Politica

I thought that Silicon Valley folks are not as self-serving,  money-grubbing capitalists that the 'old' economy companies seemed to be. That somehow, they were 'different'. 

How utterly and totally wrong was I. 

While I pride myself as a hard-boiled skeptic and do not believe in the goodness of human nature, the need to believe in something 'good' got the better of me. All of us, even the most skeptic, somewhere needs to deep-down believe in something positive. Otherwise, it is probably difficult to get up every morning and deal with a world which is totally cold, calculating and transactional.

Over the years, I am now older and wiser and believe that Silicon Valley is every bit in the old capitalist mold of sleasy, spineless, look-out-for-yourslef bastards that everyone is. 

1. Look at Elon Musk and his utter disregard for women. You can read his exploits anywhere on the internet. We are told from a classical management theory that leaders should at least not be toxic themselves. Also, after venerating Bill Gates for so long, see the latest revelations in the Epstein files. While sex outside marriage is not a moral failing, it smacks of the belief of the super-right that "I will get away with it". Leadership theories that call out for leaders to be at least decent human beings themselves and not entitled pricks is just wrong. Look at the long list of corporate and world leaders today.

2. Silicon Valley was supposed to stand up to the Govt for doing the right things. But the supine capituation of this lot is appalling in the light of 'democratic dictators'. There was a time that Google got out of China as they were asked to go through the Chinese censors. Look at the situation now. Not one leader has stood up aginst the current dispensation. They regularly moderate content based on 'suggestions' from authoritarian governments around the world.

3. Doing right by consumers : Silicon Valley was perfectly ok to peddle hate-speech, remove content-moderation guardrails and suspend accounts of those who dissent. Far from being supporters of free-speech (remember Elon Musk's original intent to acquire Twitter), they are happy to bend over backwards so long as their business models are protected.

4. No Silicon Valley company has supported serious research on the ill effects of social media, what it does to our brains and attention spans. Yes most of this is consumed voluntarily but so are cigarrates and sugary drinks. If you can regulate those then you can regulate this. The trend is opposite. The algorithms try to keep you scrolling endlessly and obsessively.  

So net-net the gods of Silicon Valley have feet of clay. They are no different from any other industry that is supremely focussed on churning out profits. The mission, vision and value statements are meaningless. The DEI intiatives did not last. It was all fully and completely performative.

So here I am, more cynical than I have ever been. And for 15 years that I beleived that the new age economy will be different was a complete and total illussion.