Ravi sits down with Tim Wu, author of The Age of Extraction, to unpack how America’s biggest tech empires rose—and why they might be due for a breakup. From Teddy Roosevelt’s railroad wars to Amazon’s pay-to-play marketplace, Wu traces how antitrust battles have shaped innovation for more than a century. He explains how Amazon’s tactics—copycat products, buried listings, and punishing sellers—mirror the monopolies of the past, and what the FTC is trying to change. The episode ends on AI, asking whether Big Tech’s wild spending is fueling progress—or just building smarter walls around its power.

--

Ravi’s Analog Writer’s Group: https://www.ravimgupta.com/analog

Tim Wu’s The Age of Extraction

--

Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 201-305-0084⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• 
  

  Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta

  
  


• 
  

  Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/

  
  


• 
  

  Read more from Ravi on Substack: https://realravigupta.substack.com 

  
  


• 
  

  Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia

  
  


• 
  

  Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

  
  


• 
  

  Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

  
  


• 
  

  Listen to Where the Schools Went: https://thebranchmedia.org/show/where-the-schools-went/