Computer Says Maybe Gotcha! Enshittification w/ Cory Doctorow
Oct 10, 2025
In this engaging conversation, Cory Doctorow, a science fiction novelist and digital-rights activist, delves into his book Enshittification. He explores the alarming three-stage decay of platforms: initial goodness, user lock-in, and eventual exploitation. Cory also introduces concepts like the 'chickenized reverse centaur' to explain gig work exploitation. He advocates for reducing platform power through competition and interoperability, emphasizing the need for coordinated solutions to combat industrialized scams in the digital age.
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Four Levers That Shape Tech Outcomes
- Outcomes are shaped by code, law, norms, and markets, not inevitability.
- Changing those levers can alter firm behaviour and technology design.
How Platforms Become Durable Rents
- Platforms lock users then extract value from both users and businesses, creating persistent decay.
- They reach a stasis where all surplus is drained for shareholders and executives.
Pantone Pulled From Creative Cloud
- Adobe removed Pantone color access from Creative Cloud, forcing users to pay Pantone separately.
- Moving from sold software to cloud subscriptions enabled remote feature confiscation.
