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> I’m the kind of person who contributes to society by starting companies that leverage technology to build smart tea kettles that brew themselves while you sle

by yunohn 1y ago

> I’m the kind of person who contributes to society by starting companies that leverage technology to build smart tea kettles that brew themselves while you sleep at night. I’m a fucking innovator. Is there a reason that the press is always making scapegoats out of tech nerds? The vast majority of people are not employed in tech, and are part of the same society and have very similar self interests. Truly tired of everything being a criticism of Silicon Valley, as if everyone else are saints.

simiones 1y ago
I don't think it's making scapegoats per se. But Sillicon Valley has been very influential in the public discourse in the previous 1-2 decades, and huge SV (or tech in general) entrepreneurs have used their success and money to gain an outsized political influence on many of these issues. Bill Gates and Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are some of the most obvious figures that have driven public policy discourse (and Elon Musk at least even had a direct hand in the implementation of said policies), but there are many others. What you're seeing is a backlash to this influence, and the fairly disastrous consequences it has usually had.
xmodem 1y ago
The tech industry has played an out-sized role in the economic distortions to society the article is satirising. Maybe you should take a look inside yourself just to check that you're not taking this satirical article as a personal attack.
_1tem 1y ago
I'm a SaaS founder and I have the exact same criticism of tech. America is where some of the most brilliant minds and advanced technology and trillions in VC funds go towards building ad-tech and scrolling algorithms and B2B SaaS spreadsheet replacement apps while essentials like food and housing and healthcare get worse and more expensive.
smcin 1y ago
McSweeney's seems to spread the criticism around fairly, not just scapegoating tech: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/minutes-from-the-latest-meeting-of-the-council-of-landlords https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/minutes-from-the-latest-... https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/welcome-to-westillwork-the-nursing-home-for-people-who-cant-afford-to-retire https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/welcome-to-westillwork-t...
yunohn 1y ago
Follow-up: All these replies missed my point. I’m not saying tech is blameless, rather that the press constantly criticizes tech for both doing too much and doing nothing and not fixing society. I would argue that this is toxic and ignores the agency of literally all other professions/people. Further, to ignore the housing/etc lobbying by basically everyone else outside of tech and make it seem like SV giants control the housing crisis is just boring. Do note that most of the developed world is facing this, not just specifically SV/USA.
- xmodem 1y ago
  > rather that the press constantly criticizes tech Clearly we're consuming different types of media, because on my estimation tech gets let off fairly light relative to the damage we cause. As practitioners, we're not entitled to get angry about being criticised for the damage we cause at least until we've stopped it.
  - yunohn 1y ago
    I’m not a big fan of online performative self-hate and classic elite-liberal virtue signaling, so maybe this article and these replies are not for me.
    - xmodem 1y ago
      If I have to be a self-hater to be able to read an article that's critical of me and the industry I'm in, and not be offended by it, then I guess that makes me a self-hater.
    - hotmeals 1y ago
      >online performative self-hate and classic elite-liberal virtue signaling The "all opinions I don't like are not held honestly, it's a trick" meme is very tiring. In respect to your original point, no this isn't some unique critique that singles out SV. The SV disruptor is just a shorthand for the rich and landed that will always be opposed to new housing. This could be drop-in replaced with a mid-career NYC finance bro, or successful Texan oil & gas professional, just exchange some things for prayer and bootstraps. They are the same because in all those cases their wealth (real o perceived potential) depends in housing value go only up.
watwut 1y ago
It is not stereotype of a nerd, it is a stereotype of an enterpreneur. Those are not nerds, not even close.
queenkjuul 1y ago
Nah the tech industry deserves it and it's only getting worse

by yunohn 1y ago

simiones 1y ago

I don't think it's making scapegoats per se. But Sillicon Valley has been very influential in the public discourse in the previous 1-2 decades, and huge SV (or tech in general) entrepreneurs have used their success and money to gain an outsized political influence on many of these issues. Bill Gates and Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are some of the most obvious figures that have driven public policy discourse (and Elon Musk at least even had a direct hand in the implementation of said policies), but there are many others. What you're seeing is a backlash to this influence, and the fairly disastrous consequences it has usually had.

xmodem 1y ago

The tech industry has played an out-sized role in the economic distortions to society the article is satirising. Maybe you should take a look inside yourself just to check that you're not taking this satirical article as a personal attack.

_1tem 1y ago

I'm a SaaS founder and I have the exact same criticism of tech. America is where some of the most brilliant minds and advanced technology and trillions in VC funds go towards building ad-tech and scrolling algorithms and B2B SaaS spreadsheet replacement apps while essentials like food and housing and healthcare get worse and more expensive.

smcin 1y ago

McSweeney's seems to spread the criticism around fairly, not just scapegoating tech: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/minutes-from-the-latest-meeting-of-the-council-of-landlords https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/minutes-from-the-latest-... https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/welcome-to-westillwork-the-nursing-home-for-people-who-cant-afford-to-retire https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/welcome-to-westillwork-t...

yunohn 1y ago

Follow-up: All these replies missed my point. I’m not saying tech is blameless, rather that the press constantly criticizes tech for both doing too much and doing nothing and not fixing society. I would argue that this is toxic and ignores the agency of literally all other professions/people. Further, to ignore the housing/etc lobbying by basically everyone else outside of tech and make it seem like SV giants control the housing crisis is just boring. Do note that most of the developed world is facing this, not just specifically SV/USA.

xmodem 1y ago
> rather that the press constantly criticizes tech Clearly we're consuming different types of media, because on my estimation tech gets let off fairly light relative to the damage we cause. As practitioners, we're not entitled to get angry about being criticised for the damage we cause at least until we've stopped it.
- yunohn 1y ago
  I’m not a big fan of online performative self-hate and classic elite-liberal virtue signaling, so maybe this article and these replies are not for me.
  - xmodem 1y ago
    If I have to be a self-hater to be able to read an article that's critical of me and the industry I'm in, and not be offended by it, then I guess that makes me a self-hater.
  - hotmeals 1y ago
    >online performative self-hate and classic elite-liberal virtue signaling The "all opinions I don't like are not held honestly, it's a trick" meme is very tiring. In respect to your original point, no this isn't some unique critique that singles out SV. The SV disruptor is just a shorthand for the rich and landed that will always be opposed to new housing. This could be drop-in replaced with a mid-career NYC finance bro, or successful Texan oil & gas professional, just exchange some things for prayer and bootstraps. They are the same because in all those cases their wealth (real o perceived potential) depends in housing value go only up.

watwut 1y ago

It is not stereotype of a nerd, it is a stereotype of an enterpreneur. Those are not nerds, not even close.

queenkjuul 1y ago

Nah the tech industry deserves it and it's only getting worse