Organized Money The Enshitification of Big Tech: A Conversation with Cory Doctorow
13 snips
Mar 13, 2025 
Cory Doctorow, a renowned author and activist known for his advocacy against monopolies, discusses the alarming trend of 'enshitification' in Big Tech. He unpacks how the initial utopian dreams of Silicon Valley transformed into profit-driven power grabs by giants like Amazon and Google. The conversation delves into the erosion of internet culture, the shift in Google's priorities from user experience to maximizing ad revenue, and the effects of monopolization on creativity in publishing. Doctorow highlights the urgent need for interoperability and competition in tech.
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Shifting Ideals of Silicon Valley
- Silicon Valley's ideology shifted from utopian ideals to self-serving power grabs.
- Early internet pioneers aimed to connect the world and disrupt systems, but this vision morphed into serving powerful individuals.
Enshitification of Platforms
- Cory Doctorow coined "enshitification," describing platform decay where user value is sacrificed for profit.
- Platforms attract users with good service, then exploit them for business customers, ultimately degrading quality.
Monopsony Power
- Monopsony, the buyer-side of monopoly, lets powerful buyers dictate costs, like in company towns.
- Monopsonies are easier to acquire and maintain because businesses can't afford to lose significant sales.
