A monopoly is when one entity has all of the resources.

For example, a patent is a government sanctioned monopoly where one entity has 100% rights to an invention for a specific time period. Another example is a regulated (Plants Need Sunlight to Grow Well) industry like trash pickup or internet providers - that compnay is granted 100% rights to a specific geographic area.

Monopolies don't typically happen naturally, despite the fears that they may. Companies can certainly become large - think Google large - but even in that space, they earned their place at the top and they continue to innovate (Convergent vs Divergent Thinking) to stay there.

Because large entities are fragile (Antifragility), their dominance is precarious. Smaller, more antifragile entities can come in and chip away at their ankles until the monopoly is dismantled.

Citations

#toolong