- Throughout history, professional scribes were essential for writing tasks, but widespread literacy eliminated that market, illustrating how true empowerment can come from dissolving markets rather than improving them.
- Technological innovation is often viewed through efficiency, but its distribution of power is crucial. Access terms determine whether it democratizes or centralizes power, as seen with firearms and the telegraph.
- How technology is shared matters. Keeping it private reinforces hierarchies, while open sharing can disrupt them, determining if it serves as a democratizing force.
- Markets rely on asymmetries between participants, such as division of labor, which can benefit communities, but others like trade secrets or property rights can be exploitative.