Terence Tao: The role of small organizations in society has shrunk significantly

Are small organizations really shrinking?

• Some argue local businesses and civic groups have clearly lost ground to national chains and platforms (e.g., Starbucks replacing local cafés, national news displacing local papers).
• Others push back, noting proliferation of online communities, subreddits, Discords, Meetups, and local activism as evidence small groups still form—though it’s unclear if these are equivalent in depth and durability.
• Several point out that “tiny” entities (solo Amazon sellers, YouTube channels) may exist in huge numbers but operate atop highly centralized platforms and lack real autonomy.

Platforms, “tiny” businesses, and illusion of choice

• One camp sees Amazon/YouTube as empowering small producers and creators, vastly expanding niche supply vs. 20 years ago.
• Critics respond that a few brands and channels dominate sales and views; the long tail is mostly an illusion of diversity under platform control.
• Others stress the Dunbar-number angle: watching “small” creators is not the same as belonging to a small community where people know and influence each other.

Power of large organizations and antitrust

• Many see a post‑WWII trend toward greater concentration: larger governments, industry consolidation, huge tech firms, and “too big to fail” finance.
• Historical examples (Bell breakup, banking restrictions, earlier antitrust) are cited as evidence the US once actively kept firms small and local; commenters say that discipline has largely disappeared under globalization.
• Debate over whether big firms enable socially valuable mega‑projects (TSMC, Waymo, large LLMs) or mainly entrench rent‑seeking and inequality.

Expertise, vibes, and scholarship

• Some criticize the post as an unsourced, “vibes‑based” take spanning deep academic fields (communications, corporatization, civil society).
• Others counter that informal, philosophical reflections are fine, the author explicitly disclaimed rigor, and such posts can serve as pointers into richer scholarship (Putnam, Tocqueville, Nisbet, etc.).
• The “halo effect” of a famous scientist is raised: concern that readers may overweight his authority outside his domain.

Social vs economic organization; decline of civil society

• Several note the post is primarily about social organization (families, clubs, churches, co‑ops) not just firm size.
• Many connect it to documented declines in associations: scouting, fraternal orders, co‑op preschools, PTAs, local bowling leagues, etc., often replaced by professionalized or PE‑owned versions.
• A recurring theme: these small groups provided meaning, status, and “practice” with democratic self‑governance (Robert’s Rules, member voting) that large bureaucracies and platforms do not.

Technology, AI, and centralization vs empowerment

• Some see hope: AI‑assisted tooling and cheap software may make micro‑businesses and small teams more capable and reduce need for big org headcount.
• Others argue dependence on cloud AI and big models simply deepens reliance on a few mega‑providers, not true decentralization.
• Tech more broadly (social media, streaming, smartphones) is blamed for consuming free time and substituting passive, individual consumption for local participation.

Government vs corporations as dominant “big org”

• Long subthread debates whether large private firms or the state are more dangerous concentrations of power.
• One side emphasizes democratic accountability of governments vs. shareholder‑driven corporations; the other notes regulatory capture and the tight corporate‑state revolving door.
• Some argue strong national champions are now seen as strategic assets in global competition, undermining appetite for serious antitrust.

Causes: capitalism, regulation, work, and media

• Explanations offered include:
  • Financialization and shareholder primacy pushing consolidation and private equity roll‑ups.
  • Bank and regulatory structures that favor large borrowers and risk‑averse mortgage lending over small business credit.
  • Two‑income households, long hours, and intensive parenting leaving little time for volunteering or grassroots organizing.
  • Suburbanization, cars, and safety norms making unsupervised neighborhood life for kids (and thus parent networks) rarer.
  • Mass and now algorithmic media crowding out local newspapers, churches, and clubs as focal points of attention.

Grassroots responses and possible remedies

• Commenters describe personal efforts: moving away from big platforms, starting tool libraries or blogs, joining or founding local groups, churches, or co‑ops.
• Ideas floated include: stronger antitrust, size caps, employee ownership requirements, rebuilt local banking, shorter workweeks, and renewed “third places.”
• Several stress that not all big‑vs‑small tradeoffs are one‑sided: we likely need innovations from big projects and robust, meaningful small organizations that give people agency and belonging.