TRWTF here is who the hell at Intel thought it was a good idea to be making seriously large cash payments to another company so that they would not use a competitor's product...really, guys? I thought you were smarter than that.
While I'll certainly admit that anti-trust rules have some gray areas where we could argue the relative utility of actions against monopolies or near-monopolies, this is not one of them. I doubt if even the most die-hard laissez faire types would argue against going after Intel here - if cheating like this is not forcefully dealt with the whole idea of a free market eats itself by its own asshole.
Did they seriously think they'd get away with this, or did they just figure the ultimate cost (cash spent + whatever penalties they are subject to once caught) would be worth it?
Um, yes. Unless anyone is being arrested for a criminal offense, than yes. They did think they would get away with it - and they have. Neither the words "criminal" nor "jail" were even in that NYT article.
Sad fact is that the entire fiasco was a simple business decision. No one goes to jail, and if they are caught they simply pay a fine.
Personally, I think every signature on their SEC fillings during that period should do jail time. But hey, what do I know.
While I'll certainly admit that anti-trust rules have some gray areas where we could argue the relative utility of actions against monopolies or near-monopolies, this is not one of them. I doubt if even the most die-hard laissez faire types would argue against going after Intel here - if cheating like this is not forcefully dealt with the whole idea of a free market eats itself by its own asshole.
Did they seriously think they'd get away with this, or did they just figure the ultimate cost (cash spent + whatever penalties they are subject to once caught) would be worth it?