Look at what’s happening in Canada to a much more necessary service. Our grocery chains are heavily vertically integrated, and they gouge us all to hell.

Loblaws owns everything in the supply chain from production to logistics and then some. Not only are they hugely integrated through the food supply chain, but they are also able to leverage their assets to provide financial services, have bought out one of our biggest pharmacy chains, and are currently trying to expand out into the telecommunications business.

What happens when one company owns everything? Well, they get to do whatever they want, basically. When anybody comes around to regulate or otherwise try to reign in the bullshit, they’re simply told to fuck off, because they have nowhere else to turn.

Vertical integration sounds great from a business perspective, but it is truly awful for the consumer long-term.