‘Capitalism has to become more humane’: a Stanford economist on big tech, power hoarding and democracy
Mordecai Kurz, a Stanford economist, argues that the concentration of technological power among a few moguls is eroding democracy. In his upcoming book, he connects this trend to historical patterns of monopoly power leading to political and economic inequality. Kurz believes that reforms are necessary to restore a more humane form of capitalism and protect democratic institutions.
- ▪Kurz's book, Private Power and Democracy’s Decline, discusses the impact of tech oligarchs on democracy.
- ▪He draws parallels between today's tech giants and historical figures from the first Gilded Age.
- ▪Kurz emphasizes that unregulated tech companies contribute to political polarization and misinformation.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — World |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/18/big-tech-monopolies-democracy-mordecai-kurz |
| Publication time | Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:48 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-18T13:09:56.462Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-18T13:09:56.462Z |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Publisher visit | Yes — open original |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
‘According to Kurz, technological moguls have long seen themselves as superior beings whose natural role is to shape society – so they have no problem disrupting the institution of democracy.’ Photograph: Getty ImagesView image in fullscreen‘According to Kurz, technological moguls have long seen themselves as superior beings whose natural role is to shape society – so they have no problem disrupting the institution of democracy.’ Photograph: Getty ImagesBooks‘Capitalism has to become more humane’: a Stanford economist on big tech, power hoarding and democracyMordecai Kurz argues tech oligarchs erode democracy through monopolies – and predicts how the trend may endHannah Harris GreenMon 18 May 2026 09.00 EDTLast modified on Mon 18 May 2026 09.05 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe…
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