The "paperclip" in Stross' talk is not the item being produced, but earnings. If a corporations could massively increase its quarterly earnings by starting a nu

The "paperclip" in Stross' talk is not the item being produced, but earnings. If a corporations could massively increase its quarterly earnings by starting a nuclear war, it may well decide to do so. It is not that the item or service is useful or not in the short term, but that it will pursue a set goal with a single minded conviction. Another analogy may well be the Sorcerer's Apprentice.