The age of extraction : how tech platforms conquered the economy and threaten our future prosperity / Tim Wu.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wu, Tim, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Multi-sided platform businesses.

Artificial intelligence--Economic aspects.

Artificial intelligence.

Technological innovations--Moral and ethical aspects.

Technological innovations.

Technological unemployment.

Genre:

Informational works.

Instructional and educational works.

Physical Description:

viii, 206 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2025.

Summary:

"A concise yet century-spanning exploration of the power of platforms, what the future of capitalism will look like, and how to build economies that provide equality and lasting prosperity"-- Provided by publisher.

Our world is dominated by a handful of tech platforms. They provide great conveniences and entertainment, but also stand as some of the most effective instruments of wealth extraction ever invented, seizing immense amounts of money, data, and attention from all of us. An economy driven by digital platforms and AI influence offers the potential to enrich us, and also threatens to marginalize entire industries, widen the wealth gap, and foster a two-class nation. As technology evolves and our markets adapt, can society cultivate a better life for everyone? Is it possible to balance economic growth and egalitarianism, or are we too far gone? Tim Wu--the preeminent scholar and former White House official who coined the phrase "net neutrality"--explores the rise of platform power and details the risks and rewards of working within such systems. The Age of Extraction tells the story of an Internet that promised widespread wealth and democracy in the 1990s and 2000s, only to create new economic classes and aid the spread of autocracy instead. Wu frames our current moment with lessons from recent history--from generative AI and predictive social data to the antimonopoly and crypto movements--and envisions a future where technological advances can serve the greatest possible good. Concise and hopeful, The Age of Extraction offers consequential proposals for taking back control in order to achieve a better economic balance and prosperity for all.

Contents:

Introduction

Part I: Understanding Platform Power

The Genius of the Ancient City Square

Platformization

From Enablement to Extraction-the Story of the Amazon Marketplace

Scale as a Weapon

The Great Harvest

Part II: The Business of Herding

A Long Slow Bet on Laziness

Big data, knowing the future & controlling the future

Artificial Intelligence and the Calculus of Human Dependence

Platform Power Beyond Tech

Part III: The Dangers of Centralized Economic Power

The Risks of Centralized Economic Power

Some Solutions

The Persistent Dream of the Self-Correcting Economy

Technological Answers to Economic Inequality

Mere Redistribution

Part IV: An Architecture of Equality

Platforms and the Architecture of Equality

Epilogue.

Notes:

A Borzoi Book.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-194) and index.

ISBN:

9780593321249

0593321243

9781524712952

1524712957

OCLC:

1499257179