About three weeks ago, among other things, I happened to announce an event by the Tea Club with the long title “The Splendor and Misery, Fear and Hatred of Monopolies.” At the time, I complained to the club that their previous event had been poorly recorded and expressed hope that they would succeed on their second attempt. In short, they succeeded.

Recordings of all five speakers’ presentations have been posted and collected in a playlist on the Tea Club’s YouTube channel (by the way, please subscribe). It contains only the lectures, without the Q&A sessions, so it’s quite compact, which motivates one to attend such events in person whenever possible.

I will briefly share my impressions.

1. Alexander Litreev. Monopoly in the Network. He discussed how the state, in its attempts to monopolize internet censorship, constantly swings for a dollar but hits for not just a penny, but rather millions of rubles in losses for innocent parties, all while completely failing to achieve its actual goals. It was delivered energetically; I learned a few new things, although mostly well-known facts were presented.
2. Sergey Zhavoronkov. Can a Monopoly Be Useful?. He explains the difference between market and non-market monopolies, and why the former are not scary, while the latter cannot be cured by antitrust laws. My impression was mixed: Sergey distorted the plot of the trampoline case, confusing the Altai Krai with the Altai Republic, and a square with a shopping center—in short, it would have been better to stick to a simple mention without a retelling. Otherwise, suspicions arise as to whether he was mistaken in the details of less-known historical anecdotes, and then the logic itself can be called into question.
3. Matvey Tzen. Monopoly on Violence. The longest lecture, but the most saturated with various little-known historical anecdotes. He talks about the difference between positive and natural law, the difference between laws and law enforcement practice, why Weber, with all due respect to his merits as a sociologist, is not particularly revered today in legal terms, but most importantly—why the state dislikes grassroots initiatives to help the state. I liked it very much.
4. Egor Zhigarev. Is There a Monopoly in the Video Game Market?. The most compact presentation on the most specialized topic. In short, the industry is highly competitive, and no matter how hard market agents try, none of them have managed to even come close to a monopoly.
5. Alexey Markov. The Splendor and Misery of Monopolies. Also a narrative very rich in historical anecdotes. He discusses the history of the very concept of monopoly, and how they were initially perceived as an unconditional good, while the idea of the benefit of competition is a merit of later economists. He analyzed cases of several monopolies, from the Russian Company to Gazprom, and how they all decayed. He also touched upon a specific case of monopoly, such as the patent monopoly, and where that can lead.

In short, the experience turned out to be very successful, and now the organizers want to make it a regular occurrence. The format was named TNT – Tea’n’talks. An announcement for the second part of “Monopolies” has already been posted on the newly created TNT page on the Tea Club website.

So as not to weary the readers, I will probably announce further events in this genre very selectively, so you’re on your own from here on. I hope you enjoy them.