What is Enshittification?

This episode synthesizes the core arguments presented by author, activist, and journalist Cory Doctorow. The central theme is “enshittification,” a term Doctorow coined to describe the predictable decay of digital platforms. This process occurs in three stages: platforms first attract users with good service, then abuse those users to benefit business customers, and finally abuse business customers to extract all value for shareholders. Doctorow argues this trend has become pervasive and inexorable due to the systematic erosion of four key disciplining forces: competition (decimated by lax…