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The techcrunch piece is just cheerleading for something that might happen. It won't be more than a slice of SV anyway. More likely is that SV VCs invest in vent
by quantified 4y ago
The techcrunch piece is just cheerleading for something that might happen. It won't be more than a slice of SV anyway. More likely is that SV VCs invest in ventures headquartered in VA, CO, TX, and other defense-friendly ecosystems.
Meanwhile, SV (and especially its VCs) are really only interested in money. Just like most other sectors. If it's bad for US security, that's secondary. Get us in a war, where the source of profits shifts, that'll shift too.
- labrador 4y agoSilicon Valley's growth was funded by the defense industry beginning in the 1950's. It never stopped being part of the defense industry. VCs are private money. They can fund pet rocks if they think they will make money. The 800 Billion dollar defense budget is not like that.
- quantified 4y agoRight. It's here. But to say that it's what SV does will be totally misleading. Would be interesting to see what percentage of SV's cash inflow is direct defense spending. It's a fraction, but what what fraction?
- labrador 4y agoI bet a box of donuts Google is helping the defense dept with AI using a secret budget with amenable employees that have a security clearance
- quantified 4y agoYou'd kinda hope so
- labrador 4y agoIf I were head of that project I'd trick some other employees into protesting defense department work. It wouldn't be hard.