From airline tickets to rent to groceries, corporations are using algorithms, surveillance, and hidden pricing systems to squeeze consumers harder than ever before. My new book Gouged investigates how the idea of a “fair price” disappeared—and who profits from it. Pre-order: bit.ly/GougedPRH

We also have a short sidebar on World Cup pricing, where some tickets have topped $80,000, everything's priced dynamically, and FIFA is taking a cut of all resales. From @lindsayowens.bsky.social and Nia Law. prospect.org/2026/02/03/f...

Google’s building an NSA for capitalism. By merging search history, AI chats, and retailer data, its “Universal Commerce Protocol” could enable mass surveillance pricing—optimized not for security, but for extracting your maximum lifetime value. Here’s how it is likely to work (1/8).

Big/bad news for consumers. Google is out today with an announcement of how they plan to integrate shopping into their AI offerings including search and Gemini. The plan includes “personalized upselling.” I.e. Analyzing your chat data and using it to overcharge you. 1/2

Our @lindsayowens.bsky.social joined the Rossen Reports to discuss how Instacart is running experiments on us to figure out how much they can charge us for groceries. “This ain’t about discounts.”

A new report by @katiejwells.bsky.social, @lindsayowens.bsky.social, Angel Han, and Alan Smith examines how Instacart is using AI algorithms to charge shoppers different prices for the same items.

“This isn’t about managing scarcity or efficient markets...it’s about pushing to figure out the maximum amount you are willing to pay and squeeze it out of you," says @lindsayowens.bsky.social

This is a pretty big deal. It’s really great to see his professional association taking this very strong step of a lifetime ban. I hope the think tank community follows suit and folks do not use summers for advising in the next campaign season either/stop taking his many, many calls.

trump invuted a bunch of CEOs to dinner to figure out how to solve the afforability crisis nypost.com/2025/11/13/b...

I get that this guy clearly has 9 lives. But come on…can we just call this now? We don’t need him. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

The optics of this presser are horrible. Even if you went in believing they tried their best, you would change your mind after seeing this. Looks like a presser for a team that just got trounced because the coach refused to sub in fresh legs. Time to go back to the draft.

Exhibit #2625 on Dems winning the politics of the shutdown fight. Check out this polling from @groundwork.bsky.social:

This deal is a surrender. Two parties who say they care about high costs but none who will fight to deliver on it. Democrats fighting for affordable health care this past month was a huge boon to the brand and paid off in elections. If they reverse course now it will vanish—and they’ll deserve it.

"Mamdani’s proposals would make the city more livable for working people while improving public goods — from transit to child care — that benefit everyone, including those footing a slightly higher tax bill."

A helpful guide for consumers. Who to boycott.

Scoop: White House loyalty rating for companies The West Wing has created a scorecard that rates 553 companies & trade associations on how hard they worked to support and promote Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," a senior White House official tells Axios By Mike Allen www.axios.com/2025/08/15/w...

What challenges face sociologists today? Where do we find unity/dissent? What’s the future for our field? Join the conversation at the ASA 2025 Annual Meeting. W/ David Takeuchi, @lindsayowens.bsky.social, @alondra.bsky.social, @daniellaurison.bsky.social, & Catherine Moran. bit.ly/RegisterASA25

Lot of talk today upon Musk’s departure about how little money he saved us. True but irrelevant. This was a land grab. Musk is leaving because he got what he came for. This Palantir story is just the beginning. We’ll watch the long tail of this destruction unfold over years to come.

When we started working on Musk in November after Trump won a lot of people asked me if resisting Musk was a risk because he could bow out of politics and then he would no longer be a good villain for the party. My answer was always the same. What a wonderful problem to have.

"The Wisconsin race may have been a turning point: Mr. Musk appears aware that his public presence in the race backfired, according to a person who has spoken with him." www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/u...

On The Daily Blast, @gregsargent.bsky.social talks to @lindsayowens.bsky.social. She explains how Trump undermined his case for tariffs and why this is so damaging given Walmart’s massive presence in MAGA America. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

In the budget reconciliation bill, House Republicans are trying to cut SNAP by $295 billion. This would cut it in third in what would be by far the largest SNAP cut in history. This would rip food assistance away from millions of people, including households with children as young as 7 years old.

I had a great time talking with @gregsargent.bsky.social about Trump’s spat with Walmart—and why he’s almost certainly going to lose. We also touched on how Trump’s chaotic approach to trade policy makes it more likely that companies will take advantage of consumers. This is a total own goal.

Happy Mother’s Day! For new and expecting parents, Trump’s trade war will raise prices on strollers, car seats, and more that simply are not made in America. It’s an assault on working families. From @lindsayowens.bsky.social in @rollingstone.com: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

Trump has not only started a trade war but a full-frontal assault on new and expecting parents. Let’s call it what it is: a baby tax. And it’s coming just in time for Mother’s Day. My latest for @rollingstone.com: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Always fun to be on this list with some of my absolute favorite folks in the economics space in Washington like @jeffstein.bsky.social @sharonparrott.bsky.social @lipstickecon.bsky.social Jessica Fulton and more.

For the third year in a row (!!), our Executive Director @lindsayowens.bsky.social has been named by @washingtonian.com as one of the “500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy” in DC. Join us in congratulating Lindsay! www.washingtonian.com/2025/05/07/w...

Ooooooooooof.

Trump may be the 1st president to deliberately put our economy in a recession. But this one could be worse than usual because of high prices, Musk’s kneecapping of administrative state, & Congress gutting safety net families will need. Me in @rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Written by @lindsayowens.bsky.social

I spoke with @Glamour about how Trump's trade policies are giving expecting mothers 1 more thing to worry about. Many nursery items across price points are made in China. While price spikes are going to be tough, a bigger worry is the likelihood of major shortages. www.glamour.com/story/the-tr...

We aren’t talking enough about what a recession looks like with a kneecapped administrative state. Obviously we are already seeing the impact of DOGE cuts on sunny days (e.g. SSA delays). But under economic duress the volume of incoming will spike. This is a worst case scenario.

Pretty soon we will all be talking about CoreWeave the same way we were all talking about Countrywide Financial back in 2008. on.ft.com/426yoOG

Captive audiences at concerts, baseball games, and in airports are sitting ducks for price gougers. Our tax dollars fund these venues. We should get a fair price when we visit them. This opening day check out @Groundwork’s plan to ensure a family can afford the occasional ball game.

Happy Opening Day! Before you head out to the ballpark, beware of just how expensive concession and ticket prices have become. A beer will run you $15 at Nats Park, or you might spend $30 for four hot dogs at the Padres game. groundworkcollaborative.org/work/street-...

I agree with a lot of the criticisms of Abundance. Light on specifics, lacking in an analysis of the role of corporate power in accelerating some of the problems they want to fix, etc. But honestly I think the bigger problem for their agenda is that it doesn’t meet the moment. 1/3

We are a week away from Trump telling everyone to plant a victory garden.

If Republicans aren’t cutting Medicare, then it is mathematically impossible for them to avoid cutting Medicaid under their budget framework. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

New op-ed from me: yes, House Republicans really are coming for your Medicaid and SNAP. In this piece, I explain why the Republicans who say, "oh, we're not actually going for Medicaid and SNAP" are bullshitting you. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

A chicken coop in every pot.

Welcome to the Teapot Thunderdome. My latest on how DOGE isn’t about efficiency—it’s a land grab. Musk is seizing Social Security data, business applications, and competitor intel while dismantling the agencies meant to hold him accountable. We must stop him before he drinks us dry.

I wrote a piece on the new Teapot Dome scandal in Washington. Musk isn’t after efficiency. This is a land grab. Take a look and leave me a comment! www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Can’t wait to watch the full segment. I gather we are likely to hear a bit about Musk’s true interest in dismantling the CFPB - clearing the roadblocks for his new digital banking venture with VISA.

Picnic basket thefts are at an all time high after park rangers are let go. Yogi and boo-boo planning to enter fat bear week contest imminently.

Triage rules. Sickest patient first. Not a close call: priority has to be getting Musk out of Washington.

This is partly true. Conservatives’ desire to gut govt has struggled in Congress bc it’s unpopular, and thus Vought’s impoundment end run. But Musk’s DOGE is engaged in a dual project that includes a prong focused on self-enrichment. He’s marauding through trade secrets, SBA applications, & PII.

Groundwork's Executive Director @lindsayowens.bsky.social joined Alex Witt on @msnbc.com to talk about how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has put $21 billion back in Americans pockets and how DOGE is putting this important consumer protection at risk in order to line Musk’s pockets.

I wrote a piece for @msnbc.com on why Musk is after the keys to Treasury’s payment systems. There are a few different possibilities. None of them are good. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Elon Musk has already thrown the federal government into a level of chaos and inefficiency we’ve never before seen. Now, he wants unprecedented access to the payment system that distributes Social Security and Medicare. @lindsayowens.bsky.social's latest for @msnbc.com on Musk's overreach: