Surveillance capitalist firms operate on a hyperscale pattern with tiny workforces.

Evidence

Second, by historical standards the large surveillance capitalists employ relatively few people compared to their unprecedented computational resources. This pattern, in which a small, highly educated workforce leverages the power of a massive capital-intensive infrastructure, is called “hyperscale.” — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1588

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the contested term ‘hyperscale’ as the defining employment structure of surveillance capitalism.
• XREF: connects to: The tech sector’s GDP and employment footprints are surprisingly small — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 826; A tiny handful of tech firms dominate third-party commercial surveillance of the web. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 429; Hyperscale surveillance capitalists barely depend on society for employees — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1593

Broader Connections

• Hyperscale surveillance capitalists barely depend on society for employees #expands (0.95) — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1593