a16z: "Enshittification" Isn't Real, It's Just Platform Narcissism
round · x · 2026-09-02
a16z published an article by NYU professor Ruby Thelot arguing against the popular "Enshittification" theory coined by Cory Doctorow.
Key Arguments:
- Data vs. Narrative: While critics claim platforms are deteriorating, data shows user counts, daily usage time, and reported satisfaction are actually increasing year-over-year (e.g., Instagram).
- Growth Trend: Social media users have grown from 2.5B to nearly 6B since 2016, indicating people are choosing to use these platforms en masse.
- Intellectual Fashion: The article suggests that hating on social media has become a trendy intellectual stance, but it doesn't reflect the actual reality or revealed preferences of the general public.
More from Companies & People
- Reaction to John Ternus as Apple CEO: Hopes for Open Source & Compatibility — Saul_Loveman · 2026-09-02
- Inflection AI's 2026 Consumer AI Report: Distrust Drives Non-Adoption — Netcentrica · 2026-09-02
- AI Tinkerers and OpenAI host global hackathon focused on embedded agents — seanmcdonaldxyz · 2026-09-02
- Vibe-coding Reality Check: Would You Pay $4000/Month? — michalmalewicz · 2026-09-02
- AGI House releases discussion on open-source AI infra with Hugging Face — agihouse_org · 2026-09-02
- Dr. Dre to Musicians Fearful of AI: You Sound Like Anti-Drum Machine Folks — adariostrange · 2026-09-02