The iphone 14 pro max costs $464 to make and retails for $2000

I think this in particular is a spurious claim to make. First of all, that was for a phone that retails for $1,099.

Second, a bill of materials is not the cost of a device. There’s research and development, user testing, patents to license, logistics, and of course, software development, unless you think all of those things are done for free.

Apple’s actual profit margin is ~25%.

The direct alternatives to Apple products aren’t better in any philosophical way.

I suppose that depends on whether you consider things like Linux and GrapheneOS direct alternatives.

Comcast and other ISPs have annoyed customers for many years by advertising low prices and then charging much bigger monthly bills by tacking on a variety of fees. While some of these fees are related to government-issued requirements and others are not, poorly trained customer service reps have been known to falsely tell customers that fees created by Comcast are mandated by the government.

Poorly trained or trained to do exactly what they’re doing?