In Mexico, the tech oligarchy is thriving.

Amazon is increasing its spending and plans to lavish $6 billion in U.S. currency in Mexico during this year and next. Meanwhile, the multinational technology company Nvidia is manufacturing AI servers (exempted from tariffs) at factories in Mexico.

Roughly 60 percent of the U.S.’s AI servers are made in Mexico, and Foxconn and Nvidia have recently begun production of a $900 million assembly plant in Mexico for AI servers using Nvidia’s GB200 Superchips for Project Stargate, the OpenAI and U.S. government program aimed at consolidating U.S. AI dominance.

Mexico recently announced that Netflix will spend $1 billion in U.S. currency over four years producing content within its borders. Beyond entertainment, Netflix is a tech company using sophisticated software and big data analytics to provide personalized content delivery and streaming media. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos talked about a vision for Mexico of “prosperity … and growth.” The move is strategic, allowing Netflix to increase its exclusive content at a lower cost without considering the vision or needs of locals. Meanwhile Mexico has decreased its culture budget by 31 percent to focus on this collaboration with Hollywood.

Google, DiDi, and others are creeping into Mexico’s banking sector by offering loans and digital wallets. Google and Meta took up 82.5 percent of digital advertising in 2022 in Mexico, while Amazon, Walmart, Airbnb, and others displace traditional and local initiatives.

Meanwhile, Google search results are dominated by U.S. companies, funneling money and resources out of Mexico. Platforms like Facebook tolerate and promote sexism, with serious consequences in a nation with high rates of femicide.

In response, Mexican activists are standing up to Big Tech — promoting the use of feminist servers where people can put their safety first, autonomous servers that can help protect communities and activists in danger, and other tools for greater digital agency.

Facebook feeds and Google results certainly won’t be highlighting the growing resistance to the Big Tech empire in countries like Mexico. But for many in the Global South, such digital activism can be a question of life and death.

Of the ten richest people in the world, seven are founders of tech companies, including Elon Musk ($342 billion) and Mark Zuckerberg ($216 billion). These companies have monopolistic control of search engines (Google has 90 percent of the market), mobile operating systems, cloud storage, digital advertising and social media. This gives them gatekeeper power to decide who can be heard both online and in the broader public sphere.

Meta’s revenue has grown from $1.87 billion in 2010 to $160 billion in 2024 — in part by exploiting big data, generating dependence through agreements with telecommunications companies, and preloading the app on new devices. Big Tech has then exploited network effects to keep users locked in, and

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