By Cory Doctorow
Summary of Cory Doctorow’s Enshittification Thesis
Doctorow argues that dominant digital platforms inevitably decay—not because they were badly designed, but because the incentives of monopoly capitalism push platforms to progressively degrade the user experience.
He calls this process enshittification:
“First they’re good to users; then they abuse users to benefit business customers; then they abuse those businesses to claw back all the value for themselves; and then they die.”
The book describes how enshittification is driven by:
- Concentrated market power
- Lack of interoperability
- Surveillance-centric business models
- Investors demanding endless growth
- Regulators failing to stop anticompetitive behavior
Doctorow’s core claim is that enshittification is not an unfortunate accident—it’s a predictable lifecycle created by the structure of unregulated platforms. The only long-term cure is to break the power of gatekeeping intermediaries and restore user and developer control.
Doctorow’s Steps of Enshittification
Doctorow articulates the process of enshittification as a sequence:
1. A platform begins by being good to users
To attract a large user base, platforms:
- offer free or cheap services
- provide a clean, friendly UX
- minimize ads
- enable abundant organic reach
- treat third-party developers well
This is the growth phase.
2. Once users are locked in, the platform shifts value to business customers
When the user base becomes “captive,” the platform:
- introduces ads and algorithmic manipulation
- prioritizes paid visibility
- tightens control over APIs and developers
- nudges or forces users to behaviors profitable for advertisers
Now the platform extracts value from users to benefit business customers.
3. Once business customers are dependent, the platform extracts value from them
After advertisers, sellers, and creators are locked in:
- fees rise
- organic reach collapses entirely
- rankings favor the platform’s own products
- sellers get squeezed (e.g., Amazon Basic clones)
- creators get demonetized or paywalled into compliance
Eventually the platform keeps nearly all value for itself.
4. The economic rot kills the platform
It becomes:
- unpleasant for users
- unprofitable for businesses
- brittle, expensive, and chaotic internally
The platform collapses or becomes irrelevant—sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly.
Doctorow’s Primary Solutions to Resisting Enshittification
Doctorow argues that enshittification is not inevitable—it’s political and structural. He proposes solutions in three big categories:
A. Rebuild Competition Through Interoperability
Doctorow believes interoperability is the most powerful anti-monopoly weapon. This includes:
1. Adversarial interoperability (“comcom”)
Allow competitors to connect to, extend, or replace parts of dominant platforms without permission.
Examples:
- Third-party email clients
- Reverse-engineered social network connectors
- Apps built against APIs the platform would prefer to restrict
2. Legal protection for reverse engineering and scraping
So users can leave platforms, automate exports, or redirect data flows.
3. Mandatory interoperability for dominant platforms
Similar to phone number portability or Fediverse compatibility.
Interoperability breaks lock-in, which is the root of enshittification.
B. Restore and Enforce Antimonopoly Policy
Doctorow emphasizes reviving classical antitrust principles:
1. Break up tech giants
Split vertically integrated monopolies (e.g., marketplace + retailer + logistics).
2. Prohibit self-preferencing
Platforms shouldn’t privilege their own products over third parties.
3. Ban abusive data collection and dark patterns
Reduce the power to manipulate users or extract attention.
4. Block merger pipelines
Especially “kill-zone” acquisitions that absorb future competitors.
Regulation should focus on power asymmetry, not just consumer prices.
C. Empower Users and Workers
Doctorow stresses a political, not just technical, solution:
1. Strengthen digital labor rights
Creators, gig workers, and online sellers should have collective bargaining rights.
2. Protect user rights of exit and choice
Data portability, right-to-repair, right-to-modify, sideloading, alternative app stores.
3. Support decentralized or community-governed services
Platforms where users (or local admins) have meaningful control.
4. Treat tech as infrastructure
Push for public options when private platforms extract too much value.
In Short
Enshittification = the predictable decay of platforms as they shift value from users, to business customers, to themselves.
The solutions = break their power.
Not by hoping for better CEOs, but by enforcing:
- interoperability
- competition
- user rights
- antitrust action
- limits on surveillance and lock-in
Doctorow’s thesis is ultimately optimistic: enshittification is reversible if we make platforms compete, connect, and permit exit.
I naturally agreed with his points. I don’t think there was much that significantly altered my thinking. He acknowledged perception that Apple was better than other tech behemoths, but pointed out that they still spy and enshittify systems even while they try to claim that they’re “putting the real price on the sticker.” I took some inspiration from this read and canceled my Amazon Prime subscription. Overall, I intend to renew my efforts to support dis-enshittifying options as a consumer.
The downside for me was Doctorow’s snarky tone. I get it. I frequently do that too, but it feels limiting for the message. I think a certain population will respond very well to it, but I don’t think it will be heard by others because of the tone. I’d like more people to get on board, and I think it could be better at that.