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Welcome to the Age of Technofeudalism
In Yanis Varoufakis’ latest book, the former Greek finance minister argues that companies like Apple and Meta have treated their users like modern-day serfs.
Varoufakis is also a prolific author; his 17th book, written as a letter to his techno-curious father, chronicles the evolution of capitalism from the 1960s advertising boom, through Wall Street in the 1980s, to the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic. When you're talking about these digital fiefdoms, the idea is easier to understand in terms of platforms that take a cut of the sales, like the Apple App Store or Amazon. And then immediately after that, as Cory Doctorow so beautifully describes through his concept of enshittification, you're a publisher, you feel great because your sales go up through Facebook, and then suddenly, you find that you've been downgraded.
Or read this on Wired
