
The Age of Extraction
How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity
Tim Wu(Author)
Vintage (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 25. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-5299-6731-9 (ISBN)
Description
The pre-eminent exponent of anti-monopoly law explains why we have no option but to break Big Tech's monopolies, and that doing so would unleash innovation and growth.
'Wu deftly breaks down one of the greatest challenges of our age - the unaccountable power of tech platforms - into such digestible pieces that the solutions for what to do become dead obvious' KAREN HAO, author of Empire of AI
'Tim Wu is a titan . . . a must-read' Financial Times
Today's dominant tech platforms - the places where we exchange information and buy things online - could be the most powerful engines of prosperity ever invented. Instead, they are the most effective instruments of wealth extraction ever created and a grave threat to our societies.
Here the pre-eminent exponent of anti-monopoly law Tim Wu, who coined the phrase 'net neutrality', explains why breaking Big Tech's monopolies would unleash innovation and growth and is essential if we are to avoid further social division. In their place he sets out the five key ways in which future platforms should be managed to harness the extraordinary potential of these essential technologies and to help build the balanced economies we so badly need.
'Tim Wu's readable, passionate call is for a fairer economy where the benefits of AI can be for all of us' DARON ACEMOGLU, co-author of Why Nations Fail
'Wu's proposed solutions for fixing the internet provide hope, not least because of how simple they are' New Statesman
'Remarkably astute and timely ... a vital book' LINA KHAN, Former Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
'Cuts to the core' CORY DOCTOROW, author of Enshittification
*A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2025*
'Wu deftly breaks down one of the greatest challenges of our age - the unaccountable power of tech platforms - into such digestible pieces that the solutions for what to do become dead obvious' KAREN HAO, author of Empire of AI
'Tim Wu is a titan . . . a must-read' Financial Times
Today's dominant tech platforms - the places where we exchange information and buy things online - could be the most powerful engines of prosperity ever invented. Instead, they are the most effective instruments of wealth extraction ever created and a grave threat to our societies.
Here the pre-eminent exponent of anti-monopoly law Tim Wu, who coined the phrase 'net neutrality', explains why breaking Big Tech's monopolies would unleash innovation and growth and is essential if we are to avoid further social division. In their place he sets out the five key ways in which future platforms should be managed to harness the extraordinary potential of these essential technologies and to help build the balanced economies we so badly need.
'Tim Wu's readable, passionate call is for a fairer economy where the benefits of AI can be for all of us' DARON ACEMOGLU, co-author of Why Nations Fail
'Wu's proposed solutions for fixing the internet provide hope, not least because of how simple they are' New Statesman
'Remarkably astute and timely ... a vital book' LINA KHAN, Former Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
'Cuts to the core' CORY DOCTOROW, author of Enshittification
*A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2025*
Reviews / Votes
Tim Wu is a titan in the world of competition policy in digital markets ... [His] record of insight, indeed prescience, makes his new book, The Age of Extraction, a must read * Financial Times * A manual to the oligarchic takeover of the internet as well as the broader economy that now depends upon it . . . [whose] proposed solutions for fixing the internet provide hope, not least because of how simple they are * New Statesman * The paradox of the platform: without middlemen, we'd all be stuck, but those same middlemen are forever working to declare themselves to be our bosses. Wu's characteristically insightful book cuts to the core of these world-consuming, usurping enshittifiers, and tells us how to stop them -- Cory Doctorow, author of Enshittification The magic of Tim Wu's The Age of Extraction is its simplicity. Wu deftly breaks down one of the greatest challenges of our age - the unaccountable power of tech platforms - into such digestible pieces that the solutions for what to do become dead obvious. Essential reading for anyone looking for the recipe to rebalance the vast inequality in our society and to create a thriving economy that works for everyone -- Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI Large tech companies are set to be the main beneficiaries of a new economy based on data and artificial intelligence. But neither the lopsided present of tech nor the future direction of technology is our destiny. Tim Wu's readable, passionate call is for a fairer economy where the benefits of AI can be for all of us, and he proposes principles, laws, and regulations about how to achieve this -- Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations Fail Tim Wu's The Age of Extraction is a how-to book on how we can achieve liberty once again. Wu describes why so much in our society feels unbalanced, that the convenience and scale of platforms masks a hidden creeping power over our lives and communities. But he also shows how platforms in one form or another have always been part of human society, and the key is to govern them properly -- Matt Stoller, author of Goliath Tim Wu's The Age of Extraction is a must-read. This is a book for anyone-from senator to student-who seeks to understand our digital economy and why we need common sense rules of the road. Wu shows us how to protect consumers, workers, small businesses, and even our democracy from dominant platforms that have inserted themselves into nearly every aspect of our lives -- Senator Amy Klobuchar The Age of Extraction is remarkably astute and timely. Wu brilliantly analyzes platform power with great clarity, insight, and moral force, laying out the material stakes for people's lives as well as a roadmap for achieving broad prosperity and economic fairness. A vital book for these troubled times -- Lina Khan, Former Chair, U.S. Federal Trade Commission An intelligent and useful guide -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
200 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-6731-9 (9781529967319)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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Tim Wu
The Age of Extraction
How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity
Book
11/2025
The Bodley Head Ltd
€31.50
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Tim Wu
The Age of Extraction
How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity
E-Book
11/2025
Vintage Digital
€14.99
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Tim Wu
The Age of Extraction
How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity
Book
11/2025
The Bodley Head
€19.00
Available immediately
Person
Tim Wu is Julius Silver Professor of Law, Science and Technology at Columbia Law School. He worked in the White House as special assistant to President Biden for technology and competition policy, where he helped craft the administration's antitrust policies. He is the author of The Master Switch and The Attention Merchants and coined the phrase 'net neutrality'. He currently splits his time between New York City and Oxford.