I remember a time not that long ago when tech was regarded as a gateway to a better, more equitable future. And those tech titans were lauded as heroes… geniuses who would help us usher in this better, cleaner, more prosperous era.
Yeah, that didn't happen. Instead we have a new generation of robber barons who have decided they are smarter than everyone else; they are certain that, because they have a successful tech company, they are generational geniuses who have killer ideas in every area.
Among the most dangerous credos I've heard is from Balaji Srinivasan, who is profiled in The New Republic:
Balaji, a 43-year-old Long Island native who goes by his first name, has a solid Valley pedigree: He earned multiple degrees from Stanford University, founded multiple startups, became a partner at Andreessen-Horowitz and then served as chief technology officer at Coinbase.
So far pretty normal. Then things… take a turn:
He is also the leader of a cultish and increasingly strident neo-reactionary tech political movement that sees American democracy as an enemy.
He's so smart he has a better idea than democracy! Did Jefferson or Madison or Adams ever invest in Bitcoin? No! Idiots all! Did Ben Franklin ever start a cloud based service? No! The moron hung a key on his kite and went into a lightning storm.
Let's see where Genius Balaji hopes to take us:
Balaji then revealed his shocking ideas for a tech-governed city where citizens loyal to tech companies would form a new political tribe clad in gray t-shirts. "And if you see another Gray on the street … you do the nod," he said…. "You're a fellow Gray."
Hmm. I guess Gray is the new Brown. Let's see what else Genius Balaji is pitching:
Everyone would be welcome at the Gray Pride march—everyone, that is, except the Blues. Srinivasan defines the Blue political tribe as the liberal voters he implies are responsible for the city's problems. Blues will be banned from the Gray-controlled zones, said Balaji, unlike Republicans ("Reds").
"Reds should be welcomed there, and people should wear their tribal colors…" said Srinivasan… "No Blues should be welcomed there."
I urge you to read the whole thing — the section on co-opting the police into paramilitary storm troopers is particularly terrifying.
One question: did this guy not play Bioshock?
Previously: Venture capitalist suggested getting far-right audiences to harass `vulnerable` journalists
