New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Cory Doctorow on Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It
Nov 17, 2025
Cory Doctorow, a writer and activist focused on digital rights, joins danah boyd, a Cornell professor and digital media researcher, to discuss the concept of 'inshittification.' They dive into how platforms degrade over time due to monopoly power, the impact of venture capital on innovation, and the precarious nature of gig work. They also explore policy solutions for a fairer digital landscape and highlight the need for cooperative alternatives. Expect engaging insights on AI's societal risks and the future of tech labor.
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Three-Stage Platform Decay
- Platforms begin by serving users, then lock them in and later extract value from both users and businesses.
- Cory Doctorow calls this three-stage process "enshittification," driven by monopoly power and lock-in.
VC And Tax Tricks Amplify Concentration
- Venture capital and tax/treaty advantages let tech firms concentrate wealth and avoid regulation.
- Offshore IP, carried interest, and capital concentration make break-up or accountability harder.
Policy Roots Of Monopoly Power
- Financialization and Chicago School ideas normalized shareholder supremacy and tolerated monopolies.
- These policy frameworks enabled concentrated capital and rent extraction in tech firms.
