The four companies that underpin our sleek smartphones and convenient digital services are Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.

The influence they have over our daily lives is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before in human history. Is it time to be worried?

Bill Gates warns Silicon Valley not to be the new Microsoft

Tech giants such as Facebook and Google have been put on notice by US anti-trust regulators. Bill Gates can speak from experience on that matter. [QZ]

Facebook has a Big Tobacco Problem

Facebook’s problems are more than a temporary bad PR issue. Its behavior contributes to a growing negative view of the entire tech industry. [Monday Note]

Silicon Valley’s Tax-Avoiding, Job-Killing, Soul-Sucking Machine

Is it time to bust up big tech? [Esquire]

Google and Facebook are watching our every move online

Google and Facebook’s impact on our privacy cannot be understated. [CNBC]

At Google, Eric Schmidt Wrote the Book on Adult Supervision

Schmidt’s departure from the executive chair role ends Silicon Valley’s most successful execution of bringing in an authoritative leader without stifling the visionary founders—ever. [Wired]

The case for ending Amazon’s dominance

It should not be difficult to love Amazon. To consumers, it offers choice and convenience. [Tim Harford]

The case against Google

Critics say the search giant is squelching competition before it begins. Should the government step in? [The New York Times]

What do you think of big tech? Comment below.