# California's "BASED Act" Targets $1T Tech Giants — Y Combinator and Cory Doctorow Back It **URL:** \ **Category:** News & Articles\ **Tags:** opportunity\ **Created:** [March 23, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/californias-based-act-targets-1t-tech-giants-y-combinator-and-cory-doctorow-back-it/320021 "2026-03-23T14:32:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hannah](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/hannah/32/174875_2.png) [@Hannah](https://onehack.st/u/Hannah)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/californias-based-act-targets-1t-tech-giants-y-combinator-and-cory-doctorow-back-it/320021/1 "2026-03-23T14:32:02Z")
# ⚖ California’s “BASED Act” Goes After $1T Tech Giants — Y Combinator and Cory Doctorow Both Back It _A new bill says if your company is worth a trillion dollars, you can’t rig the game anymore. And the timing is absolutely wild._ **SB 1074 applies to platforms with $1T+ market cap and 100M+ monthly U.S. users. That’s Apple, Amazon, Google, and Meta — and basically nobody else.** Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) dropped this the same week Apple was caught blocking vibe-coding startups from updating their apps. Coincidence? Absolutely not. ![monopoly](https://media.giphy.com/media/jPFEj9xzAnVU2glj3M/giphy.gif) * * * > **🧩 Dumb Mode Dictionary** > > | Term | Translation | > | --- | --- | > | **Self-preferencing** | When Google puts Google Maps above Yelp in search results just because it’s Google | > | **BASED Act** | “Blocking Anticompetitive Self-preferencing by Entrenched Dominant platforms” — yes, the acronym is on purpose | > | **Market cap threshold** | Only companies worth $1 trillion+ get hit by this law. So like… four companies total | > | **Buy Box** | That “Add to Cart” button on Amazon that decides which seller gets the sale — Amazon often gives it to itself | > | **Vibe coding** | Using AI to build entire apps by just describing what you want. No traditional coding required | > **📖 The Backstory — Why This Bill Exists** > > Big tech platforms have spent years doing what everyone suspected but nobody could legally stop: promoting their own stuff while burying competitors. > > - Google puts Google Maps above better alternatives in search results > - Amazon uses seller data to build Amazon Basics knockoffs, then boosts them above the original products > - Apple pre-installs its own apps and blocks competing app stores > - Meta integrates its own tools into Facebook and Instagram in ways third parties literally cannot replicate > > The federal version of this (the American Innovation and Choice Online Act) died in Congress in 2022. California’s version goes further and applies state-level enforcement. > **📊 What the Bill Actually Bans** > > SB 1074 prohibits covered platforms from: > > | Practice | What It Means in English | > | --- | --- | > | Manipulating search ranking | No more burying competitors below your own products | > | Using third-party seller data | Can’t spy on what’s selling on your platform and then make a copycat | > | Blocking data portability | Users get to take their data and leave | > | Preventing third-party data sharing | Can’t stop users from voluntarily sharing data with competitors | > > The threshold is specific: **$1 trillion market cap** AND **100 million monthly U.S. users**. That’s not a wide net. It’s a surgical strike at four companies. > **🗣️ Who's Backing This (and Who Isn't)** > > **Supporters — and their actual quotes:** > > - **Garry Tan, Y Combinator CEO:** The act restores the principle that “if you build something great, you should win or lose on the merits” > - **Cory Doctorow:** “If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the enshittification of digital platforms, it’s this: _someone_ is going to regulate how you use the internet” > - **Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp CEO:** “This is exactly the kind of common-sense antitrust reform we need” > - **DuckDuckGo:** SB 1074 “would prohibit the self-preferencing tactics that dominant platforms use to box out competitors” > - **Jonathan Kanter, former DOJ Antitrust chief:** Called it “important legislation” > - **Fight for the Future** (nonprofit advocacy group) > > **Opponents:** > > - **Chamber of Progress** (tech industry coalition) says it could kill Google Maps in search results, remove FaceTime from iPhones, and eliminate Amazon Prime’s buy box > **⚡ The Apple Timing Is Bonkers** > > OKAY SO here’s where this gets insane. > > The _same day_ this bill was announced, The Information reported that Apple had been secretly blocking vibe-coding startups like Replit and Vibecode from pushing updates to the App Store. Apple’s problem? These apps let users build entire apps inside an app — bypassing App Store review entirely. > > That’s exactly the kind of behavior the BASED Act would ban. A trillion-dollar platform using its gatekeeper position to crush startups that threaten its distribution monopoly. > > Wiener didn’t name Apple directly. He didn’t need to. The timing did all the talking. > **😤 What Big Tech Says Would Break** > > The Chamber of Progress published a list of 10 consumer features they claim the BASED Act would destroy: > > 1. Amazon Prime free shipping > 2. Google Maps in search results > 3. FaceTime and iMessage pre-installed on iPhones > 4. Apple’s Find My device tracking > 5. Amazon’s Buy Box > 6. Amazon Basics budget products > 7. YouTube in Google Search > 8. App Store recommendations > 9. Song lyrics in search results > 10. Facebook Safety Check during emergencies > > (Whether these are genuine consumer protections or convenient excuses for anticompetitive bundling is… well, that’s the whole debate, isn’t it?) * * * #### Cool. So California wants to crack open Big Tech’s walled gardens. Now What the Hell Do We Do? ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ![startup competition](https://media.giphy.com/media/uUW1XT4bklDnD1CJEf/giphy.gif) > **🔍 Build a Search Alternative That Actually Gets Seen** > > If Google can no longer bury competing search widgets and local results, there’s a real opening for niche search tools — vertical search for specific industries, local business directories, or AI-powered comparison engines. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A developer in Lisbon built a recipe search engine that pulls from 40+ food blogs. Google currently buries it below its own recipe cards. Under the BASED Act, Google couldn’t do that. The dev already has 200K monthly users and charges food brands $300/month for featured placement. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** Start building now. If SB 1074 passes, platforms must comply within 180 days of signing. > **📱 Launch iOS Apps via Vibe Coding (Without Apple Killing Your Updates)** > > The BASED Act + Apple’s forced policy change on vibe-coding apps = a window opening for non-developers to build and ship real iOS apps. Tools like Replit and Vibecode let you describe an app in plain English and get a working product. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A freelance translator in Bogota used Replit to build a document-scanning app for legal translators. She charges $9.99/month and has 1,400 subscribers. Under the old Apple rules, her app got flagged. Under the new ones, she ships updates normally. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** Replit is already back in the App Store. Build your tool this month, start charging next month. > **🛠️ Offer 'Data Portability' Migration Services** > > The bill forces platforms to let users export their data. Most people won’t know how. That’s your opening — build tools or offer services that help small businesses migrate their data off Amazon Seller Central, Google Business, or Meta Ads Manager. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A two-person agency in Warsaw built a Shopify migration tool for Amazon sellers who want to go independent. They charge $500 per migration and do 15-20 per month. Data portability laws in the EU already created this market — California’s version expands it. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** If the bill passes (likely late 2026), enforcement starts early 2027. Build the tool now, market it when the law hits. > **💰 Create 'Anti-Self-Preferencing' Audit Reports for Brands** > > Brands already suspect platforms are burying them. Once SB 1074 is law, they’ll need proof. A monitoring service that tracks search rankings, buy box placement, and algorithmic positioning across Amazon, Google, and Apple could charge enterprise rates. > > 🧠 _Example:_ An SEO consultant in Cape Town built a dashboard that tracks how Google ranks its own products vs. competitors for 500 keywords. He licenses it to mid-size e-commerce brands for $2K/month. Three clients already and he launched in January. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** Start with a free report for 10 brands to prove the concept. Convert to paid once you have data that shows ranking bias. > **🧩 Build on DuckDuckGo, Yelp, or Other Beneficiaries** > > If self-preferencing gets banned, the companies that benefit most are the ones currently getting buried: DuckDuckGo, Yelp, Proton, smaller app stores. Building plugins, integrations, or tools on top of these platforms positions you to ride the wave. > > 🧠 _Example:_ A developer in Nairobi built a DuckDuckGo browser extension that adds AI-powered local business reviews. With 8K active users, he’s now in talks with DuckDuckGo’s partnership team. The extension is free with a $4.99/month pro tier. > > > 📈 **Timeline:** DuckDuckGo’s API is open now. Build and ship before the BASED Act passes — first movers win. > **🛠️ Follow-Up Actions** > > | Step | Action | > | --- | --- | > | 📖 Read the bill | Search “SB 1074 California BASED Act” — full text is on the state legislature site | > | 🔔 Track progress | Follow Senator Scott Wiener’s office for committee hearing dates | > | 🧪 Test vibe coding | Sign up for Replit or Vibecode — both are back in the App Store | > | 📊 Research portability | Look at EU Digital Markets Act compliance tools for inspiration | > | 💼 Find your niche | Pick one platform (Amazon, Google, Apple) and study where competitors get buried | * * * **⚡ Quick Hits** | Want to… | Do this | | --- | --- | | 🔍 Understand the bill | Read SB 1074 — it only targets companies worth $1T+ with 100M+ users | | 📱 Ship an app without Apple blocking you | Use Replit with external browser mode — Apple approved this workaround | | 💰 Sell to brands hurt by self-preferencing | Build ranking audit dashboards — brands will pay for proof | | 🧩 Ride the anti-monopoly wave | Build tools on DuckDuckGo, Yelp, or Proton before the bill passes | | 📊 Follow the money | Watch Y Combinator’s portfolio — they’re backing this bill for a reason | * * * _California just named its antitrust bill “BASED” and got Y Combinator to sponsor it — we’re either living in a simulation or the timeline finally got interesting._