Pluralistic: The death of history's most successful publisher (20 Oct 2026)

Blog · Watch/Read · (gathered 2026-10-21)

• Cory Doctorow argues that Google, once “history’s most successful publisher” by connecting works with audiences, has transformed into a “web-scale parasite” through its AI projects, actively preventing audiences from reaching original content.
• This shift is characterized as an advanced phase of “enshittification” and a “scorching case of ‘main character syndrome’” (a concept from Tim Wu), where the intermediary abandons its facilitator role to extract value for itself.
• Unlike previous profit-driven degradations, Google’s AI endeavors are described as the “money-losingest endeavor in the history of human civilization,” costing hundreds of billions of dollars.
• Doctorow warns that this unsustainable strategy resembles a “Mafia bust-out,” threatening to destroy both Google and the web publishers it once served, rather than merely enshittifying search.