Who run the world? Techoligarchs

Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison run companies that are increasingly taking on the characteristics of independent governments. Acting as states within a state, these tech oligarchs are building powerful blocks that resist democratic regulation, for example from the EU. Is the era of liberal capitalism coming to an end?

The global economy no longer revolves around rule-based competition. Today, might makes right. For contemporary tech multinationals, this means obtaining a monopoly on a planet where resources are finite, argues the French economic historian Arnaud Orain. In doing so, the current rogue capitalism of companies like Meta and Oracle harks back to the state capitalism of the Dutch East India Company in the seventeenth century. What parallels can we draw from history, and is the economic world order indeed at a tipping point? In this edition of Techdenkers, we explore with Arnaud Orain how his long historical view helps us understand the power dynamics of today’s technological landscape.

Technology has become an inseparable part of our lives, but do we pay enough attention to it? During Techdenkers we explore the ethical implications of technological innovation. What influence does the arrival of AI have on our lives? How are we going to solve the climate crisis with the help of technology? And do we want algorithms to determine our choice of partner?

The Techdenkers series is provided and broadcast by De Balie and is part of our partnership with Adyen.