TechTakes

My career curve from naive and vaguely libertarian computer programming intern to radicalized full-stack anarchist has taught me that most people in this industry are just the worst. Deeply insular people with massive chips on their shoulders, genius and martyr complexes, fully bought into this idea that the "nerds" should be in charge.

I can't stand talking to most people in my field. They are so myopically focused on either whatever computer puzzle is in front of them or whatever overcomplex scheme of cryptocurrency, third-tier stock options, and investment portfolios they fantasize will make them rich too. The outright worship of tech moguls and their money and their "big ideas."

The dirty secret is that tech people have always sucked. The radical thinkers, the FOSS people who put careers on the line so people could have functioning computers, those saints who believed computers could actually improve the lives of human beings, those true heroes of the field continue unsung, unfunded; they were always the exploited minority in computing.

A bunch of rich people with questionable morals like having easily influenceable people in power. Especially now that it is legal for presidents to take bribes.

Silicon valley isn't what it used to be

Turns out frat bros are pretty alt right. Shocker.

The "tech right" has always been a thing. It's why I refuse to work for corporate tech, it's a boys club full of misogynistic man-children who believe they are deservedly a part of the upper echelon of society, better than everyone else. It's exhausting.

John Ganz did a good coverage of the ideological side of tech, particularly using Herf's book Reactionary Modernism that looks at the role of engineers in building Nazi ideology.

You can read Reactionary Modernism for free on the Internet Archive

Socially illiterate businessmen with god complexes are in favor of less regulation

Yeah no shit.

The media again builds a virtual public consisting of billionaires of a variety of positions and ask you "which one do you agree with?" This is a strategy to push the public closer to the beliefs of billionaires.

I don't know who these fucking people are. The real public in California still supports Biden by a 25% margin.

There's a thread of Randian ideology that underlies the beginnings of the computer industry. Adam Curtis talks about it in his documentary All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (very much worth watching).

Nothing changed, they're just mask-off now.

A few of the tech conferences that are more corporate, often lean conservative. Not like right wing "hell yeah MAGA", but like clearly focused on enterprise technology, FAANG (Or whatever we call it now), and tech bros.

The tech conferences focused on developers/non-corporate tech often lean towards liberal. Lots of Trans rights. Lots of LGBT flags. Lots of diversity of speakers and attendees. Usually also very open-source friendly and lots of bashing of major tech companies.

I wonder if this is the whole of the tech silicon valley, or just the rich assholes at the top.

This American Psycho spinoff sucks: “I’m in MAGAs and asshatisms”

So this is the reason behind the news of M$ dropping their DEI team...

I wonder how Bill Gates will cope with the fact that a lot of MAGA chuds are anti-vaxxers.