The celebrated economist and bestselling author of Talking to my Daughter and Another Now lifts the lid on the global transformation that has replaced traditional capitalism with technofeudalism run by big tech companies and central banks, and asks what we can do to combat the threats it poses to social democracy, the environment, world peace and our freedoms.
No one noticed when capitalism was ... replaced.
Perhaps we were too distracted by the pandemic, or the endless financial crises, or all those cute cats on TikTok. But under cover of them all, a new and more exploitative system has been taking hold: technofeudalism.
Drawing on stories from Greek Myth and pop culture, from Homer to Mad Men, world-famous economist Yanis Varoufakis explains this game-changing transformation and how it holds the key to understanding our times. He shows that the key pillars of capitalism - profit and markets - no longer run the show. Instead, with every click and scroll, we cement the dominance of a new monster, cloud capital, birthed by big tech and central banks, which underlies the technofeudal regime.
Once we grasp the enormity of this change, the crucial puzzles of our era dissolve: from the elusive green energy revolution to the New Cold War between the USA and China and how the conflict in Ukraine threatens globalisation. It explains why crypto technology is a false promise and social democracy is now impossible.
But by equipping us to see this new power for what it is, Technofeudalism answers the burning question: how it might also be replaced, and with what, so that we may recover our autonomy and perhaps even our freedom too.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781847927279
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 502 g
Dimensions: 242 x 163 x 29 mm
What an amazing piece of work this is. Ground-breaking, thought-provoking and highly accessible. Everyone should read it. This is where we’re going. The dark, scary, exciting song of our age. 100 out of 100 - IRVINE WELSH
An important new book ... that describes what is happening in terms of an epochal, once-in-a-millennium shift … in Varoufakis's telling, this isn't just new technology. This is the world grappling with an entirely new economic system and therefore political power - Carole Cadwalladr, Observer
Arresting … an ambitious thinker and a lively writer … Varoufakis is right that we are in thrall to digital platforms, who hold our data hostage and prevent us from switching to “a competing cloud fief” - The Times
Varoufakis is a remarkable combination of analyst and dreamer… as always, Varoufakis makes his readers think… an important achievement - Financial Times, Books of the Year*
A book for anybody who wants to understand the mess we're in - and since we're all in this mess, that makes it a book for everybody - SLAVOJ ZIZEK
With superb storytelling, Varoufakis shows how capitalism has eaten itself alive, mutating into an entirely different and more dangerous beast, and calls on us to free ourselves from digital serfdom - BRETT SCOTT, author of Cloudmoney
Provocative and accessible, this is sure to be a key touchstone in debates about the future of the global economy - NICK SRNICEK, co-author of Inventing the Future
Compulsive and necessary reading - KEN LOACH
What if capitalism died and no one noticed - not even the capitalists? Digital platforms usurped capitalism and installed something far worse. This book is an urgent demand to seize the means of computation - CORY DOCTOROW
An incisive critique - Guardian
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
