Baudrillard's thesis is that Karl Marx's theory of historical materialism is too rooted in assumptions and values of political economy which Marx attempted to critique to provide a sufficient framework for radical action.

According to Baudrillard, the fault of Marxism is in prioritizing the very concepts that undergird capital, for example, necessity, value, and labor.

He furthermore argues that the Marxist view fails to take into account the role of signs and symbols in the production process, as well as the increasing importance of consumer culture.

Baudrillard states that Marx's critique of political economy was based on forms of production and labour.

Marxism merely strengthens political economy's basic propositions, in particular, the idea that self-creation is performed through productive, non-alienated labour.