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staticman2 • today at 12:08 PM • 1 reply • view on HN

It's not regulatory capture because look over here: I've invented a new term "classic regulatory capture" which involves only those historical incidents that are not like this.

This is by definition not "classic regulatory capture" a term that I have borrowed to cover things that are not this.

Whenever someone brings up "regulatory capture" I shall change the topic to "classic regulatory capture" which by definition cannot be this.

Very interesting quote.


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0xDEAFBEAD • today at 12:12 PM

Monty Python sketch:

"You, sir, are a duck."

"Classically, that would not be the case, my dear fellow. A classic duck would walk like a duck and talk like a duck. I regret to inform you that I do neither."

"Ah! A classic duck, you say? Well, that’s an entirely different bird, sir. Entirely different."

* * *

"AI politics is now loud–precisely the environment in which Culpepper predicts business power will be weakest. A mature industry can bend regulation to its purposes through revolving doors, longstanding relationships and obscure rulemaking. An industry under Sauron’s eye has much less power and faces much greater risk that politics will bend regulation to its purposes. Political actors are eager for an excuse to redistribute AI rents away from capitalists and toward favored groups..."

https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/09/wh...

This blogpost was written by a big-shot economist btw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Tabarrok

Usually he blogs from a libertarian point of view, so you would expect him to be fairly vigorous about denouncing regulatory capture, if that was truly the story here.

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