The Good Fight Yanis Varoufakis on What Comes After Capitalism
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Jan 25, 2025 
Yanis Varoufakis, economist and former Greek Minister of Finance, dives into the shifting economic landscape shaped by Big Tech. He discusses 'cloud rent' as a potential return to pre-capitalist commerce and explores the implications of techno-feudalism on society. Varoufakis emphasizes the need for a 'techno-rebellion' to address corporate dominance, and the importance of coordinated global actions, like a one-day strike against giants like Amazon. He highlights Europe's economic challenges and the geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China.
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Techno-feudalism Defined
- Techno-feudalism is a new socioeconomic mode of production replacing capitalism.
- Power stems from owning cloud capital, like digital platforms, allowing extraction of cloud rent.
Gradual Economic Transitions
- Transitions between economic systems are gradual and not absolute.
- Like prior eras, techno-feudalism contains elements of previous systems (e.g., traditional capital).
Tesla and Apple: Examples of Cloud Capital
- Tesla's increasing reliance on data collection exemplifies the shift towards cloud capital.
- Apple's high valuation, despite comparable products from competitors like Samsung, demonstrates the power of cloud fiefdoms like the App Store.
