Feudalism 2.0: How Big Tech’s Platform Power Threatens Digital Sovereignty
Opinion piece argues Big Tech has become a new digital feudal class that extracts user data, controls identity, and operates above nation-states. The author calls this “Feudalism 2.0,” where companies like Google, Meta and Amazon act with sovereign-level influence by shaping information, communication and commerce. The article claims users traded privacy and autonomy for convenience, creating near-impossible opt-outs and dependency engineering. It positions Web3 — decentralized identity, self-custody, open protocols, interoperable data and transparent algorithms — as the architectural alternative that can redistribute power from platform monopolies to users and institutions. Institutional adoption (decentralized storage, open AI models, programmable networks) is framed as a strategy for governments and enterprises to avoid becoming dependent “vassals.” The piece urges a technological revolution focused on ownership, governance and interoperable infrastructure rather than elections or regulation alone.
Neutral
The article is an opinion advocating for Web3 as an architectural response to Big Tech centralization rather than reporting a specific market event. As such it has no immediate price-driving news like new regulation, hacks, or product launches. For traders, the piece is strategically relevant: wider institutional push toward decentralization could be a long-term bullish factor for blockchain infrastructure and identity-related tokens, while critique of Big Tech may increase regulatory focus that can create volatility. Short-term market impact is likely neutral because no actionable catalyst (funding, protocol launches, major partnerships, or legal rulings) is announced. Over the medium-to-long term, if institutional adoption of decentralized storage, open AI models or identity protocols accelerates — trends referenced in the article — that could support increased demand for infrastructure tokens (e.g., storage, oracle, identity solutions) and yield a bullish structural shift. Conversely, if Big Tech responds by integrating blockchain-like features inside walled gardens or lobbying to limit interoperability, that could be bearish for native Web3 projects. Traders should monitor concrete signals: enterprise pilot announcements, government procurement of decentralized services, major protocol mainnets reaching enterprise-grade stability, and Big Tech partnerships or countermeasures. Use neutral-to-cautious position sizing until such catalysts appear.