Alternatively, it could be the case that introducing even minor bugs into the programming of your first Von Neumann probe can be a civilization-ending event. S

Alternatively, it could be the case that introducing even minor bugs into the programming of your first Von Neumann probe can be a civilization-ending event. So maybe we haven't seen any probes because they first disassembled their creators for building resources, then became too busy disassembling each other to get very far.