Technofeudalism

What Killed Capitalism

By: Yanis Varoufakis

Narrated by: Yanis Varoufakis

In a revelatory and pathbreaking work, the #1 international bestselling economist opens our eyes to the new power that is reshaping our lives and the world . . .

Big tech has replaced capitalism's twin pillars—markets and profit—with its platforms and rents. With every click and scroll, we labor like serfs to increase its power.

Welcome to technofeudalism . . .

Perhaps we were too distracted by the pandemic, or the endless financial crises, or the rise of TikTok. But under cover of them all, a new and more exploitative system has been taking hold. Insane sums of money that were supposed to re-float our economies after the crash of 2008 went to big tech instead. With it they funded the construction of their private cloud fiefdoms and privatized the internet.

Technofeudalism says Yanis Varoufakis, is the new power that is reshaping our lives and the world, and is the greatest current threat to the liberal individual, to our efforts to avert climate catastrophe—and to democracy itself. It also lies behind the new geopolitical tensions, especially the New Cold War between the United States and China.

Drawing on stories from Greek myth and pop culture, from Homer to Mad Men, Varoufakis explains this revolutionary transformation: how it enslaves our minds, how it rewrites the rules of global power, and, ultimately, what it will take overthrow it.

©2023 Yanis Varoufakis (P)2023 Melville House

Critic reviews

“The Thucydides of our time.”—Jeffrey Sachs

A Reminder That We’re All Slaves To “The System”

The idea that we are now working in the Techno-Company Store (or are serfs in the Cloud Fiefs) has a lot of truth.
I don’t get the author’s celebration of the Soviet system which was an awful authoritarian regime.
I also thought the author puts too much faith in humanity’s goodness when he lays out his techno-socialist utopia plan.
I guess I’m too much of a cynic!
All and all, well worth the listen.

Cloud Serfs

I really appreciated how Yanis explained the concept of technofeudalism and how we turned into cloud serfs. I sort of got lost in the details of his proposed solutions but understood them at a high level. I would need to buy the book as it was a little difficult to follow the audio book without full concentration (ie listening while on a treadmill)

Bald man good

I love Yanis, very insightful. But man is this book depressing. His analogy of techno feudalism to 1984 was like a psychic punch. This is a hard must read. But it IS a must read!

Interesting and informative

This book made me consider what is going on and what might be done to improve things.

Great perspective

Doesn’t matter if you agree with the writers ultimate idea, the truth is that drivers of our economy has changed and to ignore it leaves you behind.

Very interesante and actual

It's a great book about the impact of rent and the 2008 collapse. It invites us to imagine a different future.

Radical and practical analysis

I loved the viewpoint which was close to what I am experiencing in our era of concentrated cloud capitalism and its resultant destructive trajectory on everything from our individual minds to our environment.
The author is in fact a real ‘author’-ity on what he speaks about and he is the reader so the tempo is invigorated by the enthusiasm for his own work.

One of the best economics books I’ve ever read

I’m a big fan of Varoufakis and this book was a piercing analysis about our current deranged economic and geopolitical system. The scales will fall from your eyes. Read this. Now.

Insightful

Wonder why congress is trying to dismantle TikTok? It’s the war of the cloudalists. This book is a very good, clear cut primer on our current situation

Very thought provoking

Need a 2nd listen but I think he might really have something here. Which is really saying something given what this book aspires to. Accent isn't that bad as others say but it is a bit distracting.