But it’s undeniable that there’s genuinely a problem with platform censorship and the sheer amount of infighting and dissent the platforms are causing. I’m against regulation, but something has to be done.
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What censorship? There is uneven enforcement of the rules but I would not call it censorship. There are the biases of the programmers that leak into the code, but even that leads to slants not censorship
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when it comes to Facebook, there are definitely glaring issues. However, it would be very difficult to launch a successful antitrust suit while it has competition like Reddit and Twitter. Not to mention the likes of 4chan, pintrest and tumblr.
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A lot of it has to do, as @chused mentioned, the search realm. For example, Google using its ad service to push its products and “prioritize” products (google products) that would be in favor to their bottom line over the competition that pays for ad space on their services, with not such a greater return on their investment. Having control of “what gets seen” or essentially listed on the 1st page or using algorithms to prioritize their products on sites that use google ads.
Like most social media platforms, revenue comes in the form of ads, and controlling how these ads show can provide an unfair competitive advantage. At least in theory. Europe fined them billions for illegal advertising practices (antitrust).
But right now, in the U.S., a probe is happening, but I feel like it will lead to some regulatory change as big tech has for a long time, been regulatory free.
Even utilizing Chrome, which dominates something like 60% of the browser market. I think the key is this dominance, in which, they can abuse it to favor their bottom line.
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Amazing rendering Thomas.
Can’t wait for you to be hired by SHoP and design our 1st mega tall. If you need a reference, I’ll be more than glad to write you one. 
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Getting a bit off topic but today I had a personal experience that emphasizes how Google tries to dominate a market. I’ve used Outlook for years to get to my Gmail account. All of a sudden I got error messages about access denial. After hunting around for a time it turned out that Google changed security settings for users not using Chrome or a gmail app routinely to get to their mail accounts because Google could not mine information as easily. I guess I need to stop using Gmail to avoid this kind of nonsense. What a pain.
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Ironically today I merged my outlook accounts into Gmail 
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I know I am a contrarian in this aspect but honestly I think this is an awful building. THIS is what they propose to put next to what could be considered the preeminent Skyscraper of the world? JFC this is an eyesore.
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FB probably following other tech companies lead not wanting a prominent building. I don’t think Roth or Vornado are particularly talented. As much as I’d like to see Hotel Penn go I’d rather hear about Durst or SL Green getting a lease
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That’s hilarious. I think that Roth is senile. He needs to clean up that hideous ghetto before any company anchors a massive tower.
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Are they… are they really going to call it Penn15?? I mean…
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At least there are two ‘n’s…
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I’d go with Pennsylvania six five oh oh oh in reference to the Glenn Miller song
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Pelli dead. I’m not a huge fan of his work but he had an independent style and talent. His typical work is far better than costas condylis or gene kaufman on their best day; I even thought kpf ripped his look for lotte world tower
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From SSP:
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Is it too much to ask for a decent design? Vornado needs to channel the same energy it had for 220 cps
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I may be in the minority, but I kinda like this latest design
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A new iteration of the redevelopment of the Hotel Pennsylvania has surfaced from Vornado. The design has been updated from the one that debuted last year, which placed Facebook as the anchor tenant of a 2.8-million-square-foot supertall. Located at 401 Seventh Avenue, the site of the deteriorating hotel was first re-envisioned by Pelli Clarke Pelli as 15 Penn Plaza, and then re-conceived by Rafael Vinoly as “Penn15”. Facebook subsequently took up residence at another Midtown building, the James A. Farley Post Office conversion, leasing 700,000 square feet, evidently resulting in yet another re-imagination of the site and its potential.
The previous design featured irregularly stacked floor plates cantilevered atop one another with amenity spaces distributed throughout. The new concept is largely the same in terms of massing, though with a more orderly shape. Stacked floorplates suspend overlooking 34th Street, yet the interspersed green spaces appear to have been eliminated.
It’s very likely Penn15 will still have outdoor space, a much sought-after Class A office amenity by tech companies. The sleek glass façade is depicted with what looks like illuminated glass columns along the corners of the tower.
During the Vornado Realty Trust Q4 2019 earnings call in February of this year, president Michael J. Franco expressed the company’s focus on “the transformation and repositioning of our Penn District holdings as a new epicenter of New York. Our redevelopments are now in full construction mode. 2020 will mark an important step in the district’s transformation as the majestic Moynihan Train Hall at Farley and our 850,000 square feet of office and retail space at Farley will be substantially completed at year end.”
The redevelopment of the Hotel Pennsylvania will come secondary, following the redevelopments of Farley, PENN1, and PENN2,. Whether the site could expand to include Manhattan Mall remains to be seen.
Hotel Pennsylvania is currently closed and is unlikely to reopen, as reported by The Real Deal, and the shutdown has Vornado rethinking its strategy, calling the hotel a parking lot for a development site. Following the reveal of the plans for Facebook’s Penn15 tower, it had been rumored that the Hotel Pennsylvania could be turned into a Nomad Hotel, however, it now appears demolition and redevelopment is back on the table.
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