Here is the very beginning of his manifesto: > Lies > We are being lied to. > We are told that technology takes our jobs, reduces our wages, increases inequa

Here is the very beginning of his manifesto: > Lies > We are being lied to. > We are told that technology takes our jobs, reduces our wages, increases inequality, threatens our health, ruins the environment, degrades our society, corrupts our children, impairs our humanity, threatens our future, and is ever on the verge of ruining everything. > We are told to be angry, bitter, and resentful about technology. > We are told to be pessimistic. In other words, the very first subtitle is "Lies", like it's some evil shadowy cabal that is keeping us from the Truth of techno-utopia (and this isn't just my interpretation - he goes on to specifically name his enemies hit list later). His article felt like it would be way more at home on some rando's "IllumiNaTI!!!" YouTube channel, where the cliche of starting out with an "enemies list" is central to any juicy conspiracy theory. But most importantly, my reaction comes from my experience. I most definitely was a techno-optimist for all my life until about 2012-2015 or so. I believed the initial promises about how the Internet would bring us all closer, and how social media would let me better connect with friends and strangers, about how smart phones would make our lives so much better. So I am just totally baffled that anyone could have lived through that time and not be at least somewhat reflective about "hey, maybe there are some downsides to tech, and maybe this tech disillusionment that so many techies (to say nothing of non-techies) feel is based in something real" unless they are just a completely selfish asshole or totally oblivious to the real, documented harms of tech.