The world has moved on
Summary
Cory Doctorow shares personal updates, including his upcoming book tour for *The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI* and finishing edits on *The Post-American Internet*. He reads a blog post analyzing societal decay, or "inshittification," using Stephen King’s *Dark Tower* as a metaphor for the collapse of regulatory checks like antitrust law. Doctorow argues this decline stems from neoliberal policies and elite impunity, urging listeners to engage in political activism and unionization rather than relying on consumer choices to restore systemic stability.
Topics discussed
Intro: Rose Bowl flea market, birthday gifts, and upcoming book tour dates
Update on finishing copy edits for 'The Post-American Internet'
Reading begins: Douglas Adams quote on nostalgia and the 'shittening'
The Dark Tower analogy: 'The world has moved on' and irreversible decay
Conservatism as the ideology of rule by the elite and dismantling checks
Neoliberalism, antitrust, and the rise of 'bossism' and elite impunity
David Graeber's analysis of bureaucracy, AI, and the collapse of process knowledge
Political advice: Join unions and activism to restore the 'beams' against entropy
Outro: Next podcast date, birthday plans, and credits
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