content: they killed off basically all other x86 companies besides AMD (to avoid monopoly)  You're being too generous. IBM demanded competition in the x86 marketplace when it chose the architecture for the original PC; the contract that established the situation survived well after IBM lost the very market it created(it's the reason why AMD processors were 100% compatible with Intel motherboard designs through Socket 7). Winning Big Blue's favor left AMD in a direct relationship with Intel that put it on a substantially better footing than truly third-party x86 manufacturers. And, of course, Intel and AMD now license vital technologies from each other, making the relationship one of mutually assured destruction.