Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Cory Doctorow, the prolific author and long-time activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, joins us to unpack the core thesis of his latest book, "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It." Doctorow vividly illustrates how digital platforms, from social media giants to printer manufacturers, follow a predictable three-stage decline: they begin by offering value to users, then leverage that user base to attract and exploit business customers, and ultimately extract all value for themselves, leaving everyone else with a "pile of shit." He cites the outrageous cost of printer ink, famously more expensive than the semen of a Kentucky Derby winning stallion, as a perfect example of this predatory behavior. The discussion also highlights the crucial battle for "right to repair" laws, exposing how companies like Apple use obscure trademark claims like "tarnishment" to prevent independent repair, and how digital locks can turn simple wheelchair maintenance into a felony. Doctorow argues that this "Darth Vader MBA" approach, where companies constantly alter the deal, is a direct result of weakened competition and lax regulation, urging for a return to interoperability and user autonomy.
This interview is from a Full episode of The Gist Podcast, Hosted by Mike Pesca.
🎧Listen Here👉open.spotify.com/show/3Q5MaJxR4gS4CwgZUCCYVt
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_______________________
CREDITS:
Creator & Host:
Mike Pesca
Producer:
Corey Wara
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:08 Is Printer Ink More Valuable than Horse Semen?
02:40 Right to Repair: Fighting for Interoperability
05:09 The Wheelchair Scam & DMCA's Digital Locks
08:24 Apple's iPhone Shredding & 'Tarnishment' Trademark
11:41 Is Brand Tarnishment a Consumer Protection?
14:00 Entshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse
15:10 Facebook's 3 Stages of Enshittification
20:56 Ad Blockers & The Myth of 'Revealed Preference'
23:58 Ad Blockers, GDPR & The Advertising Equilibrium
28:41 Greedflation: Why Companies Get Shitty Beyond Tech
34:47 The Darth Vader MBA: Altering the Deal
38:44 Apple & Google's 30% Mobile Duopoly Tax
43:40 Uber's Inshitification: From Disruptor to Predator
48:03 Disrupting Uber: Decomposing Monolithic Offers
53:30 Blue Sky: A 'Swinging Party' Without Fire Exits?
58:30 The Value of Competition & Autonomy in Online Forums
Cory Doctorow, the prolific author and long-time activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, joins us to unpack the core thesis of his latest book, "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It." Doctorow vividly illustrates how digital platforms, from social media giants to printer manufacturers, follow a predictable three-stage decline: they begin by offering value to users, then leverage that user base to attract and exploit business customers, and ultimately extract all value for themselves, leaving everyone else with a "pile of shit." He cites the outrageous cost of printer ink, famously more expensive than the semen of a Kentucky Derby winning stallion, as a perfect example of this predatory behavior. The discussion also highlights the crucial battle for "right to repair" laws, exposing how companies like Apple use obscure trademark claims like "tarnishment" to prevent independent repair, and how digital locks can turn simple wheelchair maintenance into a felony. Doctorow argues that this "Darth Vader MBA" approach, where companies constantly alter the deal, is a direct result of weakened competition and lax regulation, urging for a return to interoperability and user autonomy.
This interview is from a Full episode of The Gist Podcast, Hosted by Mike Pesca.
🎧Listen Here👉open.spotify.com/show/3Q5MaJxR4gS4CwgZUCCYVt
_______________________
Follow us:
INSTAGRAM:
/ pescagist
TWITTER:
https://x.com/PescaGist
https://x.com/pescami
Visit Mike's website:
mikepesca.com
Join the "Pesca Profundities" membership and get access to the Gist List Newsletter:
mikepesca.substack.com
Get a premium edition of the podcast and help support Mike's work:
subscribe.mikepesca.com
_______________________
CREDITS:
Creator & Host:
Mike Pesca
Producer:
Corey Wara
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:08 Is Printer Ink More Valuable than Horse Semen?
02:40 Right to Repair: Fighting for Interoperability
05:09 The Wheelchair Scam & DMCA's Digital Locks
08:24 Apple's iPhone Shredding & 'Tarnishment' Trademark
11:41 Is Brand Tarnishment a Consumer Protection?
14:00 Entshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse
15:10 Facebook's 3 Stages of Enshittification
20:56 Ad Blockers & The Myth of 'Revealed Preference'
23:58 Ad Blockers, GDPR & The Advertising Equilibrium
28:41 Greedflation: Why Companies Get Shitty Beyond Tech
34:47 The Darth Vader MBA: Altering the Deal
38:44 Apple & Google's 30% Mobile Duopoly Tax
43:40 Uber's Inshitification: From Disruptor to Predator
48:03 Disrupting Uber: Decomposing Monolithic Offers
53:30 Blue Sky: A 'Swinging Party' Without Fire Exits?
58:30 The Value of Competition & Autonomy in Online Forums
