Age Of Extraction - Tim Wu
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 yet likewise 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 late?
The Age of Extraction tells the story of an internet that promised widespread wealth and democracy in the 1990s and 2000s, only to aid the spread of autocracy instead. Tim Wu, the preeminent scholar and former White House official who coined the phrase 'net neutrality', frames our current moment with lessons from recent history from generative AI and predictive social data to the anti-monopoly and crypto movements. And, perhaps most importantly of all, Wu envisions a future where technological advances are able to serve the greatest possible good, for everyone.
