humanity into their desired image of it. They believe that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/more-than-any-previous-coterie-of-corporations-the-tech-monopolies/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [In mid-2014, 51 percent of American Republicans viewed Putin very unfavorably. Two years later, 14 percent did. By January, 75 percent of Republicans said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/in-mid-2014-51-percent-of-american-republicans-viewed-putin-very/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“The Hoover experiment, in the end, hardly realized the happy fantasies about the Engineer King. A very different version of this dream, however, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/the-hoover-experiment-in-the-end-hardly-realized-the-happy-fantasies/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [Putin has made a habit of supporting far-right candidates who undermine his foes in Europe; perhaps he never could have imagined such a character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/putin-has-made-a-habit-of-supporting-far-right-candidates-who/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“There's a strange uniformity in the vocabulary European soccer fans use to hate black people. The same primate insults get hurled. Although they've gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/there-s-a-strange-uniformity-in-the-vocabulary-european-soccer-fans/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [Google's ability to pick winners and losers in the information world is a menace. These companies have the ability to determine which media companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/google-s-ability-to-pick-winners-and-losers-in-the-information-world/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [One of Trump's vulnerabilities is that he doesn't always vet his people, whether it's business partners, the dubious characters he retweets, or the foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/one-of-trump-s-vulnerabilities-is-that-he-doesn-t-always-vet-his/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“The dream of stitching the world into a global village has been embodied in the nomenclature of modern technology—the net is interconnected, the Web…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/the-dream-of-stitching-the-world-into-a-global-village-has-been/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“Soccer's appeal lay in its opposition to the other popular sports. For children of the sixties, there was something abhorrent about enrolling kids in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/soccer-s-appeal-lay-in-its-opposition-to-the-other-popular-sports-for/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) > [“As the Protestants celebrate a goal, they're egged on by the team captain, a long-haired Italian called Lorenzo Amoruso, who has the look of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/as-the-protestants-celebrate-a-goal-they-re-egged-on-by-the-team/) [Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) [Explore all 126 Franklin Foer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/) ## More Ambitious goals quotes > [Palantir owes much of its success to the amazing talent of the first 30-40 technologists who joined the company, as well as to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lonsdale/palantir-owes-much-of-its-success-to-the-amazing-talent-of-the-first/) [Joe Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lonsdale/) > [We always set ambitious goals in our group, and I have found that if you set your mind to it, you can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajay-piramal/we-always-set-ambitious-goals-in-our-group-and-i-have-found-that-if/) [Ajay Piramal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajay-piramal/) > [Super-ambitious goals tend to be unifying and energizing to people; but only if they believe there's a chance of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/super-ambitious-goals-tend-to-be-unifying-and-energizing-to-people/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [We have always wanted Google to be a company that is deserving of great love. But we recognize this is an ambitious goal because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/we-have-always-wanted-google-to-be-a-company-that-is-deserving-of/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [We have a pretty ambitious goal for the world. What we think will make the Web better. What we think will make all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/we-have-a-pretty-ambitious-goal-for-the-world-what-we-think-will-make/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Don't be afraid to be ambitious about your goals. Hard work never stops. Neither should your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/don-t-be-afraid-to-be-ambitious-about-your-goals-hard-work-never/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Our goal in Washington must not be to impose but to expect and assist: Expect the most of educators and students and assist them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/our-goal-in-washington-must-not-be-to-impose-but-to-expect-and-assist/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [“Don't give up. As you work to achieve your most ambitious goals, push yourself to keep moving forward." M. Sheheryar Naseer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-sheheryar-naseer/don-t-give-up-as-you-work-to-achieve-your-most-ambitious-goals-push/) M. Sheheryar Naseer > [The value of an ambitious goal is not measured by what it will bring to you. The worth of a goal is measured by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/the-value-of-an-ambitious-goal-is-not-measured-by-what-it-will-bring/) [Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/) > [Back in the mid-1970s, we adopted some fairly ambitious goals to improve efficiency of our cars. What did we get? We got a tremendous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-inslee/back-in-the-mid-1970s-we-adopted-some-fairly-ambitious-goals-to/) [Jay Inslee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-inslee/) > [Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/keep-away-from-people-who-try-to-belittle-your-ambition/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Set ambitious goals and don't be afraid to declare and aim for them. You need to know where you want to go in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/set-ambitious-goals-and-don-t-be-afraid-to-declare-and-aim-for-them/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“Don't give up. As you work to achieve your most ambitious goals, push yourself to keep moving forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-sheheryar-naseer/don-t-give-up-as-you-work-to-achieve-your-most-ambitious-goals-push-2/) M. Sheheryar Naseer > [Being obsessed by goals is bad for you. You should set goals, even ambitious goals, regularly. But focus on them only to the extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/being-obsessed-by-goals-is-bad-for-you-you-should-set-goals-even/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Lacking an external focus, the mind turns inward on itself and creates problems to solve, even if the problems are undefined or unimportant. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/lacking-an-external-focus-the-mind-turns-inward-on-itself-and-creates/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) [Browse all 19 Ambitious goals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious-goals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The big tech companies—the Europeans have charmingly, and correctly, lumped them together as GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon)—are shredding the principles that protect individuality. Their devices and sites have collapsed privacy; they disrespect the value of authorship, with their hostility to intellectual property. 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