The world today is undergoing profound economic and social transformations that threaten to change the contours of social classes. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class (which has always been the backbone of stability) is almost disappearing.
This phenomenon is not a coincidence, but a direct result of state policies, corporate practices, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the spread of speculation in cryptocurrencies.
1. States: Race to the bottom
In light of globalization and frantic competition for investments, countries are racing to offer a “cheaper” business environment at the expense of their citizens. How does that happen?
- Cut taxes on big corporations.
- Providing cheap labor without adequate protection.
- Weakening trade unions.
- Reduce subsidies for education and health.
The result is a decline in the basic services that citizens need, in exchange for increased investor profits.
2. Corporations: Financial profits not real production
Most big companies are no longer obsessed with creativity or productivity optimization as they are obsessed with quick financial gains. Many of them make profits and then use them to buy back shares, which raises the value of the stock and enriches large shareholders, while not reflected in employee wages or improved work environment.
In this way, companies are transformed from engines of production and innovation into instruments of financial speculation.
3. Artificial Intelligence: A Wealth Concentration Tool
Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest innovations of our time, but at the same time it carries significant risks.
- It reduces the need for labor, leading to higher unemployment or lower wages, especially in low- and middle-skilled jobs.
- It also gives enormous power to those who own algorithms and data, at the expense of society’s freedom and autonomy.
Rather than being a tool to improve everyone’s lives, AI may become a means of concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few.
4. Cryptocurrencies: The Speculative Economy
With the rise of cryptocurrencies, countries, companies, and even individuals are directing their money to speculation rather than investing in real productive projects.
Everyone is looking for easy and quick profits, while the real economy – based on work and production – is declining.
Riches from manipulation, not creativity
What we are witnessing today is a shift in the source of wealth: it no longer comes from creativity, innovation or productive labor, but from the exploitation and manipulation of the system. The result is that wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small few individuals, companies, and states, while the majority bears the burden.
If this trend continues, we may indeed be facing “dark days” as the middle class erodes, poverty deepens, and the future of societies is reduced to decisions by the poor of money and technology.
