Pushing back on unconstrained capitalism (Interview)

The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

This week we’re talking with Cory Doctorow (this episode contains explicit language) about how we can get back to that “new good internet.” Cory’s new book The Internet Con offers a lens to this conversation about disenshittifying the internet through anti-trust laws, limits on corporate tweaking, regulating unconstrained capitalism, and all the ways enshittification is enabled. Cory also shares his experience recording his own audio book under the direction of Gabrielle de Cuir at Skyboat Media, and what’s to come from his next Science Fiction book The Lost Cause.

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Featuring:

• Cory Doctorow – Website, GitHub, Mastodon, X
• Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
• Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

• The Internet Con
• libro.fm
• The Lost Cause
• Cory’s talk at DEF CON 31
• Changelog Interviews #535: Examining capitalism’s chokepoints
• Skyboat Media
• The History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida M. Tarbell

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!

บท

1. This week on The Changelog (00:00:00)

2. Sponsor: Socket (00:01:20)

https://socket.dev/?utm_source=changelog&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=changelog-interviews

3. Start the show! (00:04:44)

4. Bypassing DRM will cost you (00:06:30)

5. Amazon has TONS of power (00:07:54)

6. I won't allow my work to have DRM (00:09:20)

7. So...I Kickstarter my audiobooks (00:11:17)

8. Fighting the monopolies (00:12:37)

9. Pumping out books (00:13:48)

10. The Lost Cause (00:14:28)

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865939/thelostcause

11. Is this a blueprint or a dream? (00:18:14)

12. Sponsor: Statsig (00:25:55)

https://statsig.com/changelog

13. Ads as notifications (00:29:20)

14. The Internet Con (00:31:31)

https://craphound.com/internetcon/

15. Unconstrained capitalistic needs (00:47:58)

16. Let's talk anti-trust (00:51:03)

17. Taking aim at monopolies (00:58:50)

18. Sponsor: Changelog News (01:05:33)

https://changelog.com/news

19. Capitalism and free markets (01:06:46)

20. Was Jeff Bezos born lucky? (01:17:26)

21. Isn't this the dream though? (01:22:23)

22. The forces that constrain firms (01:27:01)

23. Wrapping up (01:31:59)

24. What we've been up to (01:32:46)