By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 19hThere is nothing wrong with the idea of an intermediary. Most writers can't publish and sell their own books, and few travelers can navigate finding hotels in strange cities without help. 1592
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 19hThe problem of intermediaries is that when intermediaries gain monopoly power - by buying their rivals and capturing buyers and sellers - they are able to squeeze both. 18311
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 19hAs Tim Wu says, this is the moment when a company that's supposed to be helping becomes a predator, acquires "main character syndrome" and makes every transaction all about the middleman, at the expense of the people buying and selling: pluralistic.net/2026/08/05/a...pluralistic.netPluralistic: Google is a scammer’s paradise (05 Aug 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow 1788
