The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

Zuboff’s argument that Google discovered a new economic logic — behavioural surplus harvested from users and sold as prediction — and that the rest of the industry copied it.

Why it’s on the list: Named in the “explains an entire industry” thread. The most-cited hostile account of the ad-funded internet, and the source of the term itself.

Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @WillManidis asking “what is the single best book you can read that will explain an entire industry?” (June 2, 2025). The full recovered list lives on what is the single best book… (tweet).

Connections

• what is the single best book… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
• Privacy — the stake.
• Silicon Valley — the industry under indictment.