Cloudalists had to build their rent-extraction powers from nothing.

Evidence

Unlike the feudalists, who were invariably born with the power to extract rents, the cloudalists had to create it from scratch. And to do that, you’re right, they invested gargantuan sums in their technology. But the question remains: what exactly did they invest in? And what came of their investments? — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism, 495

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 495
• XREF: connects to: No one planned the rise of cloudalist power — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 445; Cloud capital made humanity work for free or a pittance — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, 444

Broader Connections

• No one planned the rise of cloudalist power #corroborates (0.85) — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism, 445
• Cloud capital made humanity work for free or a pittance #expands (0.80) — Yanis Varoufakis, Technofeudalism, 444