# Enshittification by Cory Doctorow

19 Hacker News commenters recommended Enshittification by Cory Doctorow and 1 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend it for clearly explaining how big platforms get worse over time, with many examples and useful antitrust context.

## Why people recommend it

- Clearly explains how platforms decline (4 comments): "Shows the enshittification processes big tech went through really well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46509593)) "Cory Doctorow explains the dynamics well in Enshittification." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47332457)) "is a shitty book but it does explain how that dynamic works" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47383719))
- Many examples and thorough detail (4 comments): "His book goes into a lot more details and gives a lot more examples" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47399677)) "It's a very thorough chapter and it's clear what they did." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48873549)) "goes into way more examples of this phenomenon" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47185621))
- Authoritative on enshittification (2 comments): "Start with the excellent articles and books on the topic of enshittification by Cory Doctorow." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49470846)) "is the authority on this subject" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46577033))
- Covers antitrust and corporate consolidation (2 comments): "He explains extremely well the antitrust policies and the problems that arise when you let your companies get too big." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47672536)) "Big corporations are big because they purchased all competitors. I recommend that you read the book Enshitification." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50210770))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cuckoo-s-egg.md): 40 recommend
- [Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amusing-ourselves-to-death.md): 36 recommend
- [The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/anxious-generation.md): 24 recommend
- [Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber](https://hackerapproved.com/p/bullshit-jobs.md): 20 recommend
- [Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air by David MacKay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air.md): 19 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374619328?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780374619329) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Enshittification by Cory Doctorow", https://hackerapproved.com/p/enshittification/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).