The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

Examining capitalism's chokepoints (Interview)

Apr 14, 2023

Cory Doctorow, a science fiction author and activist, dives into capitalism's impact on creative labor in his book, Chokepoint Capitalism. He describes how big tech has seized control over markets, leading to the 'chickenization' of the workforce. Discussing the challenges of the gig economy, he highlights the struggles of artists and the importance of collective action amidst corporate monopolization. Doctorow also explores decentralized platforms like Mastodon as potential alternatives to big tech, calling for structural reforms to reclaim agency for creators.

01:27:30

Creator website

Episode guests

Cory Doctorow

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Dangers of Exclusive Rights in AI Voice Training

00:47

The Importance of Feeling Real

00:41

Intro

4min

Reflections and Revelations

4min

The Challenges of Writing and Modern Labor

19min

Navigating API Governance and Creative Challenges

7min

Navigating Market Degradation and Power Dynamics

25min

Exploring Federated Media as a Competitive Alternative

2min

Navigating User Mobility and Corporate Challenges

23min

Navigating Capitalism's Chokepoints in Podcasting

2min

This week we’re talking with Cory Doctorow (this episode contains explicit language) about his newest book Chokepoint Capitalism, which he co-autored with Rebecca Giblin. Chokepoint Capitalism is about how big tech and big content have captured creative labor markets and the ways we can win them back. We talk about chokepoints creating chickenized reverse-centaurs, paying for your robot boss (think Uber, Doordash, Amazon Drivers), the chickenization that’s climbing the priviledge gradient from the most blue collar workers to the middle-class. There are chokepoints in open source, AI generative art, interoperability, music, film, and media. To quote Cory, “We’re all fighting the same fight.”

Join the discussion

Changelog++ members save 8 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!

Sponsors:

DevCycle – Build better software with DevCycle. Feature flags, without the tech debt. DevCycle is a Feature Flag Management platform designed to help you build maintainable code at scale.
Postman – Build APIs together — More than 20 million developers use Postman for building and using APIs. Postman simplifies each step of the API lifecycle and streamlines collaboration so you can create better APIs—faster.
Square – Develop on the platform that sellers trust. There is a massive opportunity for developers to support Square sellers by building apps for today’s business needs. Learn more at developer.squareup.com to dive into the docs, APIs, SDKs and to create your Square Developer account — tell them Changelog sent you.
Typesense – Lightning fast, globally distributed Search-as-a-Service that runs in memory. You literally can’t get any faster!

Featuring:

Cory Doctorow – Website, GitHub, Mastodon, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.