History Professor Answers Capitalism Questions
WIRED · Published on September 29, 2026
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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: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/722662/choose-your-captivity-by-eli-cook/ WIRED recommends: https://youtu.be/vK6fALsenmw https://youtu.be/XVEMBw2jT9o https://youtu.be/QZXPzxxdOzc Watch more from WIRED | Tech Support: https://www.youtube.com/show/VLPLibNZv5Zd0dwIx8baZGDdkoPNg6LHAPDi?sbp=QAE%3D #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 Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►► http://wrd.cm/15fP7B7 Download the WIRED app: https://wired.com/app Listen to the Uncanny Valley podcast ►► https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/uncanny-valley-wired/id266391367 Want more WIRED? Get the magazine ►► https://subscribe.wired.com/subscribe/splits/wired/WIR_YouTube?source=EDT_WIR_YouTube_0_Video_Description_ZZ Follow WIRED: Instagram ►►https://instagram.com/wired Twitter ►►http://www.twitter.com/wired Facebook ►►https://www.facebook.com/wired Tik Tok ►►https://www.tiktok.com/@wired Get more incredible stories on science and tech with our daily newsletter: https://wrd.cm/DailyYT ABOUT WIRED WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. Through thought-provoking stories and videos, WIRED explores the future of business, innovation, and culture.
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