Are We Transitioning From Capitalism to Silicon Serfdom?::The idea that we are entering an era of techno-feudalism that will be worse than capitalism is chilling and controversial. We asked former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis to elucidate this idea, explain how we got here, and map out some alternatives.

  • RedFox@infosec.pub
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    arrow-down
    11
    ·
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    Can someone explain how these organizations ‘undermine the economy and democracy’?

    • there’s room for arguments regarding exploited workers in any industry, but tech is usually compensated well , at least compared to some industry. Maybe they are not compensated well in other developing nations?

    • not sure how cloud/tech companies undermine democracy or economies

    • Fudoshin ️🏳️‍🌈@feddit.uk
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      30
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago
      • Directly: They lobby governments and their size means they can be more powerful than the governments they’re trying to influence. Do you think the lobbying is for the benefit of society?
      • Indirectly: monopolies and other predatorycorporate behaviour like data selling and privacy erosion.
      • RedFox@infosec.pub
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        arrow-down
        9
        ·
        9 months ago

        more powerful than the government

        That’s probably a matter of perception on my part. In the US, I don’t see them that way. They still get called to the carpet by Congress and fined. Sometimes I think the fines are low enough they consider it just a cost of doing business.

        I don’t think small nations have that same feeling, especially when dealing with a US based company, or a national customer base that’s large enough to make them feel it if they were lost.

        data selling and privacy

        Well, at least the EU is fighting on those fronts. Props to them.

    • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      Read or listen to Yanis explaining the concept he described as techno feudalism. He typically does a great job at it.