Technology Purchases

It seems like every week a technology powerhouse purchases a smaller company; it's usually Google, Facebook, Amazon, or Twitter. Beats, Instagram, WhatsApp, FourSquare, Oculus Rift, Nest, Songza, Boston Dynamics, Kiva Systems, Motorola, and the lists goes on and on.

While most of these companies remain operating separate and maintain their independent identity, it's difficult to not be worried about what will happen in the future. Just look at other consumer powerhouse companies; you may not know it but Procter and Gamble, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Kraft, Coke Cola, and PepsiCo own so many brands that you probably consume and are unaware. This may be one of my favorite diagrams; it shows just what these major corporations own:

There are probably equivalent companies in the medical/health industry (e.g. Pfizer). It'll be interesting how this will affect the technology industry. Will more levels of organization in a lesser number of companies impede on innovation? Or could it helpful to fund the companies that need the proper funding to grow with appropriate distribution of assets/money? Of course there will be pros and cons to having more independent companies and the same with companies running under giant corporations.

Thoughts on how buy outs will affect the technology industry?