It Could Happen Here CZM Rewind: Abundance, Or How To Sell Tech Fascism To Liberals
Dec 23, 2025
The discussion dives into the controversial Abundance movement, exposing its ties to Peter Thiel and the Koch Brothers. Ideas like desalination and skyscraper farms are presented as utopian visions but are critiqued for their deregulated nature. The movement is portrayed as a Trojan horse for right-wing ideologies disguised as progressive solutions. Market power dynamics are analyzed, highlighting how corporate interests manipulate housing and pricing. Ultimately, the podcast warns against the corporate takeover of democracy and advocates for alternative, community-focused futures.
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Abundance Rebrands Supply-Side Optimism
- Abundance frames growth and building as progressive solutions to social problems.
- Mia Wong warns this rhetoric masks a supply-side, Reaganite approach that ignores power dynamics.
More Supply Won't Fix Power Imbalances
- Abundance says lifting regulations to build more will lower prices through supply.
- Wong argues this ignores market power and the reality that many markets aren't perfectly competitive.
RealPage Shows Algorithmic Price Fixing
- Mia Wong recounts RealPage's algorithmic pricing that coordinated landlords and raised rents.
- The DOJ lawsuit showed the software maximized prices and avoided a 'race to the bottom.'