"These men — and, yes, they are mostly men — are using the vast wealth they hoarded in recent years to turn the world on its head all so they can increase their power over the rest of us and make even more money in the process."
I’ve been thinking the same thing lately: it’s not just that the founders are toxic—it’s that the system itself manufactures them. Swapping out “bad founders” won’t fix a machine designed to reward vibes over substance, power over meaning. Even the so-called “better guys” get devoured once the growth demands hit.
It’s wild watching how tech leaders try to rebrand themselves (gym bros, biohackers, disciplined “philosophers”) as if personal optimization could substitute for moral imagination. But no amount of jiu-jitsu or cold plunges will solve structural extraction. The machine eats them too.
Thanks for continuing to trace the systemic rot beneath the personalities. We desperately need this clarity.
One of the (many) problems is there used to be laws. I’m not saying that Steve Jobs never did anything shady, but there was “a line” that one didn’t cross. There’s no line anymore. Abhorrent people like Thiel, Zuckerberg, Altman, and Karp have no morals and are leeches. Unfortunately, most of the people in my government are too.
To quote a well-known graphic novel: “Who watches the watchers?” There’s another quote about the fish rotting from the head on down. A dying empire is not a pretty thing and these people, both in business and government, are just symptoms of a larger rot. I’m old enough to remember the fall of the Soviet Union. Most people didn’t believe that was even possible, and they did a lot of damage on the way down.
Yes, we have to deal with the Thiels and the Karps, and their opposite numbers in government, but we also have to deal with the underlying problems that produced them, and a huge one is inequality.
While Wikipedia has remained great, Fandom (previously Wikia)—which share a co-founder with Wikipedia in Jimmy Wales—has sunk into complete garbage. Mossbag has a good video on this: https://youtu.be/qcfuA_UAz3I?si=RhCn7rGGxEio1fjf.
"These men — and, yes, they are mostly men — are using the vast wealth they hoarded in recent years to turn the world on its head all so they can increase their power over the rest of us and make even more money in the process."
They also want to advance their TESCREAL project.
I’ve been thinking the same thing lately: it’s not just that the founders are toxic—it’s that the system itself manufactures them. Swapping out “bad founders” won’t fix a machine designed to reward vibes over substance, power over meaning. Even the so-called “better guys” get devoured once the growth demands hit.
It’s wild watching how tech leaders try to rebrand themselves (gym bros, biohackers, disciplined “philosophers”) as if personal optimization could substitute for moral imagination. But no amount of jiu-jitsu or cold plunges will solve structural extraction. The machine eats them too.
Thanks for continuing to trace the systemic rot beneath the personalities. We desperately need this clarity.
Re: “structural forces that shape our society” —
It’s easier to blame vague external enemies than to face the structures within our own hearts. But hell is self-made.
Heaven begins when we vow to see reality clearly, however painful, and choose integration over dissociation.
That takes courage—and courage requires caring.
Heaven or hell is a choice.
(Hint: Marc Andreessen notes that growth reduces zero-sum behavior. Why?)
One of the (many) problems is there used to be laws. I’m not saying that Steve Jobs never did anything shady, but there was “a line” that one didn’t cross. There’s no line anymore. Abhorrent people like Thiel, Zuckerberg, Altman, and Karp have no morals and are leeches. Unfortunately, most of the people in my government are too.
To quote a well-known graphic novel: “Who watches the watchers?” There’s another quote about the fish rotting from the head on down. A dying empire is not a pretty thing and these people, both in business and government, are just symptoms of a larger rot. I’m old enough to remember the fall of the Soviet Union. Most people didn’t believe that was even possible, and they did a lot of damage on the way down.
Yes, we have to deal with the Thiels and the Karps, and their opposite numbers in government, but we also have to deal with the underlying problems that produced them, and a huge one is inequality.
While Wikipedia has remained great, Fandom (previously Wikia)—which share a co-founder with Wikipedia in Jimmy Wales—has sunk into complete garbage. Mossbag has a good video on this: https://youtu.be/qcfuA_UAz3I?si=RhCn7rGGxEio1fjf.