Podcasts about vili lehdonvirta

Nykyisen teknologisen kehityksen taustalta löytyy datakeskuksia, energiaa, tehokkaita mikrosiruja ja maametalleja. Kuluttajille näkyvien tekoälysovellusten ja internetin toiminnan mahdollistaa fyysinen infrastruktuuri, johon liittyy geopolitiikka ja valtavat hiilidioksidipäästöt. Minkälaiselle teknologiselle kehitykselle, keskinäisriippuvuuksille ja resurssien käytölle digitaalinen maailma perustuu? Onko väliä, missä datakeskukset sijaitsevat ja mikrosirut valmistetaan? Millaista on suurvaltojen digitaalinen kilpailu ja mihin se voi johtaa? Keskustelemassa tietojenkäsittelytieteen professori Jussi Kangasharju, teknologiapolitiikan professori Vili Lehdonvirta ja epäorgaanisen materiaalikemian professori Mikko Ritala. Juontajana on Anna-Sofia Berner. GRAFIIKAT: 1. Pilvipalveluiden infrastruktuureja kartalla: https://www.helsinki.fi/assets/drupal/media-image/Tiedekulma_mita_on_tekoalyn_takana.png 2. Pilvipalveluiden infrastruktuurien osuuksia eri maissa (Figure 2): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/09692290.2025.2489077?scroll=top&needAccess=true# Podcast on nauhoitettu Tiedekulmassa Mitä on tekoälyn takana? -tapahtumassa 10.2.2026. Katso keskustelu videona Youtubessa: https://youtu.be/ISOEeAK5cMk?si=uuufxIUWLzeeukOd

Một năm sau khi tuyên bố « tình trạng khẩn cấp năng lượng » tại Mỹ, Donald Trump đã chiếm được quyền kiểm soát dầu hỏa Venezuela. Nhưng trong cuộc cạnh tranh giành thế thống trị năng lượng thế giới với Trung Quốc, Hoa Kỳ không dừng ở nguồn nhiên liệu hóa thạch mà nắm luôn cả năng lượng hạt nhân. Ngày 20/01/2025, trong ngày nhậm chức, nhà tỷ phú Mỹ Donald Trump đã tuyên bố : « Cuộc khủng hoảng lạm phát là do chi tiêu quá mức và giá năng lượng leo thang. Đó là lý do vì sao hôm nay, tôi cũng sẽ tuyên bố tình trạng khẩn cấp năng lượng quốc gia. Chúng ta sẽ khoan dầu, khoan dầu, khoan dầu nữa ! » "Khẩn cấp năng lượng" : Nước Mỹ lâm nguy ? Hơn ba tuần sau, ngày 14/02/2025, nguyên thủ Mỹ ký sắc lệnh thành lập « Hội đồng Quốc gia về Thống trị Năng lượng ». Theo Nhà Trắng, hội đồng này sẽ điều phối chính sách năng lượng và đơn giản hóa thủ tục cấp phép, sản xuất và phân phối các nguồn năng lượng khác nhau. Trên đài France Culture ngày 12/01/2026, nhà nghiên cứu Thibault Michel, Trung tâm Năng lượng và Khí hậu thuộc Viện Quan hệ Quốc tế Pháp (IFRI), trước hết, giải thích quan điểm của chính quyền Trump về « tình trạng khẩn cấp năng lượng ». « Theo tôi, điều cần hiểu trước tiên là chính quyền Trump, ngay từ nhiệm kỳ I, thực sự đã có một cách tiếp cận, đó là sự thống trị năng lượng. Thế thống trị này vượt lên trên cả vấn đề an ninh năng lượng đơn thuần. Rõ ràng đây không chỉ là vấn đề nắm chủ quyền đối với nguồn cung năng lượng của chính mình, mà còn sử dụng năng lượng như một công cụ cả trong thương mại và địa chính trị, một công cụ để gây ảnh hưởng trên toàn thế giới. Và điều này có thể được thực hiện thông qua việc cung cấp dầu mỏ, khí đốt, năng lượng cho toàn cầu. » Và việc ban hành tình trạng khẩn cấp đã cho phép chính quyền Trump có thể hành động thường xuyên bằng sắc lệnh mà không cần thông qua Quốc Hội, đó là những gì ông Trump đã làm khi ký đến sáu hay bảy sắc lệnh ngay sau khi nhậm chức. Nhà nghiên cứu tại viện IFRI giải thích tiếp : « Sau đó còn có những sắc lệnh khác liên quan đến năng lượng hạt nhân. Rõ ràng là có lý do biện minh ở đây như ông Trump đã từng nói trong bài phát biểu hồi tháng 12/2025, xin trích, "tôi thừa hưởng một thảm họa". Vì vậy, đây là tình trạng khẩn cấp, chúng ta phải hành động. Nhưng bên cạnh đó, người ta thực sự đang thấy rõ tham vọng thống trị và tiềm năng mà cách tiếp cận khẩn cấp này mang lại. » Cũng trong ngày nhậm chức, nguyên thủ Mỹ còn nói thêm « điều chúng ta muốn làm là giữ AI, tức trí tuệ nhân tạo, ở trong nước ». Ông thông báo những khoản đầu tư trị giá 500 tỷ đô la của khu vực tư nhân để xây dựng các trung tâm dữ liệu. Đối với bộ trưởng An ninh Nội địa Doug Burgum, « Hoa Kỳ đang lao vào một cuộc đua về vũ khí trên phương diện AI với Trung Quốc. Cách thức duy nhất để giành thắng lợi là có nhiều điện năng hơn nữa ». Trung tâm dữ liệu : Những cỗ máy « háu » năng lượng Theo Le Monde Diplomatique, số ra tháng 01/2026, tại Mỹ trong giai đoạn 2022-2024, đầu tư vào các trung tâm dữ liệu ở chiếm 84% tổng vốn cam kết ở Virginia, bang tập trung nhiều trung tâm nhất. Trên toàn quốc, chi tiêu cho các trung tâm dữ liệu và các hoạt động công nghệ dường như đã giúp tăng tổng sản phẩm quốc nội (GDP) của Hoa Kỳ thêm 0,5 điểm trong quý 2 năm 2025. Việc đầu tư vào trung tâm dữ liệu không chỉ mang tính kinh tế, mà còn là một thách thức chiến lược. Trả lời nhà báo độc lập Eva Thiébaud, tác giả bài viết « Vì sao Hoa Kỳ tái khởi động hạt nhân dân sự ? », đăng trên báo Le Monde Diplomatique, chuyên gia về kinh tế - chính trị các giao diện kỹ thuật số Vili Lehdonvirta, đại học Aalto ở Phần Lan, phân tích : « Nhìn từ góc độ quân sự, các tập đoàn công nghệ khổng lồ và các trung tâm dữ liệu của họ hỗ trợ chính phủ bằng cách lưu trữ và xử lý, thông qua trí tuệ nhân tạo, khối lượng thông tin khổng lồ được thu thập từ camera hoặc bộ cảm biến trong vùng chiến sự, như những gì đã xảy ra với Israel và cuộc tấn công của họ ở Palestine. Và ngoài lĩnh vực quân sự, Edward Snowden đã cho chúng ta thấy các công ty công nghệ có thể đồng ý cung cấp quyền truy cập dữ liệu của họ cho chính phủ Mỹ, do đó chúng có một tầm quan trọng đối với tình báo. » Tuy nhiên, việc đầu tư vào trung tâm dữ liệu và AI tại Mỹ, ngoài những rủi ro địa chính trị như gián đoạn nguồn cung đất hiếm, đang vấp phải một trở ngại lớn ở trong nước : Tình trạng thiếu điện do thiếu mạng lưới truyền tải và đòi hỏi nhiều thời gian để cải thiện. Le Monde Diplomatique nêu ví dụ Dominion, nhà sản xuất, điều hành và phân phối điện lớn nhất tại bang Virginia, hồi tháng 07/2024, đã gởi thư thông báo với khách hàng rằng việc kết nối với các đường dây công suất lớn sẽ phải kéo dài thêm từ 12 đến 36 tháng so với trước đây, tức là phải mất từ 4 đến 7 năm. Hạt nhân : Nguồn năng lượng dồi dào Ngày 23/05/2025, tổng thống Mỹ ký sắc lệnh nhắm mở ra « một kỷ nguyên hạt nhân mới ». Ông kêu gọi triển khai 300GW điện hạt nhân bổ sung từ đây đến năm 2050. Nhà Trắng đầu tư vào 10 lò phản ứng hạt nhân đang được xây dựng từ đây đến năm 2030. Ngày 28/10/2025, Washington thông báo một đối tác chiến lược trị giá 80 tỷ đô la với tập đoàn năng lượng hạt nhân Westinghouse Electric Company, nhằm tái triển khai ngành công nghiệp hạt nhân quốc gia, có khả năng cung cấp năng lượng trước sự bùng nổ nhu cầu từ các trung tâm dữ liệu và trí tuệ nhân tạo. Trên đài France Culture, nhà báo Eva Thiébaud, giải thích, « Ai cũng nhận thấy hiện nay chúng ta đang trải qua thời kỳ bùng nổ trí tuệ nhân tạo, với rất nhiều trung tâm dữ liệu đang được xây dựng ở Hoa Kỳ, vốn tiêu thụ và sẽ tiếp tục tiêu thụ ngày càng nhiều năng lượng, mặc dù các dự báo hiện tại đầy rẫy sự bất định. Vì vậy, các trung tâm dữ liệu này cần được cung cấp năng lượng, và để làm được điều đó, có một số giải pháp năng lượng khả dụng. Tất nhiên, có các nhà máy điện chạy bằng khí đốt và, tại sao không phải là năng lượng hạt nhân trong tương lai ? Chính vì lẽ đó mà thông báo này đã được đưa ra gần đây. » Ngoài ra, chính quyền Trump còn có thể trông cậy vào các đại tập đoàn công nghệ. Các hãng lớn như Google AI và Google DeepMind, Meta AI, Nvidia, Amazon Web Services (AWS) hay như Microsoft, vốn xem hạt nhân như là một nguồn năng lượng ổn định nhất cho các trung tâm dữ liệu, để phát triển các công nghệ hạt nhân mới như mô hình « lò phản ứng mô-đun nhỏ », một công nghệ được cho là có nhiều lợi thế, có thể cung cấp năng lượng trực tiếp cho các trung tâm dữ liệu, hạn chế phát thải khí nhà kính và tự giải phóng khỏi lưới điện. Hay như việc Trump Media, công ty mẹ của mạng xã hội Truth Social ưa thích của tổng thống Trump, thông báo liên kết với hãng Mỹ TAE chuyên về phát triển công nghệ phản ứng tổng hợp hạt nhân, mà Trung Quốc hiện đang dẫn đầu. Nhưng việc xây dựng các nhà máy hạt nhân dân sự mới không phải là điều dễ dàng, bởi vì, « các nhà máy điện hạt nhân là những dự án cực kỳ phức tạp, cần rất nhiều thời gian để triển khai, và hiện nay năng lượng hạt nhân tiêu tốn của Hoa Kỳ nhiều hơn so với việc xây dựng các nhà máy điện khí đốt », theo như nhận xét của nhà báo Eva Thiébaud. Theo nhà báo độc lập này, « đây là lý do vì sao hiện nay, bên hưởng lợi chính từ sự bùng nổ trí tuệ nhân tạo, vốn tiêu thụ nhiều năng lượng là khí đốt, và có lẽ bước tiếp theo là năng lượng hạt nhân. Nhưng quả thật, năng lượng nguyên tử rất đắt đỏ và rất khó để triển khai. Người ta phải chờ xem chính quyền Trump thực sự có đủ nguồn lực để đáp ứng tham vọng đó hay không. Điều chắc chắn là hiện nay có nhiều thông báo về các lò phản ứng mô-đun nhỏ (SMR) nhưng chúng ta cần xem liệu việc sản xuất điện bằng các lò phản ứng nhỏ với giá cạnh tranh có khả thi hay không. Hiện tại, các nhà sản xuất lớn trong ngành công nghiệp hạt nhân đang chuyển sang sử dụng các nhà máy điện hạt nhân cũ hơn chính vì chúng giúp giảm cả thời gian và chi phí sản xuất điện. » … Và cuộc đua giành ảnh hưởng về năng lượng nguyên tử Trong khi chờ đợi tìm ra công thức thần kỳ, các công ty kỹ thuật số đang dựa vào cơ sở hạ tầng hiện có để giảm chi phí và thời gian. Năm 2024, Amazon đã ký kết thỏa thuận mua bán trực tiếp với nhà điều hành nhà máy điện hạt nhân Susquehanna ở Pennsylvania. Một giải pháp khả thi khác là khởi động lại các nhà máy đã ngừng hoạt động. Bất chấp thảm họa năm 1979, khi một trong hai lò phản ứng bị tan chảy, nhà máy điện hạt nhân Three Mile Island, bang Pennsylvania, thông báo khởi động trở lại sau một thời gian dài ngừng hoạt động. Tập đoàn này đã ký kết một thỏa thuận với Microsoft để đảm bảo nguồn cung điện năng cho hãng công nghệ kể từ năm 2027 trong vòng 20 năm. Dù vậy, theo giới chuyên gia, bên cạnh việc tìm cách bù đắp cho nhu cầu năng lượng ngày càng lớn trong nước, chủ trương phát triển năng lượng hạt nhân, trong dài hạn, còn nhằm mục tiêu đưa Hoa Kỳ trở lại cuộc đua bán năng lượng nguyên tử trên thế giới. Trên đài France Culture, nhà báo Eva Thiebaud giải thích : « Có sự cạnh tranh quốc tế trong việc xây dựng các nhà máy điện hạt nhân, trong đó Hoa Kỳ đang cạnh tranh với Trung Quốc và Nga, cùng nhiều nước khác. Do đó, việc khởi động lại hay xây dựng các nhà máy điện hạt nhân có thể giúp Mỹ giành lại vị thế trong cuộc đua về buôn bán nhà máy điện hạt nhân quốc tế. Quả thật, trong những năm gần đây, WestingHouse và Hoa Kỳ không xây dựng nhiều nhà máy điện trên lãnh thổ của mình. Kể từ thảm họa Three Mile Island năm 1979, việc phát triển năng lượng hạt nhân đã bị đình trệ, bất chấp nỗ lực hồi sinh vào những năm 2010. Vì vậy, ở đây còn có mong muốn khởi động lại ngành công nghiệp hạt nhân trên lãnh thổ của mình để định lại vị thế quốc tế của đất nước. » Một năm sau những phát biểu trên và sau cuộc tấn công bất ngờ vào Caracas bắt giữ vợ chồng tổng thống Venezuela Nicolas Maduro đưa về Mỹ, tổng thống Donald Trump hôm 07/01/2026, tuyên bố : « Đất nước chúng ta phải được bao quanh bởi các quốc gia an toàn và ổn định. Và chúng ta cũng phải có năng lượng. Điều này là quan trọng ». Sự kiện này, phù hợp với việc ban hành « tình trạng khẩn cấp năng lượng quốc gia » một năm trước và chính sách « khoan dầu, khoan dầu nữa đi », nhằm mở đường cho các hoạt động khai thác của các hãng dầu khí Mỹ ở Venezuela, trong khi chờ đợi điện hạt nhân khởi sắc !

Yhteiskunnan toiminnot ovat yhä enemmän riippuvaisia suurten teknologiayritysten valtavista datakeskuksista. Digitaalinen maailma ei ole “vain jossain” ja näiden datakeskusten fyysisellä sijainnilla on merkitystä. Samoin sillä, minkä maalainen yritys datakeskusta hallinnoi. Voiko joku valtio käyttää teknologiayrityksiä poliittisen painostuksen välikappaleena? Tässä Tiedeykkösen jaksossa paneudutaan internetin maantieteeseen ja geopolitiikkaan. Yhdysvallat on aiempaa arvaamattomampi liittolainen; minkälaisia riskejä liittyy siihen, että Euroopassa ollaan riippuvaisia yhdysvaltalaisista teknologiayrityksistä? Haastateltavina jaksossa ovat Aalto-yliopiston teknologiapolitiikan professori Vili Lehdonvirta, sekä Teknologiateollisuus ry:n valmiuspäällikkö Antti Nyqvist. Toimittaja: Juuso Pekkinen Äänisuunnittelija: Panu Willman

Vili Lehdonvirta discusses his book "Cloud Empires" and how digital platforms like Amazon and others are overtaking our lives. We explore how we can regain control. Vili is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the University of Oxford.  Host, Kevin Craine Do you want to be a guest?

Kuten tämän podcastin kuluessa on huomattu, digitaaliset alustat käyttävät merkittävää valtaa monilla yhteiskunnan ja talouden osa-alueilla. Mutta millainen vallankäyttäjä digijättiyhtiö oikein on? Pitäisikö esimerkiksi kaupankäyntiä ja omia työmarkkinoitaan hallinnoivia yhtiötä tarkastella ennemminkin valtioina? Entä millaista on tekoälylaskennan globaali politiikka? Matti Ylösen kanssa digijättien pilvilinnojen portteja kolkuttelee Oxfordin yliopiston taloussosiologian ja digitaalisen yhteiskuntatutkimuksen professori Vili Lehdonvirta. Keskustelu kulkee läpi koko alustayhtiöiden vallan historian aina utopististen hakkeriyhteisöjen unelmista nykymaailman alustojen itsesääntelyyn ja kyberdiplomatiaan. Jaksossa selviää myös miksi Vilin entiset opiskelijat ovat pyytäneet professorilta ohjekirjaa valtion johtamiseen. Alustojen valta -podcast on osa Helsingin yliopiston valtiotieteellisessä tiedekunnassa toimivaa tutkimushanketta, jota rahoittaa Helsingin sanomain säätiö. Toimittaja: Matti Ylönen Tuottaja: Toivo Hursti Musiikki: Pasi Savonranta ja Pietu Korhonen Matin kirja Yhtiövalta alustatalouden aikakaudella (2021) nyt myös äänikirjana! ⁠⁠Kustantajan sivuilla⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bookbeatissa⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Storytelissä⁠⁠ ja muissa yleisimmissä äänikirjapalveluissa Jakson lukemisto (viittausjärjestyksessä): Lehdonvirta, V. (2020). Cloud Empires – How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control. MIT Press. Rintamäki, J. (2024). Alustataloutta kesyttämässä. Poliittinen talous 12(1). Ylönen, M. (2021). Yhtiövalta alustalouden aikaudella – evolutionaarinen taloustiede & yhtiöt yhteiskunnallisina toimijoina. Vastapaino. Skarbek, D. (2014). The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System. Oxford University Press. Marx, K. (1867/1887). Capital : A Critique of Political Economy Volume I Book One: the Process of Production of Capital. (käänt. S. Moore & E. Aveling). Progress Publishers. Smith, A. (1776/1869). An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. (toim. J. E. Thorold). Clarendon Press. Rand, A. (2007). Atlas shrugged. Penguin Books. Common European Project on Cloud Infrastructure and Services. Tekstivastine yliopiston sivuilla. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alustojen-valta/message

Tuleeko suuryrityksistä vaikutusvaltaisempia kuin valtioista? Missä tilanteessa alustatalouden piirissä toimivia suuryrityksiä on hyvä säännellä ja milloin tulisi harkita yritysten pilkkomista? Mitä eroja on horisontaalisella ja vertikaalisella pilkkomisella ja miksi vertikaalinen pilkkominen on horisontaalista pilkkomista hyödyllisempää? Tarjoavatko suuryritykset tulevaisuudessa työntekijöilleen sosiaalivakuutuksen ja missä vaiheessa alustalousyritysten sisälle alkaa muodostua poliittisia yhteisöjä? Studiossa Oxfordin yliopiston digitaalisten yhteiskuntatieteiden professori Vili Lehdonvirta. Jakso on kuvattu 28.9.2023. ⌚ AIKALEIMAT (0:00) Pilvi-imperiumit (3:01) Internetin kehitys (10:35) Alustojen valta (18:35) "Liian suuret yritykset" (21:48) Verkostovaikutukset (24:28) Vertikaalinen pilkkominen (28:10) EU:n sääntely (41:51) Vallan keskittämisen ongelma (45:12) Digitaalinen keskiluokka (48:16) Julkishyödykkeet (57:52) Bismarckin Saksa (1:02:47) Kansainvälinen eliitti (1:04:57) Ukrainan sota (1:07:35) Moderni aika (1:11:25) Toimenpidesuositukset (1:17:05) Oxfordin professori (1:20:33) Suomen ja Britannian ero (1:25:42) Vinkit akateemiselle uralle

Vili Lehdonvirta discusses his book "Cloud Empires" and how digital platforms like Amazon and others are overtaking our lives. We explore how we can regain control. Vili is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the University of Oxford. Listen for three action items you can use today. Host, Kevin Craine Do you want to be a guest?

The rise of the platform economy puts state-like power in the hands of platform owners with little or no accountability. Over the past few decades, the chaotic and lawless early Internet evolved into a digital reality where e-commerce and digital services platform owners dictate decisions that affect millions living in different countries and jurisdictions. In his book “Cloud Empires: How Digital Platforms Are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control” professor Vili Lehdonvirta explains how tech platforms got to where they are. The book outlines the history and evolution of tech platforms by telling the stories of individuals, the role they played in shaping and reshaping the Internet leading to the present day digital reality. Lehdonvirta emphasises that we can only begin to democratise digital platforms if we recognize them for what they are: institutions as powerful as the state. In this episode of Bridging the Gaps, I speak with Professor Vili Lehdonvirta; we discuss the book, the new social order established by the digital platform companies, and how the accumulated power of platforms could be challenged to hold them more accountable and to regain control. Vili Lehdonvirta is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. His research examines how digital technologies are used to reshape the organisation of economic activities in society. His research focuses on the questions such as what are the implications to workers, entrepreneurs, and states, and how can this digital economy be governed? His research draws on theories and approaches from economic sociology, political economy, industrial relations, new institutional economics, and science and technology studies. We begin by discussing the chaotic and lawless days of the early Internet. We explore the emergence of the underlying theme to resist the undue influence of outsiders and to resist government regulations in favour of giving users more control, even in the early days of Usenet. We then discuss the emergence of Bitcoin in the context of a number of historic parallels such as the medieval economy and the Athenian peasant revolt. We explore the possibility, or perhaps the impossibility, of achieving true neutrality and privacy using BitCoin. At this point we start looking at the true nature of state-like powers accumulated by today's cloud empires. An interesting point we touch upon is that similar to independent states and sovereign countries, are these state-like cloud empires protecting their users. We then look at the legal rights of employees working in these giant organisations. Finally we look at the two questions that emerge from the subtitle of the book “How digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control”. The first question is why it is important that we take back control, and the second question is, how should we do this. This has been an enlightening and thought provoking discussion. Complement this discussion with ““Working with AI: Real Stories of Human-Machine Collaboration” with Professor Thomas Davenport and Professor Steven Miller” available at: https://www.bridgingthegaps.ie/2022/10/working-with-ai-real-stories-of-human-machine-collaboration-thomas-davenport-steven-miller/ And then listen to ““Philosophy of Technology” with Professor Peter-Paul Verbeek” available at: https://www.bridgingthegaps.ie/2021/01/philosophy-of-technology-with-professor-peter-paul-verbeek/

In this podcast we cover - 1. The evolution of tech platforms from utopian marketplaces to cloud empires 2. Lessons from history of economic power and collective action for democratisation 3. The role of entrepreneurs and small business in making tech platforms democratic and accountable. Vili Lehdonvirta is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. His research examines how digital technologies are used to reshape the organization of economic activities in society, from gig platforms to online marketplaces and virtual currencies to crowdfunding. What are the implications to workers, entrepreneurs, and states, and how can this digital economy be governed? Lehdonvirta's book Cloud Empires: How digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control was published by MIT Press in September 2022. His previous book Virtual Economies: Design and analysis is published by MIT Press and translated to Chinese and Japanese. Lehdonvirta has authored and co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles published in journals such as Socio-Economic Review, Sociology, and Journal of Management.

Abstract from the book we discuss with the author during the episode: The rise of the platform economy into statelike dominance over the lives of entrepreneurs, users, and workers. The early Internet was a lawless place, populated by scam artists who made buying or selling anything online risky business. Then Amazon, eBay, Upwork, and Apple established secure digital platforms for selling physical goods, crowdsourcing labor, and downloading apps. These tech giants have gone on to rule the Internet like autocrats. How did this happen? How did users and workers become the hapless subjects of online economic empires? The Internet was supposed to liberate us from powerful institutions. In Cloud Empires, digital economy expert Vili Lehdonvirta explores the rise of the platform economy into statelike dominance over our lives and proposes a new way forward. Digital platforms create new marketplaces and prosperity on the Internet, Lehdonvirta explains, but they are ruled by Silicon Valley despots with little or no accountability. Neither workers nor users can “vote with their feet” and find another platform because in most cases there isn't one. And yet using antitrust law and decentralization to rein in the big tech companies has proven difficult. Lehdonvirta tells the stories of pioneers who helped create—or resist—the new social order established by digital platform companies. The protagonists include the usual suspects—Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Travis Kalanick of Uber, and Bitcoin's inventor Satoshi Nakamoto—as well as Kristy Milland, labor organizer of Amazon's Mechanical Turk, and GoFundMe, a crowdfunding platform that has emerged as an ersatz stand-in for the welfare state. Only if we understand digital platforms for what they are—institutions as powerful as the state—can we begin the work of democratizing them.

Vili Lehdonvirta discusses his book "Cloud Empires" and how digital platforms like Amazon and others are overtaking our lives. We explore how we can regain control. Vili is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the University of Oxford. Listen for three action items you can use today. Host, Kevin Craine Do you want to be a guest?

The Internet was supposed to liberate us from powerful institutions. But the reality might be he who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself. In this episode of the Sound of Economics, Giuseppe Porcaro and Fabian Stephany invite Vili Lehdonvirta to present his latest book, Cloud Empires, where he explains how Silicon Valley technologists end up recreating digital forms of the very institutions that they were trying to render obsolete. They also discuss the labour market. This podcast was produced within the project “Future of Work and Inclusive Growth in Europe“, with the financial support of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth.

“Competition is for losers,” Paypal founder, early Facebook investor and bitcoin enthusiast Peter Thiel once said.But now the monopoly power of the big tech firms has outgrown even Thiel's wildest dreams.In the latest New Money Review podcast, I ask Vili Lehdonvirta, professor of economic sociology and digital social research at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, whether we can loosen the tech platforms' grip on money and power. Lehdonvirta is the author of a new book, “Cloud empires: how digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control”.In the podcast, we cover the reasons for the rise of huge internet companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Tencent and Alibaba. We discuss how the libertarian ideas of the early internet have long been lost, to be replaced by concerns over excessive corporate control and rising economic, social and political inequality.How should the increasingly powerful global digital economy be governed?Listen to the podcast to hear more on:the lost optimism of the early internetwhy eBay had to abandon its laissez-faire approach to managing its marketplacewhy the internet giants' CEOs are now more powerful than heads of statehow the digital gatekeepers now regulate markets for private profithow cryptocurrency lost its P2P promise and recreated the banking systemaddressing the bigtechs' economic and political powerthe limits of public utility regulation and competition lawhow nations can deal with transnational platformswhy internet platform users may end up governing these systems

In this episode, Vili Lehdonvirta joins the Cryptocurrencyteens Podcast to discuss his role as a Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at Oxford University. He recently wrote a new book “Cloud Empires: How digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control" which is coming out from MIT Press in a few days, on September 27. Vili shares his research and work as both a researcher and an author, explaining his view on the viability of Crypto and how his book explores flaws within the Crypto industry. Description of “Cloud Empires: How digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control” on MIT Press: “The rise of the platform economy into statelike dominance over the lives of entrepreneurs, users, and workers. The early Internet was a lawless place, populated by scam artists who made buying or selling anything online risky business. Then Amazon, eBay, Upwork, and Apple established secure digital platforms for selling physical goods, crowdsourcing labor, and downloading apps. These tech giants have gone on to rule the Internet like autocrats. How did this happen? How did users and workers become the hapless subjects of online economic empires? The Internet was supposed to liberate us from powerful institutions. In Cloud Empires, digital economy expert Vili Lehdonvirta explores the rise of the platform economy into statelike dominance over our lives and proposes a new way forward. Digital platforms create new marketplaces and prosperity on the Internet, Lehdonvirta explains, but they are ruled by Silicon Valley despots with little or no accountability. Neither workers nor users can “vote with their feet” and find another platform because in most cases there isn't one. And yet using antitrust law and decentralization to rein in the big tech companies has proven difficult. Lehdonvirta tells the stories of pioneers who helped create—or resist—the new social order established by digital platform companies. The protagonists include the usual suspects—Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Travis Kalanick of Uber, and Bitcoin's inventor Satoshi Nakamoto—as well as Kristy Milland, labor organizer of Amazon's Mechanical Turk, and GoFundMe, a crowdfunding platform that has emerged as an ersatz stand-in for the welfare state. Only if we understand digital platforms for what they are—institutions as powerful as the state—can we begin the work of democratizing them.” Learn more: Vili Lehdonvirta (guest): https://www.linkedin.com/in/vililehdonvirta Cloud Empires: How digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047227/cloud-empires/ Abigail Li (host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/cryptocurrencyteens About Cryptocurrencyteens: https://www.cryptocurrencyteens.com/

Today, we speak to Vili Lehdonvirta, Professor of Economics, Sociology, and Digital Social Research at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. Professor Lehdonvirta is a social scientist whose research focuses on ways digital technologies are reshaping the organization of economies, including their associated social effects. He is also the author of two books, Cloud Empires and Virtual Economies, which provide readers with an in-depth look into the power that crypto platforms hold and a well-rounded characterization of digital markets. In this episode, we talk about the ideological underpinnings of crypto and the role of governance in making cryptocurrencies possible. We discuss the role of states in scaling markets, how states and platform companies differ, the impacts of smart contracts on governance issues, and how control and power are centralized within crypto markets, as well as the social implications of blockchain technology. Listeners will also learn about past controversies within the crypto space, why people are still needed within crypto, and the blockchain paradox, plus more!   Key Points From This Episode:   We start by learning about John Perry Barlow's vision for cyberspace. [0:05:06] Find out about the role that states play in markets. [0:07:03] How markets function at scale if the state is not involved. [0:07:55] Professor Lehdonvirta's view on whether governance may precede markets. [0:08:59] The role massive platform companies play in today's economy. [0:09:44] Ways in which states and platform companies differ. [0:10:42] Why he thinks public blockchain technology has garnered so much attention. [0:11:27] An explanation of the influence John Perry Barlow's vision had on cryptocurrencies. [0:13:04] Learn what a Kleroterion is and the role it played in Athenian democracy. [0:14:01] Professor Lehdonvirta shares what it means to ‘trust in the code.' [0:17:05] An outline of the new properties smart contracts created. [0:18:59] Social and economic implications of unstoppable censorship-resistant contracts. [0:21:08] A brief rundown of how impactful smart contracts have been. [0:22:27] How the trustless and unstoppable claims of cryptocurrencies and DAOs were affected by the DAO story. [0:24:20] Whether the Bitcoin block-size conflict affected the perception of crypto as a trustless system. [0:28:17] We find out the current size of the Bitcoin development team. [0:31:05] Other examples of human discretion affecting the direction of Bitcoin. [0:31:46] Professor Lehdonvirta explains the strategies used to preserve trustlessness after the human interventions took place. [0:35:16] Details about an important strategy: the appeal to technical expertise. [0:38:53] Find out if the ability to fork blockchain networks restores trustless claims of crypto. [0:39:42] Whether users of a blockchain network, who are not miners, can influence crypto markets. [0:45:02] Professor Lehdonvirta's opinion on who has the most control over cryptocurrency networks. [0:49:35] Hear what aspect of Athenian democracy Nakamoto failed to replicate. [0:54:26] We learn what the blockchain paradox is (also known as the governance paradox). [0:56:50] Find out if Professor Lehdonvirta thinks technology changes the fundamental aspects which shape how societies are organized. [01:00:11] Find out if blockchain has eliminated the need for nation-states. [01:02:11] What cryptocurrencies have accomplished since their inception. [01:03:40]

Amazonin kaltaisten verkkokauppojen, somealustojen ja mobiililaitteiden sovelluskauppojen hyödyt yrityksille ja tavallisille ihmisille ovat ilmeisiä. Kun yhdestä paikasta löytyy kaikki - oli kyse sitten tavaroista, palveluista tai kavereista - se hyödyttää usein niin käyttäjää kuin alustalla bisnestä tekevää yrittäjää. Mutta minkälaisia varjopuolia asiaan kytkeytyy? Amazonin tapa käyttää valta-asemaansa herättää monenlaisia kysymyksiä. Ja mistä on kyse Applen ja Spotifyn välisessä kiistassa, jossa Spotify syyttää Applea markkina-aseman väärinkäytöstä? Juuso Pekkisen haastateltavana on Oxfordin yliopistossa työskentelevä Vili Lehdonvirta. Alustojen ja digitaalisten markkinapaikkojen lisäksi Lehdonvirta tutkii mm. digitaalista keikkatyötä. Ennen keskustelua alustoista jaksossa puhutaan uusimmasta Bitcoin-hypestä ja NFT-teoksista. NFT-ilmiön takana on lohkoketjuteknologia ja se on noussut hiljattain esiin mm. siksi, että NFT-taideteoksista on maksettu tähtitieteellisiä summia. Lehdonvirta avaa jaksossa ilmiötä. Bitcoin...no, Bitcoin on Bitcoin. “Never stop the madness, ja kohta vedetään taas”, kuten meemissäkin sanotaan. Kohtaamisia syvässä päässä.

x       Alex J. Wood -- Liberator or 'Boss from Hell'?: The Gig Economy's Double Edge Oxford Internet Institute Researcher Alex J. Wood discusses the gig economy's double edge from the perspective of workers themselves. Bio Alex J. Wood (@tom_swing) is a Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute. He is a sociologist of work and employment, focusing on the changing nature of employment relations and labour market transformation. Alex is currently researching new forms of worker voice and collective action in the online gig economy as part of the iLabour project. Alex previously researched online labour markets and virtual employment relations in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia as part of the “Microwork and Virtual Production Networks in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia” project. This project investigates the economic and social implications of new forms of economic activities in the context of ICTs for development. Alex completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge Department of Sociology where he also worked as Research Associate on an ESRC impact acceleration project to evaluate potential ways of reducing workplace stress resulting from insecure scheduling. Alex’s PhD (2015) is titled the “The insecure worker: workplace control in the 21st Century”. His PhD focuses on the changing nature of flexible and insecure forms of work such as zero hour contracts. New patterns of working-time flexibility and how this relates to insecurity, well-being, and issues of workplace control and resistance being central to account developed. He also has a long standing interest in the relationships between industrial relations, union renewal and emerging forms of workplace representation and new patterns of class and inequality. Previously he received his MPhil in Sociology from the University of Cambridge (2011) with distinction. He received a first class BSc (hons) degree in Politics and Sociology, from Aston University (2009). Resources Oxford Internet Institute Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy by Alex J. Wood, Mark Graham and Vili Lehdonvirta   News Roundup New Facebook breach affects 50 million users Facebook reported a data breach that began to take effect in July of 2017 when Facebook updated its View As feature which allows users to see how their profile looks to specific friends. The company said it didn’t discover the breach until September. While the company didn’t dislose exactly which user data was stolen or who stole it, it did reveal that the hackers obtained access tokens that enabled them to manipulate user accounts. Facebook says it has notified affected users and required them to log back into their accounts. Elon Musk steps down as Tesla over tweets/SEC fraud investigation Elon Musk has stepped down as the Chairman of Tesla and will need to pay a $20 million fine for his tweet last month saying he had “funding secured” for a $420 per share buyout of the company. The SEC had sued Musk for the tweet saying it misled investors. The SEC said that the $420 stock price was a weed reference—intended to impress his girlfriend, rapper Grimes. He was also smoking up on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Obviously he was confused and bewildered—talking in tongues and rapping freestyle. Federal prosecutors are now probing the ad industry Federal prosecutors have launched an investigation into ad agencies who buy advertising time on behalf of large corporate brands. A recent Association of National Retailers report found that media outlets have been offering ad agencies rebates—cash back after they meet spending threshholds -- but that the money hasn’t been making its way back advertisers. Suzanne Vranica and Nicole Hong report in the Wall Street Journal. Environmental Protection Agency to dissolve science advisory office The EPA will be dissolving its science office and ostensibly rolling it into the agency’s Office of Research and Development. This is the same agency that has basically censored the terms “climate change” from its website, speeches and all of pr collateral. It has also stopped giving climate change awards and is working to roll back full efficiency standards. Federal preemption is trending The doctrine of Federal pre-emption took center-stage this week in three different areas: net neutrality, privacy, and 5G buildout. Remember the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution makes federal law the supreme law of the land. On the net neutrality front, the state of California passed its own set of net neutrality rules that mirror the ones the FCC passed in 2015 but that Ajit Pai’s FCC repealed earlier this year. The Department of Justice is now suing the state of California, claiming the federal preemption doctrine. On privacy, Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, AT&T, Charter, and Twitter told the Senate Commerce Committee last week that they would support federal privacy regulation that would preempt California’s privacy law, set to go into effect in 2020, which would give California consumers more control over their data. But a national privacy framework that would preempt state privacy rules has support from both sides of the aisle. And on 5G … the FCC passed new rules last week that would minimize the role of local and state authorities in the review process to build out 5G wireless infrastructure, by limiting fees that local and state authorities charge carriers in order to deploy 5G and capping the shot clock to require local authorities to approve 5G applications within 60 to 90 days. Verizon begins 5G rollout in 4 cities Five days following the FCC’s order to limit local and state oversight of 5G deployment, Verizon announced that it would be deploying 5G in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. This makes Verizon the first company in the world to offer 5G on a commercial basis to individual consumers. Brian Fung has more in the Washington Post. Federal court rules against Uber drivers suing as a class Finally, the federal District Court of the Northern District of California has ruled to de-certify a class of nearly 240,000 Uber drivers who are suing Uber, saying that they should be considered employees rather than independent contractors. This would entitle them to better benefits and things like reimbursement for gas. The decision was long expected since the US Supreme Court ruled back in May – in Epic Systems v. Louis – that courts are required to honor arbitration agreements that gig workers sign up for.  All 240, 000 drivers would now have to pursue their claims individually.

Top 5 News – AOTB July 2, 2018 Shoutout to this week's Sponsors: Ethereal and bitsonline.com 1. As of today, an unknown buyer purchases art work by Benjamin Katz called “Chasing Hearts/Northern Lights” from the Āto Gallery, an online gallery founded by Carrie Eldridge for 150 bitcoin – or the equivalent of more than $1.25 million at the time of the sale. https://news.artnet.com/market/ato-gallery-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-1297832 … … 2. May 22, 2018 Report called “The Art Market 2.0 – Blockchain and Financialisation in Visual Arts” by Duncan MacDonald-Korth, Vili Lehdonvirta and Eric T. Myer supported by the University of Oxford and The Alan Turing Institute was released recently. https://www.dacs.org.uk/DACSO/media/DACSDocs/Press%20releases/The-Art-Market-2-0-Blockchain-and-Financialisation-in-Visual-Arts-2018.pdf … … https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/arts/art-financialization-blockchain.html … … 3. June 12, 2018 article “Blockchain Art: The Market is Here and What You Need to Know” posted on Cultbytes written by Steven Buchko. http://cultbytes.com/all/blockchain-art-market-is-here/ … … 4. Article called “Artists as cryptofinanciers: welcome to the blockchain” by Ben Luke talks about Art Basel and the blockchain’s influence on the conference programming, including a group discussion by Simon Denny and quotes Ruth Catlow of Furtherfield and Ben Vickers, CTO of Serpentine Galleries in London. https://www.artbasel.com/news/artists-as-cryptofinanciers--welcome-to-the-blockchain … … 5. New to Me Department – Elastos! This organization has proposed to “adopt a flexible main chain and sidechain blockchain design structure” because Ethereum blockchains are made for “consensus-based record keeping, but lack computation speed or flexibility. They have an extensive schedule that might be worth checking out. Elastos Video Contest deadline is July 15. Fresco Art Award competition sponsored by FRESCO & Elastos with the theme of blockchain runs through August 22. https://medium.com/elastos/elastos-weekly-updates-08-june-2018-f9546f55c3fc … … White paper: https://www.elastos.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/White%20Papers/elastos_whitepaper_en.pdf?_t=1526235330 … … Twitter Handles: @DACSForArtists @oiioxford @turinginst @cryptoartcom @elastos.org @cultbytes @dennnnnnnnny @ViliLe @ato_gallery @MyCurioCards @furtherfield @robmyers @benvickers_ @jonas_lund @EddFornieles @yaoeo @bitsonline MeetUp: http://www.meetup.com/Art-on-the-Blockchain-Meetup/ … … Instagram: @aotb_podcast Twitter: @AOBT_PODCAST Disclaimer – The AOTB podcast is not a recommendation or endorsement for any of businesses or services mentioned. AOTB is not advising anyone to invest or rely upon any statements made during this podcast. It is intended for entertainment purposes only. The views are our own.

Podcastissa Oxfordin yliopiston Associate Professor Vili Lehdonvirta kertoo, miten digitaaliset alustat muuttavat työtä. Suomessa sosiaalinen suojelu (muun muassa sosiaaliturva, sairausajan palkka) on sidoksissa työsuhteeseen - olisiko tätä sosiaaliturvan ja työsuhteen liittoa tarpeen tarkastella kriittisesti alustatyön aikakaudella? Vili Lehdonvirta on taloussosiologi, joka on Euroopan tutkimusneuvoston rahoittaman iLabour-tutkimushankkeen päätutkija. Häntä haastattelee Kalevi Sorsa -säätiön projektitutkija Maija Mattila.

'Virtual economies' are all around us, from social media, to bitcoin, to the games on our smartphones. But what exactly is a virtual economy?   And is there anything that these virtual economies can teach us about 'real world' economics? Pod Academy's Alex Burd returned to the Oxford Internet Institute to speak to Vili Lehdonvirta, a research fellow there.  Alex previously interviewed Vili about Bitcoin for us (podcasts: Bitcoin 1  and Bitcoin 2). This time he went to talk about Vili's new book, Virtual Economies: Design and Analysis (by Vili Lehdonvirta and Edward Castronova, MIT Press, 2014)     In developing digital games, designers often develop an economy within the game itself.  These economies can drive the game, just as an economy does in the real world.  Then there is bitcoin - is that developing into a useable currency?  And can we learn anything about economics from understanding what is involved in clicking 'like' or 'retweet'? Vili became intrigued by what these virtual economies might teach us.  He started by explaining that he and Edward Castronova first got the idea for the book at a conference of digital game developers in San Francisco: Vili Lehdonvirta:  I’ve been going every year for the past 5 years to a digital developers' conference to give a talk there about what the academic study of virtual economies can teach game developers and digital developers. In 2010 I was there on a panel about virtual economies in online games, it was a panel where all of the panelists were academics and the game developers were quizzing us. One of the questions was ‘What should I read if I want to make use of economics and economic sociology. Should I just pick up an economic textbook.’ My co-author, Edward Castranova, was also on that panel. The two of us thought ‘well, if you pick up an economics textbook in theory everything is the same. But in practice everything is focused on very different objectives'. Then we thought, we’ll write the text book for you! Obviously we also wanted to make it interesting to academics so it’s a slightly broader book than just for developers. Alex Burd: So you you wanted to write a book for developers who wanted to know more about economics and academics who wanted to know more about games. VL: That’s right, game developers and digital developers more broadly. Not just games but anyone who is developing online communities or shared information pools or crowd sourcing systems or a new virtual currency – that’s one of the audiences. The other audience is academics and social scientists who are interested in media and social communications and are interested in behaviour and power in digital media. Basically we’re arguing to scholars that if you want to understand how digital media affects behaviour, whose power it enhances, what kind of behaviours are valued and privileged, and what kind of constraints and budgets are placed on use, then you really have to take this economic perspective on digital media. You can’t just treat it as communication, as speech, as abundant bits that are only restricted by creativity. There also these very concrete constraints and choices and ownership and exclusivity that are programmed into the infrastructure of digital media, everything from social media to numerous games that people play every day. And understanding that is crucial for any scholar studying digital media. AB: Looking at social media specifically, it’s about being able to put some kind of value on the interactions that users have with publishers. What value someone clicking 'like', or someone clicking 'retweet', has? VL: It’s that, yes, but it goes beyond just economic value. Microeconomics fundamentally is a science of choice, choice under constraint. Most internet scholarship is about how suddenly scarcity disappears and there is abundance. You don’t have to choose which music file you want because you can download both and then share them to your f...

The continued growth of online gaming and virtual worlds has effects not only in the analog world, with games and social media organizations taking stock options public, but also in the worlds created online. Many games and platforms allow users to involve themselves in virtual labor, to own property, and most importantly to make purchases. This one of areas where the analog and virtual crossover. And the question for platform providers becomes how to capitalize on user interest while earning money. In the new book Virtual Economies: Design and Analysis (MIT 2014), Vili Lehdonvirta, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, at the University of Oxford and Edward Castronova, professor of communications and cognitive science at Indiana University provide a detailed examination of the underpinnings and motivations for the creation of virtual economies. Lehdonvirta and Castronova consider various international examples to provide a comprehensive look at the markets that continue to be embedded into all kinds of online, and offline, interactions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The continued growth of online gaming and virtual worlds has effects not only in the analog world, with games and social media organizations taking stock options public, but also in the worlds created online. Many games and platforms allow users to involve themselves in virtual labor, to own property, and most importantly to make purchases. This one of areas where the analog and virtual crossover. And the question for platform providers becomes how to capitalize on user interest while earning money. In the new book Virtual Economies: Design and Analysis (MIT 2014), Vili Lehdonvirta, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, at the University of Oxford and Edward Castronova, professor of communications and cognitive science at Indiana University provide a detailed examination of the underpinnings and motivations for the creation of virtual economies. Lehdonvirta and Castronova consider various international examples to provide a comprehensive look at the markets that continue to be embedded into all kinds of online, and offline, interactions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The continued growth of online gaming and virtual worlds has effects not only in the analog world, with games and social media organizations taking stock options public, but also in the worlds created online. Many games and platforms allow users to involve themselves in virtual labor, to own property, and most importantly to make purchases. This one of areas where the analog and virtual crossover. And the question for platform providers becomes how to capitalize on user interest while earning money. In the new book Virtual Economies: Design and Analysis (MIT 2014), Vili Lehdonvirta, a research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, at the University of Oxford and Edward Castronova, professor of communications and cognitive science at Indiana University provide a detailed examination of the underpinnings and motivations for the creation of virtual economies. Lehdonvirta and Castronova consider various international examples to provide a comprehensive look at the markets that continue to be embedded into all kinds of online, and offline, interactions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vili Lehdonvirta discusses emerging markets on the Internet.

Vili Lehdonvirta discusses emerging markets on the Internet.