Historian of American capitalism Professor Eli Cook joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about capitalism. Who invented capitalism? Do corporations have more power than governments? How would life in the U.S. look if it wasn’t a capitalist society? Answers to these questions and many more await on Capitalism Support.
Order Eli Cook’s Book _Choose Your Captivity_ here:
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#Capitalism #History #WIRED
00:00 – Capitalism Support
00:10 – Capitalism: Eat, sleep, monetize, repeat
00:53 – The new, meaner, form of capitalism
01:32 – The invisible hand has a lot to answer for
02:27 – Trickle-down economics or corporate greed?
03:58 – Capitalism vs. communism vs. socialism
05:14 – China’s GDP target? Yes.
07:04 – Hell on earth
07:28 – Capitalism 🤝 socialism
08:28 – Corporatocracy
09:14 – Is the state working for the capitalists?
10:42 – Error 404: Ethical billionaire not found
11:54 – Conquering poverty at $9.99 a time
12:52 – AI just gave the invisible hand a faster keyboard
14:16 – The sloppiness of capitalism
14:56 – Free market means free to exploit, right?
15:48 – The American Dream is just a throwback
17:05 – Monopoly: Great game, terrible economic model
19:06 – America wasn’t always like this…
20:24 – Nothing says ‘sustainable future’ like quarterly profit projections
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@humanstew8866
September 29, 2026 at 7:38 pm
So you’re telling me that the Chinese central banking is controlled by the government, but that’s pretty obviously not true. The money is, always, what controls the government, not the other way around.
@katfromdenver
September 29, 2026 at 7:40 pm
Automation still exploits people, just not as laborers.
@irishsailor4238
September 29, 2026 at 7:40 pm
Thank you, Wired.
@hamedal-khateeb7360
September 29, 2026 at 7:45 pm
This one is huge! he said it in the nicest of ways, but couldn’t hide his true feelings. Great Man and educator.
@ErnlMoontyPawnoeh
September 29, 2026 at 7:45 pm
Yeah. Politicians and law-makers are their guard dawgs.
@alexsolosm
September 29, 2026 at 7:55 pm
This guy is a “professor” who’s grown up on propaganda. Not the most well-informed guy for educational role.
@RyanBaruth
September 29, 2026 at 7:58 pm
Yeah that definition of communism was just not right. This ur expert?
@nicholasanselment1431
September 29, 2026 at 8:00 pm
Insulin is expensive because subsidized medicine,insurance companies and patent laws that overly protect intellectual rights and sure you could simplify that to “late stage capitalism” but I feel that really is an understatement intentionally putting more blame on capitalism and less on currupt governments
@jamescrow370
September 29, 2026 at 8:03 pm
“Late Stage Capitalism” = Corporatism = Market Corruption = Government Over-Regulation = Early Stage Socialism.
Actual Capitalism is just Private Property Rights combined with Free Trade and minimal regulations.
Saved you 20 minutes.
@ZapRivet
September 29, 2026 at 8:03 pm
It is complicated and intertwined. There are obvious forces such as a glutton demanding more before they die of over consumption. Let’s not give up.
@ncromos
September 29, 2026 at 8:11 pm
‘Western Europe, Scandinavia’??? I know this isn’t about geography, but stil…
@holycrapchris
September 29, 2026 at 8:12 pm
The professor seems to equate capitalism with an oligarchy here. Nothing about capitalism requires a few rich owners at the top. All participants in the market can be owners, with participant able to be a consumer, producer, and owner. And some producers are owners at the same time: sole proprietorships, partnerships, and co-ops are owned by their employees.
@TheOnlyName
September 29, 2026 at 8:14 pm
The hope is that by the time companies can rely on only machines, the supply of goods and services available by and being produced by machines is so great that the everyday person is not left behind and in fact doing better than ever. As for some people who say you will be able to ask for anything you want, time will tell, I think the new (was once old) currency will be land, though underground development could happen as much as ever.
@TheBoredPhysicist
September 29, 2026 at 8:17 pm
He’s so bouncy.
@yesyes1842
September 29, 2026 at 8:18 pm
I don’t think he answered what communism actually is. There is no true communist state today, so the answer should be we don’t know. It technically means equal distribution of wealth, which no country has truly attained.
@anathardayaldar
September 29, 2026 at 8:35 pm
Yes the future does look bleak as capitalism grows beyond control.
But on the upside, I have no children and I’ll be dead soon. So I won’t be around to see that happen.
@sirjonsmithiii992
September 29, 2026 at 8:44 pm
Unregulated corporations are inherently evil.
@VichaDorenaBrTarigan
September 29, 2026 at 8:51 pm
8:40 VOC 😂.
@ds4nn
September 29, 2026 at 8:55 pm
5:05 I see we’re just making up our own definitions of communism based on interpretations of history, instead of really defining it…
@beanie-dog
September 29, 2026 at 8:59 pm
what is the rabbit hole?
@Jasia_
September 29, 2026 at 9:06 pm
20:12 I get the feeling this was sarcasm in disguise lol
@marslightsnoise
September 29, 2026 at 9:17 pm
How about capitalism, but only for pure private goods, and firms are required to be employee-owned?
@mazraku
September 29, 2026 at 9:22 pm
Government handouts to corporations is theft.
@jackbreuhaus6244
September 29, 2026 at 9:23 pm
Shockingly unrigorous for a man who’s devoted his life to this topic
@孙德胜-2025
September 29, 2026 at 9:23 pm
For the majority of the eminent men of every past generation held many opinions now known to be erroneous, and did or approved numerous things which no one will now justify.