I mean, if you're willing to give everything that is good in the human experience as a credit to the capitalists I don't think they'd mind! Just undercuts it as a critique a tad.
Plus you can't crush my dreams of awesome Lenninist Cyberpunk
I don't see why you couldn't have a Cyberpunk world with no private corporations to speak of. I mean, in that case the social conflict would be against some form of the State or Party.
A lot of Cyberpunk elements have to do with crime and poverty contrasted by a wealthy elite, no clearly defined black and white good or evil in most scenarios, top-down societal control of the masses vs anarchy of the individual, and of course technology that fundamentally does nothing to cure the human condition but rather enhances it, vices and virtues alike.
Just think of Comrade Lenin, a rockerboy of some fame, finally managing to rise up the masses against the injustices of the Tsarists, a corrupt and power-hoarding elite that keep the people destitute for the benefit of their small nner circles.
Against all odds, the revolution succeeds and change is beginning to happen. There is hope!
Comrade Lenin, despite being highly charismatic and able connect with people, doesn't really understand complexities of governments. He tries his best, but cannot do it alone andi wlel outside of his comfort zone in attempting to feed and house the millions he is suddenly supposed to lead.
The revolution appears dead by its own hand.
However, Comrade Stalin has other ideas. He is efficient. Direct. Some say even brutal. He believes in order and systems - anarchy cannot be allowed to rule - and is integral in establishing the new government. Revolution is good to bring about change, but fundamentally do people not want stability and predictability more? If this were not, sure the Revolution would have happened decades before and a new one would already be in the making?
Thus behind the curtains, this new government begins to have features that look a lot like the old government, simply re-purposed. It isn't like they were really evil after all, simply self-centered, misguided and aimed towards the benefit of the decrepit elite instead of the whole nation channeled through the glorious Party.
Daring media investigators catch wiff of this, but are assassinated before they can release their story. It is not time yet, you see. There must be stability and order for a while longer if the Revolution is to survive its final hurdle.
But other people are now on the lookout as well. Their voices are drowned under criticisms that they are simply remnants of the old order rebelling against the new, but slowly Comrade Stalin is forced to more and more drastic measures to keep the truth suppressed. He just wishes to have the new government rule a stable country, with the best and brightest taking their deserved positions at the top to guide everyone to a better future. Meanwhile, Comrade Lenin is becoming disfranchised with the reality of what he has sown. He tries to take a firmer handle on things and fulfill the dozens of promises he has made, but it is so hard and people have such conflicting views on how the resources should be distributed...
And so on.... Change the backstory and the details a bit, and the October Revolution could be a cyberpunk story through and through.
