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Then perhaps we shouldn't produce software. If the costs to mitigate the negative externalities of a certain product or service outweigh the net benefits of sa

Then perhaps we shouldn't produce software. If the costs to mitigate the negative externalities of a certain product or service outweigh the net benefits of said product or service, the creation of that product or service is a net negative on society, and we should cease that activity. It's like arguing that a coal-fired power plant isn't profitable if it has to pay for all the carbon that it's producing.

tptacek 5y ago
"We should stop producing software" is a take, and I support it! But I also recognize that the societal cost of ceasing all software development would be huge, and the cost of stopping all cryptocurrency is small and would be felt mostly by speculators. As the saying goes: first you couldn't use Bitcoin to buy a pizza, then you could use Bitcoin to buy a pizza, and now you can't use Bitcoin to buy a pizza. Coal power plants aren't profitable if they have to pay for their externalities, and should be shut down.