[elvinyung]

My takeaway from this article was mainly about how much competition should be fostered within the system.

One interesting thing about the neoliberal era, it seems, is that the things in it seem to be simultaneously very big and very small.

There are some very big things -- cyberpunk-style megacorps that literally have free rein to make and remake entire markets and populations -- and at the same time very small things -- gig workers, freelancers, contractors, and other kinds of "entrepreneurs" that are out on their own in a dog-eat-dog world of hustle.

I think the question is less about whether we should have more competition, and more about whether this can be done safely. As it stands, you basically have two choices, modeled after the above: to become a cog in a machine (or a machine-in-the-making), or be completely out on your own.

Can something sustainably exist in the middle, and without being consumed by the big thing or becoming the big thing?