Master Switch: The Rise And Fall Of Information Empires (2010)

This book is a very detailed look at how information empires (like Hollywood, the telephone system, etc) are built and how, initially, they are open use but become closed over time, leading to privileges and boxed in use of the product. Wu does an excellent job of retelling the history of corporations you never knew about in a way that is engaging, insightful, and very captivating.The last portion of his book covers the rise of the internet and how, hypothetically, based on his studies of other empires, it can become a closed system. He defines net neutrality and how it is likely the internet can lose its neutrality because of corporations closing up the system.Overall, the book is very well written, the facts are laid out and very readable. Though it is not necessarily a page turner, it certainly grips you and presses you to think about the consequences of letting innovations become mired in corporate ideas and rules in order to make money. Overall, I think anyone could enjoy reading this book.

the brutal history of technology