CZM Rewind: Abundance, Or How To Sell Tech Fascism To Liberals

It Could Happen Here — December 23, 2025
Host: Mia Wong (Cool Zone Media)

Overview

In this episode, host Mia Wong unpacks the ideology and funding behind the “Abundance” movement—a techno-optimistic, pro-growth ideology gaining traction on the liberal left. Ostensibly about tackling crises like housing and infrastructure by "building more," Mia reveals how the movement is bankrolled and directed by right-wing billionaires, tech oligarchs, and libertarian think tanks. She contends that Abundance, far from being a grassroots left project, is a vehicle for “tech fascism” masquerading as progressive reform, designed to capture and redirect liberal energy for corporate and authoritarian ends.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Rise of the "Abundance" Ideology (02:35—06:00)

• Abundance comes to prominence via Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s 2025 book Abundance, pushing a vision of technological and economic pro-growth solutions.
  • Prominent proponents: Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson, Matthew Yglesias, Matt Bruenig (occasionally), and others.
  • “They argue that growth is good. They argue we should make more things. They argue we should have bold visions of the future.” — Mia Wong (03:25)
• Abundance is boosted by media properties, especially the Argument Substack, aimed at “bringing these new ideas to the left.”
• The movement positions itself as a solution to government inefficiency, housing shortages, and faltering infrastructure.

2. Hidden Right-Wing and Corporate Backers (06:00—09:00)

• Despite being championed by liberals, funding and idea development originate from:
  • Emergent Ventures (Koch/Mercatus, Peter Thiel)
  • Stand Together (Koch network)
  • American Enterprise Institute
  • Andreessen Horowitz—a16z (Marc Andreessen)
• "Could abundance really be funded by all these right wing billionaires and tech fascists? Oh, no." — Mia Wong (06:51)
• Abundance events (2024/2025) feature speakers from hard-right institutions like the Manhattan Institute, AEI, and figures tied to Project 2025.

3. The Ideological Sleight of Hand: Reaganism Repackaged (09:00—12:14)

• Abundance ideology is essentially “progressive supply-side economics”—a fresh coat of paint on classic Reaganomics.
  • “Now if this sounds suspiciously Reaganite to you, that's because in a sense, it is.” — Mia Wong (09:47)
• Argues for deregulation as the key to more housing, faster transit, and cheaper goods—but oversimplifies how markets function.
• Mia draws a parallel with Chinese economic debates: “growing the pie” vs. “splitting the pie.”

4. The Reality of Market Power: Rent, Algorithms, and Price Fixing (14:59—21:04)

• Use of RealPage pricing software as a case study: landlords collude using algorithms to keep rents high, even as vacancies rise—debunking simplistic supply/demand models.
  • Justice Department’s lawsuit language quoted:
    • “driving every possible opportunity to increase price, avoiding the race to the bottom in down markets and a rising tide raises all ships.” (15:43)
    • “The actual number of people in these apartments is decreasing. The number of apartments ... empty is increasing, but the price is not going down.” (17:02)
• Draws comparison to OPEC's power over oil prices: “Absolute rent does not obey the law of supply and demand. It is the product of social power, of the power of land ownership itself.” (18:50)
• Concludes abundance does not address the root issue: “As long as the social power is held by rent extractors, they can simply set their own price. None of this is addressed in abundance.“ (19:45)

5. Deep Dive into Funding and Organizational Webs (21:04—28:15)

• Cites Prospect and Kate Willett’s reporting on organizational ties:
  • Institute for Progress, Foundation for American Innovation, Chamber of Progress (Google alum-founded, funded by Google, A16Z, and others).
  • "Chamber of Progress... is a trade group started with Google seed money... leading an effort to cross a United Farm Workers picket line." (22:23)
  • Tech VCs (Marc Andreessen, Peter Thiel) and Koch network unite to shape the Abundance policy ecosystem.
• Notes that many backers have histories tied to eugenics ideologies, warning that “if I actually went through and did this, this episode would be like 12 hours long.” (24:44)

6. The Endgame: Network States and Tech-Run Utopias (28:15—33:41)

• Abundance’s most radical vision is the “network state”: corporate-run city-states mostly freed from democratic oversight or state regulation.
  • “A common feature...is their support for the network state, both as a concept and in terms of building them.” (28:35)
  • Example: Prospera, a city in Honduras run by a corporation, not a mayor.
• U.S. attempts:
  • Venture capitalists (including Marc Andreessen) are buying large tracts of land (e.g., Solano County, CA) to prototype "California Forever," a for-profit city aiming for regulatory and political autonomy via secretive methods.
  • Patrick Collison (CEO of Stripe) and Open Philanthropy are major donors.
• “The goal of the Network State movement is to accelerate the destruction of the United States and create these corporate network states in their wake.” (31:34)
• The movement wants to transform liberal energy and values into fuel for “Trumpian tech fascism”—liberals are seen as necessary recruits for legitimacy.

7. Call to Action and Vision for Resistance (33:30—33:41)

• Mia urges listeners not to cede ground:
  • "There is still time for us to build a future built by us and for us, by and for each other. Based on mutual aid and the benefit of all. A world without death squads and ICE. A world ruled not by corporations, but by us. The fight for that world begins here and now. It could happen." (33:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What is abundance? ...desalinated ocean water flowing from the taps, skyscraper farms growing our food indoors, and star pills manufactured in space, clean air and superfast planes. Think big, think fast. Solve problems by building more.” — Mia Wong paraphrasing Malcolm Harris (03:30)
• “Could abundance really be funded by all these right-wing billionaires and tech fascists? Oh, no.” — Mia Wong (06:51)
• “Ezra Klein describes this as 'progressive supply side economics.' ...Now, supply side economics, famously is Reagan's thing.” — Mia Wong (09:45)
• “In the real world, markets are defined by power.” — Mia Wong (11:20)
• “Rent extracted by virtue of the social power of the landowner. As I wrote... absolute rent does not obey the law of supply and demand. It is the product of social power...” — Mia Wong (18:40)
• “Thiel and Andreessen are fascists who believe the state should be a corporation run by the tech elite. They do not believe in democracy, and particularly Thiel has said that democracy is the enemy of freedom.” — Mia Wong (28:20)
• “The fight for that world begins here and now. It could happen.” — Mia Wong (33:41)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:35 — Introduction to the Abundance movement’s rhetoric and figureheads
• 06:00 — Unpacking of right-wing funders and their ideological intentions
• 09:45 — Analysis: “Progressive supply-side economics” as recycled Reaganism
• 14:59 — Exposé on rental price-fixing and the myth of neutral markets
• 21:04 — Financial and institutional web of the Abundance movement
• 28:15 — Network states: Real-world examples and future ambitions
• 33:30 — Closing statement and call to action

Tone and Delivery

Mia Wong’s tone is urgent, sharp, and often incredulous, deploying sarcasm and pointed analogies. The analysis is jargon-free, accessible, and punctuated with real-world examples that anchor abstract concepts in current events. She frequently repeats the rhetorical device of “wait, what?” to highlight shocking ideological bait-and-switches and hidden interests.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode offers a densely argued, energetic critique of the Abundance movement as a Trojan horse for libertarian tech-capitalist authoritarianism. It unmasks how dazzling futuristic rhetoric, mainstream liberal personalities, and a pro-building agenda disguise a deeper power play to sideline democracy and entrench plutocratic control—urging listeners to think critically, look past branding, and choose truly collective, democratic solutions instead.