> If they are not generating profits then how come we accuse them of extracting rent because those are not the same thing. Feudalists don't extract surplus wag

> If they are not generating profits then how come we accuse them of extracting rent because those are not the same thing. Feudalists don't extract surplus wage labor, they extract direct tribute from their subjects, and just like that the entire value of Facebook say, is in what its users produce on its platform. That experience is the actual rent they collect. Ever wondered why all of this stuff is free? And power is deteriorating. Away from the state, which played a central role in organizing and managing the traditional market economy towards these private spheres of influence of which the principal unit is the tech-firm.