Enshittification
Enshittification by Cory Doctorowby Cory Doctorow
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 5 of 152 nonfiction books by recommenders
People recommend it for clearly explaining how big platforms get worse over time, with many examples and useful antitrust context.
People recommend it for clearly explaining how big platforms get worse over time, with many examples and useful antitrust context.
20 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 19
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 95%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 19 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 19 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Clearly explains how platforms decline
“Shows the enshittification processes big tech went through really well.”
Comment from 6 Jan 2026 in “The Post-American Internet” “Cory Doctorow explains the dynamics well in Enshittification.”
Comment from 11 Mar 2026 in “Every minute you aren't running 69 agents, you are falling behind” “is a shitty book but it does explain how that dynamic works”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Ageless Linux. We are legally required to ask how old you are. We won't” - Comment from 24 May 2026 in “Amazon Web Services – Four Years and Out”
Many examples and thorough detail
“His book goes into a lot more details and gives a lot more examples”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “'Another internet is possible': Norway rails against 'enshittification'” “It's a very thorough chapter and it's clear what they did.”
Comment from 11 Jul 2026 in “Google Search lets creators know more about their reach” “goes into way more examples of this phenomenon”
Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “Leaving Google has actively improved my life” - Comment from 19 Feb 2026 in “Anthropic officially bans using subscription auth for third party use”
Authoritative on enshittification
“Start with the excellent articles and books on the topic of enshittification by Cory Doctorow.”
Comment from 27 Aug 2026 on Hacker News “is the authority on this subject”
Comment from 11 Jan 2026 in “Ad Blockers helped kill the open web” Covers antitrust and corporate consolidation
“He explains extremely well the antitrust policies and the problems that arise when you let your companies get too big.”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Sam Altman May Control Our Future – Can He Be Trusted?” “Big corporations are big because they purchased all competitors. I recommend that you read the book Enshitification.”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “Swedish government offices to ban ChatGPT and Claude”
Other nonfiction books people recommend
The four most recommended other nonfiction books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Cuckoo's Eggby Cliff Stoll | 40 | 0 | 100% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Amusing Ourselves to Deathby Neil Postman | 36 | 0 | 100% | 9 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| The Anxious Generationby Jonathan Haidt | 24 | 12 | 67% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Bullshit Jobsby David Graeber | 20 | 12 | 63% | 8 | — | — |
| Enshittificationby Cory DoctorowThis page | 19 | 1 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
22 of the 23 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Big corporations are big because they purchased all competitors. I recommend that you read the book Enshitification.”
“If you haven't read Cory Doctorow's Ens* tification, then I highly recommend it.”
“Start with the excellent articles and books on the topic of enshittification by Cory Doctorow.”
“it's also a nice book by Cory Doctorow”
“It's a very thorough chapter and it's clear what they did.”
“I really liked how Cory Doctorow framed what Canada could be doing with respect to digital sovereignty”
“You can read these if you would like”
“He describes the process quite well.”
“Cory Doctorow has some great rants on enshizzification”
“A discussion about enshittification might enjoy a late 2025 book about enshittification.”
“He explains extremely well the antitrust policies and the problems that arise when you let your companies get too big.”
“His book goes into a lot more details and gives a lot more examples”
“That's exactly what "enshittification" describes. I strongly recommend Doctorow's book”
“is a shitty book but it does explain how that dynamic works”
“i'm fairly certain Cory Doctorow does not understand the economics of Enshittification.”
“Cory Doctorow explains the dynamics well in Enshittification.”
“goes into way more examples of this phenomenon”
“it's a great deep dive into the topical area”
“is the authority on this subject”
“Shows the enshittification processes big tech went through really well.”
“Cory Doctorow's new book Enshittification is well worth a read”
“I'm still finishing my first read, but I really recommend Cory Doctorow's latest book”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.