How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All w/ Cecilia Rikap
Summary
Host Paris Marks interviews Cecilia Rickapp about her book *The Rulers*, which examines how Amazon, Microsoft, and Google exert authoritarian control over the global economy via cloud infrastructure. Rickapp argues that these firms create a "digital twin" of the economy, locking in startups and major corporations through dependency and epistemic power. This structure allows them to dictate technological trajectories, shape societal norms, and maintain dominance beyond mere market share.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Cecilia Rickapp and the Age of AI and the Cloud
Defining Big Tech: Infrastructure vs. Application Companies
The Cloud as a Digital Twin of the Global Economy
Vendor Lock-in: How Cloud Credits and Ecosystem Dependencies
Epistemic Power: Controlling Narratives and Innovation
Capture of Public Knowledge and Research
Solutions: Democratic Sovereignty and Alternative Ecosystems
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