Labour, control, and value: Marx meets Negri in Bitcoin mining (Nov, 10.1007/s10624-021-09638-1, 2021)

This article analyses the production of Bitcoin through two contradictory approaches to value: the labour theory of value as formulated by Karl Marx and value as an effect of political control proposed by Antonio Negri. Bitcoin mining is used as an exemplary case of a decentralized network that utilizes abstract labour as a regulatory mechanism. The process of Bitcoin mining is described in detail, and its consequences for the organization of labour are discussed. I argue that Bitcoin mining is a form of socialized work where abstract labour becomes a mechanism of control and thus also a source of Bitcoin’s value. I further demonstrate the controlling aspects of abstract labour on three interdependent dimensions: control of Bitcoin’s integrity, control of access to the network, and control of the class positions within the network. Consequentially, Negri’s and Marx’s views on value serve as complementary approaches to value creation in decentralized networks. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.