Technofeudalism

Outline

Technofeudalism (2023) argues that capitalism has been quietly replaced by something new. Yanis Varoufakis explains how big technology platforms act like digital landlords, collecting rent from the businesses and users who depend on them, while central banks’ policies after 2008 helped fuel their rise. Written as a letter to his father, the book explores what this shift means for markets, work, democracy, and our freedom.

• Varoufakis argues that capitalism has been quietly replaced by a new order he calls technofeudalism.
• Big technology platforms behave like digital landlords, collecting rent from the businesses and users who depend on them.
• Central banks' policies after 2008 helped fuel the rise of these platforms.
• The book asks what this shift means for markets, work, democracy, and personal freedom.
• It is framed as a letter to the author's father, which gives the argument a personal voice.

Yanis Varoufakis is a Greek economist, academic, and politician who served as Greece’s finance minister in 2015 during the country’s debt crisis. He has taught economics at universities in Greece, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. His books include Talking to My Daughter About the Economy, Adults in the Room, and Technofeudalism.