Platform scale rivals biological viruses in speed and reach of growth

Evidence

Its declarative victories have been the means through which it amassed world-historic concentrations of knowledge and power. These are the bulwarks that enable its continued progress. Schmidt has occasionally revealed something like this point. When describing “modern technology platforms,” he writes that “almost nothing, short of a biological virus, can scale as quickly, efficiently, or aggressively as these technology platforms, and this makes the people who build, control, and use them powerful too.” — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 565

Categorization

• CANDY: Schmidt’s ‘short of a biological virus’ quote is a memorable, tweetable line that captures platform scaling in one vivid image.