Intelligence Squared How Tech Platforms Threaten Our Future, With Former White House Advisor Tim Wu (Part Two)
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Jan 2, 2026 
Tim Wu, a Columbia Law professor and former White House advisor, dives into the perils of our AI-driven future. He discusses how tech companies could gain overwhelming power in this new landscape and why dismantling monopolies is crucial for innovation. Wu examines the implications of platformization in essential sectors like housing and how monopoly pricing acts as a private tax. He urges society to restore discipline through antitrust measures and envisions an alternative AI future where technology serves the public good.
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What 'Extraction' Really Means
- Extraction means charging far more value than the underlying cost, like last-minute plane seats or high drug prices.
- Tim Wu argues extraction spreads across industries and is a dominant modern business model.
Corporate Landlords 'Juice The Hog'
- Tim Wu describes corporate landlords buying foreclosed homes and 'juicing the hog' with fees and rent hikes.
- He uses the housing example to show platform-like extraction entering physical markets.
Monopoly Fees Act Like Taxes
- Europe and the UK have effectively accepted American payment monopolies, costing consumers via higher fees.
- Wu frames these private monopoly prices as a form of hidden taxation on other countries.
