What The TechnoBillionaire Missed About TechnoOptimism
As a general rule, any article that contains the one-sentence paragraph "I'm here to bring good news" is written by someone who wants to take your money, your vote, or your soul. As far as I know, Marc Andreessen, browser pioneer and co-founder of the powerful venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is out. But the techno-optimistic manifesto he issued this week (as is his wont) is decidedly optimistic about expanding his already bloated wallet – and shrinking the span of human existence through the relentless and even risky search for new technology.
Andreessen's leap from late-stage capitalism's Mount Olympus — Silicon Valley's Sand Hill Road — ended this week with a mix of praise and outrage. Technology is assumed to be the main driver of human wealth and happiness. I have no problem with that. Actually, I am also a technological optimist, or at least I was before I read this article, who associates the term with something toxic. It's pretty clear that things like air conditioning, the Internet, rockets, and electric lighting are safely in the "win" column. As we enter the age of artificial intelligence, I would argue that the benefits are worth pursuing, although caution is needed to ensure that the consequences are not too severe.
But Andreessen's endorsement is not just about us humans being a bunch of tool makers. It's a hyperbole about humanity's fate as a tech-savvy superspecies: Ayn Rand resurrected as a substack writer. "Technology must be a violent attack on unknown forces, to force them to bow to man," he wrote. "We believe we have been, and always will be, technologists, not technologists. A victim mentality is detrimental to every aspect of life, including our relationship with technology, whether it is unnecessary or self-defeating. We are non-victims, we are conquerors ." (emphasis added) Andreessen may have missed the opportunity to make an early investment in Uber, but he's big on superhumans, even calling Friedrich Nietzsche one of the "saints of technological optimism."
Perhaps a better title for this article would be "The Tech Billionaire's Manifesto", as it seeks to justify not only the unconditional pursuit of technology, but late-stage capitalism that rewards the winners of the system, such as Andreessen. . In his argument, the market-based "technological capital machine" is the producer of perfect performance and production. Not to mention the massive income inequality that has brought the world to the brink of collapse and caused violent political unrest. Money , says Andreessen, is the only factor capable of achieving the great technological leaps that advance humanity. This would have been news to Internet inventors, government officials and academics obsessed with the goal of zero-digit profits. In fact, they have been staunchly opposed to marketing of any kind over the years.
Andreessen has declared himself opposed to monopolies and takeovers by regulatory agencies. He probably thought so when Microsoft buried his browser company Netscape. But this is an empty statement from someone who was a Facebook board member who has been dead for 15 years. I looked at the minutes of the board meetings to see how many times he criticized monopolies and lobbying.
For Andreessen, technological progress creates abundance that elevates the status of all humanity. "We believe there is no conflict between capitalist profit and a welfare system that protects the most vulnerable," he wrote. But he might not see it from his home in Atherton, Calif. — America's wealthiest zip code — a counterargument to the town where he lives. Although the United States has some of the most advanced technology in the world, the life expectancy of its citizens has decreased. Surely you are aware of the problem of homelessness in American cities, which is especially visible in the nearby city of San Francisco? You may have also read that most average Americans can't afford a home, and 40% of them would be hard pressed to cover an unexpected expense of $400. It appears that the technocapitalist machine is not working in their favor. But don't worry, Andreessen cites an Andy Warhol quote praising how well our system works because both rich and poor can enjoy Coca-Cola. Let them drink sugar water!
