David Beazley

I've watched movies and TV shows. I've read science fiction. And I've read some fantasy. And I'll begrudging admit that I once read an Ayn Rand novel. But, for the life of me, I have no freaking idea where these tech bro billionaires are getting their ideas. Nobody needing jobs? Millions of people working high-paying jobs in space? No need for doctors? Or teachers?

Is it drugs? Licking too much lead paint? Stanford? It's drugs isn't it?

Apr 3 at 3:49pmWeb
Show threadDavid Beazley3d ago
Maybe it's related to men also purportedly thinking about the fall of Rome every 67 seconds or some other such nonsense.
Show threadCaleb2d ago
@dabeaz my theory is that having enormous wealth establishes the fallacy that what they think must be correct (otherwise how could they get the wealth) and therefore the world should be the way they believe it should be, because that must be correct, no matter how weird the ideas are. Something along those lines.
Show threadGhostrunner3d ago

@dabeaz he is selling wish fulfillment to the oligarchy in the hopes that they (continue to) fund his pipe dream of making the proletariat redundant (and therefore removable with said robots).

we are not the intended audience - the middle class was made powerless with the capital capture of QE by the oligarchs in '08. Once you grasp that, it all makes sense.

Show threadDavid Beazley3d ago
@ghostrunner It's not even a singular "he."
Show threadGhostrunner3d ago
@dabeaz indeed, although you can see the broligarchs sniffing musk's farts.
Show threadDiane3d ago

@dabeaz

Worse.

They're making up their own religion.

Show threadBrantley Harris3d ago

@alienghic @dabeaz

Silicon Valley parties turned into church.

This really should be required reading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk2aUz00_AY

Apocalyptic A.I. - A New Religion?

YouTube
Show threadɗ𐐩ʃƕρʋ3d ago
@dabeaz I'm afraid it's growing up in an environment where on one hand you are allowed to do practically anything for yourself, and at the same time you are not supposed to help anyone or share, lest you are taken advantage of. So you imagine a world in which the only distinguishing feature you have, selfishness, somehow becomes the salvation of humanity, and you are its hero. It's pretty sad, really, rich people shouldn't be allowed to have children.
Show threadSnoopJ3d ago

@dabeaz some mix of:

- Ray Kurzweil as digested and regurgitated through a chain of half a dozen other dim minds

- the Frankfurt School and it's attendant "think"-tanks who may or may not be open about their fascism

- and, yes, drugs. ayahuasca is one of the latest crazes, but they rotate the drug of choice regularly

Reading anything at all (or god forbid, understanding it) is a serious faux pas in these circles.

Show threadMario Munoz3d ago

@SnoopJ @dabeaz TESCREAL, with echoes of eugenics/dysgenics, which yes, can also be traced back to Stanford.

Some of this covered in my upcoming #NBPy talk:

https://pretalx.northbaypython.org/nbpy-2026/talk/GFB7MK/

An Economy of Empathy North Bay Python 2026

The historical roots of the current-day tech sector is infected with eugenic ideals, misogyny, and fascism. It's not hard to trace a line from William Shockley, inventor of the transistor, to current powerhouses such as Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others—each espousing subtle or not-so-subtle visions of a techno-utopian future devoid of "low IQ" citizens. Whether purposefully or not (maybe a bit of both), technology has aided and abetted in the creation of an environment that favors the wealthy and privileged and preys on the disadvantaged. Open software provides an avenue to tip the scales from a ruthless market toward an economy of empathy. We must emerge from the grasp of our troubled past, not by ignoring it, but by reckoning and repairing the broken pieces.