Mastodawn

Cory Doctorow Jan 21, 2023

Here is how #platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Pluralistic: Tiktok’s enshittification (21 Jan 2023) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

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Angus McIntyre Jan 21, 2023

@pluralistic Has anyone correlated enshittification with changes in the management structure of platforms?

I've seen a bunch of tech companies started by technologists -- nerds -- who were passionate about what they made and who attracted equally passionate users. But as the company grew, the MBAs and professional CEOs were brought in, and everything changed.

Few companies probably begin with enshittification as a goal. But at a given point incentives, focus and management all start to shift.

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Ravindra Kanodia

@angusm @pluralistic leadership means having common values with the people below you. You can be in charge of something small based on "passion for engineering" or "tradition of craftsmanship". But as the thing grows, the shared values become less universal. Eventually, the only thing left that every single person cares about in one form or another is "money"