Cloud Computing and the Makosof Tax

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How does this movement to cloud computing, to these major datu centers controlled by amazon, microsoft and gugle like benefit these corporations? And you know, i guess, enhance their power over computing, over the internet, over what we do on line. So they become a part of global introstructure in a way that is actually quite new. I have nothing against the idea of abstracting computational power and offering us a serface. But it's more a matter of such level of power should not be in private hands.

Paris Marx is joined by Dwayne Monroe to discuss what it’s like to work in a data center, how the cloud came to hold a dominant position, and the consequences of its control by companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

Dwayne Monroe is a cloud technologist and aspiring Marxist theorist of technology, with twenty years of experience architecting large-scale computational systems. Follow Dwayne on Twitter at @cloudquistador.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.

Also mentioned in this episode:

Dwayne wrote about cloud computing for Logic Magazine. He’s also written about a public cloud and the metaverse on his blog.
Amazon’s cloud infrastructure in the eastern United States experienced a major outage in December 2021.
Residents in various parts of the world have been questioning the logic of building data centers, including in the United States and New Zealand.
In July, the network of Canadian telecom giant Rogers went down, leaving millions without service.

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