Platforms first attract users with quality service, then abuse them to benefit business customers, and finally exploit both groups to extract all value for themselves, leaving a degraded service.
New copyright laws would be co-opted by monopolistic publishers and studios. The Writers Guild strike proved that the most effective tool for creators to protect themselves from AI displacement is sectoral collective bargaining.
Uber's algorithm offers drivers different wages based on their perceived desperation. When a driver accepts a low fare, it sets a new, lower ceiling for their future earnings, creating a downward wage spiral.
By treating allies as rivals and weaponizing tech access, the Trump administration broke the old dynamic of US trade protection. This spurred Europe to pursue its own sovereign tech stack ('Eurostack') to reduce dependency.
The adoption of ad-blocking software by over half of internet users constitutes a massive, decentralized protest against invasive advertising. This forces companies to weigh the risk of alienating their user base for short-term ad revenue.
Previously, competitors could build tools to lower switching costs (e.g., Apple reading Microsoft Office files), forcing platforms to maintain quality. Modern anti-circumvention laws now prohibit this, enabling unchecked platform decay.
For years, foreign governments hesitated to regulate US tech giants due to explicit threats of retaliatory tariffs from the U.S. Trade Representative, creating a favorable global environment for American tech monopolies.
Laws like the DMCA criminalize bypassing a manufacturer's technical protections, even for lawful purposes on a device you've purchased. This prevents users from adding privacy tools or developers from creating competing software.
Amazon's ad business operates as a pay-to-play system where sellers buy top search placement. This harms consumers, as the top search result is, on average, 29% more expensive than the actual best match.