The hottest Corporate Power Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top U.S. Politics Topics

Jeff Bezos Just Taught Liberal Elites How Oligarchy Really Works

BIG by Matt Stoller • 67381 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. A billionaire owner can save a newspaper one year and gut it the next, showing how wealthy owners can use media as a political or business tool and then discard journalistic capacity when it no longer serves them.
  2. Google’s adtech dominance and AI features have siphoned traffic and ad revenue from publishers, collapsing the business model that funded local and investigative reporting and forcing papers to depend on rich benefactors.
  3. This is part of a larger democratic problem: concentrated tech and wealth power is hollowing out institutions and jobs, and while antitrust and bargaining policies could help, political and corporate resistance has limited effective solutions.

Monopoly Round-Up: Why ICE Polices in Minnesota, and Not the Corporate Board Room

BIG by Matt Stoller • 29680 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Government budgets now channel far more money into deportation and aggressive enforcement on working people than into investigating corporate wrongdoing, which creates a zone of elite impunity.
  2. The ICE raids in Minnesota highlight that most new DHS funding goes to detention, border infrastructure, and deportation rather than customs or enforcing employer violations that would target companies hiring undocumented workers.
  3. Federal white‑collar enforcement agencies — from the FTC and Antitrust Division to IRS audits and FBI corporate units — have been underfunded or hollowed out for decades, weakening oversight of monopolies and corporate abuse.

In 2026, Will Americans Finally Turn Against Oligarchs?

BIG by Matt Stoller • 59703 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Americans are increasingly noticing private equity roll-ups in everyday services and are angry because these practices raise prices and degrade quality.
  2. Anti-monopoly ideas are moving into the mainstream as politicians, local officials, media, and even some wealthy figures criticize concentration and pursue legal and regulatory action.
  3. Growing public frustration and institutional momentum could lead to real policy change against oligarchy, though entrenched interests and cynical politics will push back.

The One Simple Thing That Makes the U.S. Economy Unmanageable

BIG by Matt Stoller • 32659 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
💼 Business Corporate Power
  1. Many markets, especially health care, no longer have a single public price; middlemen like pharmacy benefit managers use secret rebates and fee schemes so the same drug can cost wildly different amounts to different people.
  2. Price secrecy destroys transparency, encourages consolidation and market power, creates huge administrative waste, and makes it impossible to tell if policy changes or list‑price cuts actually reduce overall costs.
  3. There is growing pushback through investigations, lawsuits, state laws, and enforcement actions aimed at restoring posted prices and fairer, more transparent markets.

Monopoly Round-Up: Why Did Trump Just Attack the Fed and Corporate America?

BIG by Matt Stoller • 24981 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. The administration has pivoted from "Make America Wealthy Again" to an affordability message, attacking big landlords, credit card companies, and defense contractors as a way to respond to public anger about high prices.
  2. There is a big gap between rhetoric and reality: enforcement decisions and personnel moves have often helped consolidation and weakened consumer protections, so the tough talk may not become real policy.
  3. The White House is even using aggressive moves against institutions like the Fed to try to lower costs, but those tactics risk backfiring and make the affordability agenda look conflicted and unpredictable.
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Monopoly Round-Up: A Gunboat Oligarchy Goes After Venezuelan Oil

BIG by Matt Stoller • 29107 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Corporate Power
  1. The U.S. seizure of Venezuelan oil marks a return to gunboat-style intervention where government action is clearly serving big finance and energy interests.
  2. Widespread anger at oligarchs and weak Democratic leadership is opening space for new, populist reformers, highlighted by Zohran Mamdani’s early moves and proposals like a billionaire tax.
  3. America’s deindustrialization and China’s manufacturing rise are shifting global power, while domestic deregulation and a merger boom favor financiers and risk deeper consolidation and backlash.

Amazon's Ring and Google's Nest Unwittingly Reveal the Severity of the U.S. Surveillance State

Glenn Greenwald • 5960 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Home security devices are no longer just for private use — features like neighborhood-wide camera linking and AI search can turn them into mass surveillance tools that threaten biometric privacy.
  2. Big tech may store or provide access to footage even for unsubscribed users, and law enforcement can recover that data, showing that personal video isn’t always truly deleted or private.
  3. Facial recognition, AI, and close ties between companies and state agencies are rapidly normalizing a powerful surveillance system that erodes privacy and civil liberties despite earlier public outcry.

Monopoly Round-Up: Corporate Lawyers and Fat Envelope America

BIG by Matt Stoller • 19481 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Lobbyists and well‑connected corporate lawyers are buying influence over antitrust enforcement, pushing mergers through and sidelining career officials and tougher scrutiny.
  2. The leading antitrust bar groups are largely defending big business and promoting merger‑friendly policies, remaining quiet instead of calling out suspected pay‑to‑play behavior.
  3. There is growing pushback from judges, state enforcers, and whistleblowers who are using court oversight, the Tunney Act, and congressional testimony to demand documents and challenge suspicious settlements.

The Plutocrats Who Rule Our World Aren't Even Enjoying Themselves

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2491 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. The super-rich hoard wealth and manipulate power, harming everyone else in the process. And it still doesn't make them happy.
  2. Extreme wealth breeds isolation and prevents real contentment, so billionaires can never experience the feeling of having enough. That permanent lack of satisfaction shows money alone can't buy happiness.
  3. Many wealthy elites are driven by emotional wounds and compulsive behavior rather than the common good. Letting such dysfunctional people run society is neither justified nor healthy.

Top Links 1025 Late German Government spending. The Phoebus cartel. The pivot to that Asia has failed.

Chartbook • 472 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🌐 International Corporate Power
  1. The German government has only now begun the large spending surge it promised in spring 2025, despite earlier talk about it.
  2. The Phoebus cartel is a featured subject, highlighting historical corporate collusion that deliberately shortened product lifespans.
  3. The pivot to Asia is judged to have failed, signaling a major reassessment of policy and strategy toward the region.

Meditations On A Delivery Robot Steering To Avoid A Homeless Man On The Sidewalk

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 1825 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Corporate Power
  1. A robot steering around a person on the sidewalk shows how normal people and systems have become indifferent to the suffering of the most vulnerable.
  2. Automation and tech are being used to replace workers and boost corporate profits instead of ending poverty or solving bigger human and environmental problems.
  3. The scene reveals that societal priorities favor trivial, profit-driven convenience over real care and justice, acting as a stark mirror of a broader moral and political failure.

Chartbook 431 Convening, staging, acting ... and was it never about Greenland and mainly about the Fed? Which Davos-theory won?

Chartbook • 1874 implied HN points • 24 Jan 26
💼 Business Corporate Power
  1. Davos works as a three-part effect: it convenes big money, stages attention-grabbing performances, and gives politicians a shared platform to act, and it’s the interaction of all three that can create real influence.
  2. Big businesses mostly stayed publicly silent toward MAGA, not necessarily out of agreement but out of fear of retaliation and because corporate-led forums carry deep conflicts of interest.
  3. The decisive force may have been markets and Fed-related concerns rather than the Greenland issue itself, with BlackRock’s visibility and bond investors’ warnings amplifying political pressure and shaping choices about the Fed.

Jesse Jackson: Godfather of the Great Awokening

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 482 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Jesse Jackson rose from Martin Luther King Jr.'s circle to national prominence. He ran for president twice and became a major Democratic power broker.
  2. He moved racial identity politics from street protest into corporate boardrooms and university administrations. That shifted identity-based demands into how organizations hire, promote, and set policy.
  3. His approach tied activism to money and political influence, creating a model of profitable racial advocacy later movements have followed. Those practices helped entrench illiberal identity politics with lasting consequences across the political spectrum.

The truth about the economy

Robert Reich • 22091 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. The U.S. economy is performing well with job growth and low inflation.
  2. Corporate pricing power is keeping prices high for consumers by limiting competition.
  3. To address economic challenges, there's a need for vigorous antitrust enforcement to break up big corporations and prevent price gouging.

Chartbook 421: The end of American soft-power? From Coca-colonization to Fanta-ization

Chartbook • 1974 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics Corporate Power
  1. American soft power was once built not just by the US government but by private networks—big brands, universities, philanthropy, entertainment, and global corporations shaped how the world saw America.
  2. That soft power is weakening as major American brands deliberately downplay their U.S. origins and localize their image abroad, so consumers in places like Germany are increasingly choosing brands framed as local.
  3. Soft power is a flexible network shaped by geopolitics, markets, and consumer tastes, so corporate branding and historical context can reconfigure influence and weaken old cultural ties between the U.S. and Europe.

Questioning Power

How the Hell • 110 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Corporate Power
  1. Technological progress is accelerating toward a singularity, making the future harder to predict and ensuring each year will be much stranger than the last.
  2. Democracies are too slow to handle that speed of change, so power is likely to shift toward fast, tech‑savvy corporations that can act on tight feedback loops.
  3. Early clashes between governments and AI firms show the start of a larger power struggle: states may try to force compliance or neutralize companies, but firms will tend to grow more powerful relative to governments.

How Bari Weiss pushes propaganda to please the powerful

The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (of Vooza) | Sent every Tuesday • 712 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
📰 News Corporate Power
  1. Bari Weiss presents herself as a free-speech, reformed-liberal voice but uses that posture to promote wealthy tech, libertarian, and pro-Israel figures while relentlessly criticizing the left.
  2. New ownership and executives with close ties to rich, pro-Israel donors are steering editorial priorities to amplify their political and business interests.
  3. That shift has led to selective sourcing, uneven reporting and criticism, and a loss of credibility and viewers for the network.

Top Links 987 The slow burn of uncertainty. The war of position at Starbucks. News-flow in 1848 & the (nasty) history of "Hammerskins".

Chartbook • 472 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Economic uncertainty can be dramatic without immediately hurting the economy; its negative effects often unfold slowly and are easy for forecasters and investors to misread.
  2. Long-running internal battles at big companies — a "war of position" — can reshape workplace policy, labor relations, and public perception over time.
  3. Looking at historical news flow and the violent history of groups like the Hammerskins shows how media and extremist movements interact, and that past context helps explain today’s political and social tensions.

This Is A Story About Power

Teaching computers how to talk • 57 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
🕹 Technology Corporate Power
  1. The government tried to force AI firms to accept "all lawful uses"—which could include mass surveillance and autonomous weapons. Anthropic refused and faced punitive actions while another firm quickly made a deal, raising concerns about influence and favoritism.
  2. AI is now deeply integrated into military and state operations, already used in strikes, raids, surveillance, and cyberwarfare. Private AI companies will be repeatedly pressured to choose between commercial, ethical, and national security demands.
  3. Public reaction matters: Anthropic's refusal won praise and drove many users to switch to its Claude app, while the other firm faced backlash and lost some trust and subscriptions. Ethical stances can translate directly into market and reputational consequences.

Does Biden Welcome Their Hatred?

BIG by Matt Stoller • 27044 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Biden's administration is taking steps to reduce corporate power through measures like capping credit card late fees and focusing on monopolies in the healthcare sector.
  2. There is a mix of positive and negative actions within the Biden administration towards tackling concentrated economic power, showcasing a nuanced approach to corporate regulation.
  3. Despite Biden's populist State of the Union rhetoric, the administration faces challenges in fully addressing corporate power and governance issues, including instances of corruption and policy setbacks.

Labor Unions Are Industrial Policy

BIG by Matt Stoller • 32430 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Labor unions can influence corporate investment decisions and set industrial policy.
  2. There is a shift towards empowering workers to have a greater say in how corporations operate.
  3. The rise of antitrust enforcement, labor activism, and focus on domestic manufacturing subsidies are interconnected in challenging the influence of financiers and middlemen.

Verizon won't let me go

New Means • 3675 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. It can be frustrating to deal with corporations like Verizon when trying to cancel services.
  2. Monopolies can trap consumers by controlling essential goods and services.
  3. Corporate power imbalance and coercion are issues that need to be addressed for consumer autonomy and freedom.

Top Links 971 Tech billionaires. Big ingots. Soviet surrealism & the banger.

Chartbook • 371 implied HN points • 03 Jan 26
💰 Finance Corporate Power
  1. Tech billionaires added about half a trillion dollars to their personal wealth in 2025.
  2. The edition mixes data-heavy items with cultural pieces, including Soviet surrealism and visual art like Eugene Berman’s painting.
  3. Chartbook is a curated newsletter that offers free previews alongside paid subscriber content and relies on reader support.

The Washington Post Bloodbath Shows The Essence of Being A Leftist Is Being Dismissed As Unserious for Being Correct Too Early

JoeWrote • 110 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Progressive critiques about concentrated corporate influence, U.S. imperialism, and authoritarian tendencies were often correct well before mainstream commentators admitted it.
  2. Mainstream media and centrist figures routinely dismissed these warnings as unserious, then later acknowledged the realities without crediting those who raised them.
  3. Public sentiment often supports humane immigration reform and skepticism of elite power, and recognizing those positions could be politically advantageous for established parties.

How the 'Epstein Class' Fails to the Top | The Chris Hedges Report (w/ Anand Giridharadas)

The Chris Hedges Report • 172 implied HN points • 24 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. A powerful elite has recast itself as the solution to social problems, using philanthropy, tech and conferences to claim moral authority while protecting the existing system and their own power.
  2. The rise of consulting and finance mindsets treats efficiency as everything, stripping human connection and hollowing out public institutions so people suffer while profits rise.
  3. A tight global network of elites trades access and inside information and routinely looks away from harm, prioritizing its permanence and members over accountability or the common good.

Fake Standards & Real Pro-Trump Censorship: 60 Minutes, CBS News, Bari Weiss, Paramount-Skydance, the Ellisons, & the Trumps

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 138 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. A finished 60 Minutes report about El Salvador’s prison camps was pulled after demands that it include an interview with a Trump administration official, turning a call for “balance” into a de facto veto.
  2. Corporate owners and partners seem to prioritize protecting business ties and avoiding Trump’s ire, leading them to tolerate newsroom self‑censorship rather than risk political or financial fallout.
  3. The episode shows how ostensible standards and elite media maneuvering can function as real pro‑Trump censorship, and how praise for figures who enable that behavior helps normalize the cycle.

Mapping UnitedHealth’s consumption of our health care system – from the ‘70s to today

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 759 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
🏥 Health Politics Corporate Power
  1. UnitedHealth has grown significantly by acquiring many health companies since the 1970s. This has made it one of the biggest and most influential health care companies in the U.S.
  2. Their acquisitions have changed how health care is managed, often focusing more on profit rather than patient care. Some companies they've bought have faced criticism for denying necessary treatments.
  3. UnitedHealth's size allows it to impact many areas of health care, from insurance to the providers of medical services. This has raised concerns about its influence over patient care and competition in the market.

Taken, not Earned

The Counterbalance • 235 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
💼 Business Corporate Power
  1. The report discusses how monopolies lead to high markups and impact the world's economy.
  2. The biggest companies and wealthiest individuals have significant power through monopolies.
  3. Regulators need to address monopolistic powers to prevent further harm in various sectors.

Is America A Failed State?

Castalia • 219 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. Travel experiences highlight issues in customer service and corporate practices. Many people are frustrated with technology getting in the way and feeling ignored by automated systems.
  2. America's economic landscape is dominated by a few large corporations, leading to less competition and lower quality service. This shift has resulted in a sense of uniformity and dissatisfaction in many communities.
  3. People often accept the current system without questioning it, similar to the way citizens in a failing state might feel. There's a need for accountability and reform to improve the situation.

The Road to Hell: Q&A

Thoughts on Writing • 139 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
📖 Philosophy Corporate Power
  1. Historically, purpose was always about social purpose as it emerged as a big idea.
  2. Bothism, or the middle ground approach, can sometimes defer important arguments instead of resolving them.
  3. Corporate purpose initiatives could potentially act as a distraction from real societal change, like effective climate action.

True Bipartisanship! America's Ruling Class Joins Hands to Say Violence Against the Ruling Class is Never the Answer.

JoeWrote • 192 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. There's a big divide in America between the working class who face tough healthcare choices and the wealthy elite who don't understand these struggles. Many people feel sympathy for those who resort to extreme actions out of frustration with the healthcare system.
  2. Regulations and profit-driven decisions in the healthcare industry often lead to people being denied medical care, resulting in serious consequences for families. The focus on profits can make it seem like lives are less important.
  3. While some defend the actions of healthcare executives as just following rules, many believe that this mindset excuses harmful policies. The working class wants accountability from those who benefit from a system that puts profit over people's health.

Humans Out Of The Loop

KERFUFFLE • 37 implied HN points • 22 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. AI is affecting jobs, but it's often because of choices made by those in power, not just the technology itself.
  2. Many jobs, like accounting, were struggling long before AI came along due to bad working conditions and low pay.
  3. AI may not just replace jobs, but it could make them unnecessary, which means we need to be ready for bigger changes ahead.

Empty Promises of Circularity

Fight to Repair • 39 implied HN points • 10 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Corporate Power
  1. Overconsumption is pushing Earth Overshoot Day earlier each year, highlighting the urgency to change consumption habits.
  2. Repairing tools like bicycles promotes self-reliance and community, resisting corporate control over repair and parts.
  3. The push towards a circular economy needs careful consideration; ending ownership doesn't automatically address corporate power, and repairability is key to combating 'enshittification'.

December 5, 2024

Letters from an American • 17 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corporate Power
  1. The assassination of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has sparked outrage and debate about the power that big insurance companies have over people's lives. Many people feel anger towards these companies for prioritizing profits over patient care.
  2. UnitedHealthcare is facing numerous lawsuits and criticism for denying coverage and using flawed algorithms that frequently reject claims. This raises serious concerns about the practices of health insurance companies.
  3. There is growing public frustration with how government and big businesses interact, which is highlighted by this incident. People are starting to push back against the influence of wealthy executives on healthcare and regulations.

How big is your government?

Bretton Goods • 55 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
🌍 World Politics Corporate Power
  1. The Index of Economic Freedom doesn't consider government ownership of the economy in measuring government size.
  2. Land ownership and regulations have a strong impact on the economy in places like Hong Kong and Singapore.
  3. The Index should account for corporate economic power and positive freedoms in evaluating economic freedom.

Fight to Repair Weekly: Week of November 7, 2022

Fight to Repair • 0 implied HN points • 11 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Corporate Power
  1. FTC is stepping up to enforce unfair competition laws, aiming to crack down on companies using unfair tactics for advantage.
  2. Repair-focused class action lawsuits against manufacturers like Harley Davidson and John Deere are progressing, showing a pushback against restrictions on repair.
  3. Articles highlight challenges in repairing modern products like phones and bicycles, emphasizing the importance of the right to repair movement.