Submitted 3 weeks ago by HailSeitan@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://jacobin.com/2026/02/socialist-co-ops-silicon-valley-tech
Co-ops are often dismissed as attempts to create islands of socialism. But building democratically controlled tech infrastructure can be part of a wider movement for working-class power.
Co-ops are often dismissed as attempts to create islands of socialism
I’m sold! When do we start?
I’m in a very rural part of the USA. My electric, telephone(landlines which I don’t have), and internet are all coops. They are all very efficient and inexpensive. I’m very happy with them.
That should be the norm everywhere
Right now. Just grab some of your friends and sign onto contracts to buy and share things together.
Food coops are the most common. I imagine tools would also be pretty easy to jointly own.
Just grab some of your friends
That would require friends…
co-ops are great especially for fresh foods. You buy in bulk and split between families. Something like half a dozen and buying fruit by the crate makes sense. along with like buying a whole cow.
tomiant@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Yeah, this shit. We CAN use capitalism against itself. Why the fuck aren’t we doing more of it? Nothing is stopping us from creating industrial collectives. Crowdsource that shit!
rimu@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
In some places it’s fairly common. Check out this network of 257 cooperatives in Spain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Too few places. There’s a cluster in Italy as well.
avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
The availability of capital for this type of organization, the capital concentration on the opposing side and its market power is what’s holding us back.
partofthevoice@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I’ll be really interesting to see how people try to hide the source of their wealth / power in a world where everything is co’oped.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
If only there were a way to seize the means of production and redistribute the wealth…
tomiant@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Yeah I know. :(
TechnoCat@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
We need better financial tools to allow employees to take out loans to purchase companies from owners and form worker cooperatives.
Gonzako@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Italy does this! They have a strong worker commune culture on the region they make the parmesan cheese at.
orioler25@lemmy.world 1 week ago
A co-op is fundamentally not capitalism if it does indeed afford ownership of the means of production and value of the products proportionately to its members. Capitalism != commerce, that misconception is a very powerful pro-Capitalist tool. Capitalism is specifically a system with its own systems of power organized around private ownership, profit maximization, and infinite growth; it does not refer to just the concepts of wealth or trade or even profit driven organizing.
fortnitefinn@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Because we’re stupid.
Because we’re stupid.