Becoming a Corporation to Play in the Corporatocracy: Harnessing Techno-Feudalism For Good

By Michael Kelman Portney

In today’s global system dominated by corporations and technology, many feel trapped in a cycle of “techno-feudalism”—a term used to describe the sense that we are subject to powerful systems that we cannot influence. In this framework, we are increasingly faced with a stark choice: to exist as “peasants” at the mercy of powerful, corporate-controlled technologies, or to become “Lords” ourselves, capable of navigating and influencing the corporatocracy from within. This paper explores the strategic path of becoming a corporation to gain agency within these structures, thereby challenging techno-feudalism and using corporate tools to create meaningful impact.

Techno-Feudalism and the Corporatocracy

Techno-feudalism highlights a grim reality: the tools and systems designed to enhance our lives are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few corporations that wield outsized influence over economies, politics, and even social norms. This corporatocracy—a system where global corporations control policy, resources, and access to technology—creates a power dynamic that leaves those outside corporate structures as passive subjects rather than active participants.

The corporatocracy operates by consolidating wealth, exploiting influence, and shaping global agendas in ways that serve those at the top. In this context, meaningful change is often elusive for those who remain outside corporate structures, relegated to the status of “peasants.” To challenge this hierarchy and gain a seat at the table, individuals and organizations committed to ethical change may need to adopt the corporate framework themselves, becoming “Lords” who can operate within and influence the corporatocracy.

The Strategy of Becoming a Corporation

By becoming a corporation, mission-driven organizations can gain the access, resources, and legitimacy needed to confront the global oligarchy from within. Here are some of the strategic advantages this approach offers:

1. Access to Capital and Resources: Corporations are able to attract investors, secure funding, and access public markets—resources that are essential to scaling influence within a system dominated by capital. By operating as a corporation, mission-driven entities can secure the financial power needed to expand their reach and compete in markets where capital is often the primary driver of impact.

2. Gaining Legitimacy and Influence: In the corporatocracy, legitimacy often comes with corporate status. By becoming a corporation, an organization gains entry into industry groups, policy discussions, and other spheres of influence. This legitimacy is crucial to being taken seriously within corporate-dominated spaces and allows ethical corporations to advocate for change where it matters.

3. Operating with Strategic Flexibility: Corporate structures offer flexibility, enabling organizations to operate across borders, form partnerships, and pursue opportunities that may not be available to individuals or non-profits. As a corporation, an organization can make strategic decisions about when and where to engage within the corporatocracy, using market dynamics to advance its mission.

Building Ecosystems as a Pathway to Deep Impact

In addition to becoming corporations, mission-driven entities must consider creating entire ecosystems—interconnected products, services, and platforms that become essential to the daily lives of individuals and organizations. Ecosystems offer a powerful way to establish a lasting presence and exert influence within the corporatocracy. Tech giants like Apple, Google, and Amazon have proven the effectiveness of ecosystems, creating products and services that seamlessly integrate with each other and become indispensable for consumers and businesses alike.

1. Creating Value Beyond the Product: Building ecosystems means creating a network of complementary products and services that support one another and enhance user experience. This approach not only makes a corporation’s offerings more attractive but also creates reliance, positioning the corporation as a central, necessary part of everyday life. For mission-driven corporations, ecosystems can reinforce ethical goals by embedding them within each component of the ecosystem, making it easy for consumers to adopt responsible choices.

2. Establishing Long-Term Influence: Ecosystems have the advantage of creating long-term user engagement and loyalty. Once users become part of an ecosystem, they’re more likely to stay within it, making it a powerful vehicle for sustained influence. For example, a corporation focused on sustainability could create an ecosystem where customers can make eco-friendly choices across all facets of their consumption, from energy to food to transportation, fostering a culture of responsibility within their ecosystem.

3. Reshaping Consumer Behavior Through Ecosystems: By creating ecosystems that prioritize ethical and sustainable practices, corporations can reshape consumer behavior on a large scale. These ecosystems not only provide products and services but also shape users’ values and habits by making ethical choices the default. For example, an ecosystem focused on fair labor practices or carbon-neutral operations could encourage consumers to prioritize these values as well.

Using Corporate Tools to Challenge Techno-Feudalism

Once established as a corporation, and potentially an ecosystem, an organization has access to a range of tools that can be leveraged to challenge the global oligarchy and disrupt techno-feudalism:

1. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Ethical Marketing: CSR initiatives enable corporations to align their business models with ethical goals. For mission-driven corporations, this means embedding social responsibility into their core operations and using it as a form of influence. By demonstrating that ethical practices are compatible with corporate success, these organizations can pressure others in the corporatocracy to follow suit.

2. Shareholder Activism: As a corporation, organizations can buy shares in other companies and push for ethical changes from within. By leveraging shareholder proposals, mission-driven corporations can challenge exploitative practices in larger corporations, promoting transparency, sustainability, and fair labor practices.

3. Lobbying and Advocacy: Corporations wield tremendous influence through lobbying. By engaging in lobbying efforts, ethical corporations can advocate for policies that counterbalance oligarchic power and promote social welfare. Entering the lobbying space allows these corporations to counter the influence of purely profit-driven entities, pushing for systemic change on issues like environmental protection, labor rights, and data privacy.

4. Redirecting Profits for Social Impact: As a corporation, profits can be used to fund initiatives that align with ethical goals. Redirecting profits toward community development, environmental programs, and advocacy work allows mission-driven corporations to reinvest in society, thereby creating positive impact. This approach disrupts the techno-feudal cycle by demonstrating that wealth can be generated and used in ways that serve the common good.

Accountability as a Shield Against Assimilation

To resist the risk of assimilation into the corporatocracy, ethical corporations need strong tools for accountability:

Transparent Governance: A clear and transparent governance structure can help safeguard against mission drift. By prioritizing ethical principles within their leadership, corporations ensure that their actions align with their stated goals.

Public Commitments and Reporting: By making public commitments to their mission and reporting on their impact, corporations can build accountability to their values and maintain public trust.

Involving Stakeholders in Decision-Making: Engaging employees, stakeholders, and communities in governance helps ensure that the corporation remains accountable to its broader mission rather than purely profit-driven incentives.

Redefining Power by Becoming “Lords” Within the System

Techno-feudalism tells us that we have limited control over the systems governing our lives, but by becoming a corporation and building ecosystems, we can challenge this notion. Embracing corporate and ecosystem-based models allows ethical organizations to operate with the same resources, credibility, and reach as traditional corporations. By entering the corporatocracy as “Lords,” these organizations can challenge exploitative practices from within, using the power structures of the corporatocracy to create a model of corporate influence rooted in responsibility, transparency, and sustainability.

This strategy requires resilience, strategic thinking, and a willingness to adapt, but it also offers the potential to redefine what it means to be a powerful entity in a corporate-dominated world. By balancing profit with purpose and using corporate tools to advocate for ethical goals, mission-driven corporations can show that it is possible to succeed while challenging techno-feudalism from within.

Conclusion: Reshaping the Corporatocracy from the Inside

In a world shaped by techno-feudalism, where individuals feel increasingly disconnected from the systems that govern their lives, the path to change may lie in adopting the tools of the corporatocracy. Becoming a corporation and building ecosystems allow those committed to ethical reform to gain the leverage needed to challenge the global oligarchy, using corporate influence to push for transparency, accountability, and social responsibility.

Operating as a corporation and creating ecosystems offers a strategic way to navigate techno-feudalism, transforming passive subjects into active players capable of redefining the landscape. By becoming “Lords” rather than remaining “peasants,” mission-driven corporations can lead the charge toward a more equitable, transparent, and just world. Through this approach, the corporatocracy itself can be reshaped from the inside, proving that ethical influence is possible even in a system designed to serve the powerful. For those committed to change, embracing the role of corporate “Lord” and ecosystem builder may be the key to breaking free from techno-feudalism and shaping a future that serves the many, not just the few.