What even is life? What's worth fighting for?

It's an interesting contemporary way to think of things, but in reality there is no external "information processing mechanism" for humanity. Such a cybernetic device surely wouldn't make the same choices we do under capitalism (unless, of course, its main goal is to drive life towards extinction). What you're really describing is an internal mental process happening on a societal/individual level at all time - an ideology. Also, the definition of "resource" and "efficient" really isn't objective. Looking back at the [roots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic) of this system of beliefs, we can clearly see how concentration of wealth in individual hands was, in fact, the goal. Max Weber's "[The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism)" from 1905 dives much more deeply into those notions (as does Tawney's 1926 [Religion and the Rise of Capitalism](https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2326-religion-and-the-rise-of-capitalism) and other notable works), and there are obviously many other works exploring this topic. It's difficult for us, living in a secular world, to see how this particular strain of thought could spread, but here's the gist of it (and I will for sure butcher it, as it's a complicated idea that took centuries to unfold): Early modern people were still deeply religious, and many lived in fear over what happens to their soul after death. The protestant/calivinist reformation comes along, and brings forth (revives?) the notion of "predestination" - everyone's fate has already been decided before they were born, and we should strive to look for signs of greatness in others, as it would indicate that they're headed straight to heaven. That, along with the notion of asceticism also favored by protestants, slowly drove forth the notion that *the* main sign of greatness in others (and thus their probability of reaching heaven) is money. That's the reason why capital accumulation was idolized, first and foremost, at an individual level - it was a sign of providence. Concentration of wealth was absolutely the goal to those people back then, trying to prove their worth to god. It's not a conspiracy if you remember that Capitalism, as an ideology predating the enlightenment (even though it was first "codified" during the enlightenment with Wealth of Nations etc.), has a deeply irrational background (as most ideologies do).