Understanding Tech Platforms and Cloud Empires with Oxford Internet Institute Professor Dr. Vili Lehdonvirta

In this podcast we cover - 

1. The evolution of tech platforms from utopian marketplaces to cloud empires 

2. Lessons from history of economic power and collective action for democratisation

3. The role of entrepreneurs and small business in making tech platforms democratic and accountable. 

Vili Lehdonvirta is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. His research examines how digital technologies are used to reshape the organization of economic activities in society, from gig platforms to online marketplaces and virtual currencies to crowdfunding. What are the implications to workers, entrepreneurs, and states, and how can this digital economy be governed?

Lehdonvirta’s book Cloud Empires: How digital platforms are overtaking the state and how we can regain control was published by MIT Press in September 2022. His previous book Virtual Economies: Design and analysis is published by MIT Press and translated to Chinese and Japanese. Lehdonvirta has authored and co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles published in journals such as Socio-Economic Review, Sociology, and Journal of Management.