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This author seems to have trouble distinguishing between things she doesn't like and far-right. I don't think downtown SF is "exalt" with far-right inhabitants,

This author seems to have trouble distinguishing between things she doesn't like and far-right. I don't think downtown SF is "exalt" with far-right inhabitants, and given the largest AI firms are run by a gay man, climate man, and a company who build their brand on left-wing "alignment" I don't think the industry is "exalt" among the right either.

Molitor5901 1y ago
To me it felt a little more about being left behind. I felt this undercurrent of bitterness that the city the author once exalted, through the tech boom, the tech bro era, is leaving her behind, and in its place are the natural progressions of that era she whims nostalgically about. Like the factory towns of the pre-digital era, when it's good it's great, but when they leave, innovate away, or move on it can leave those behind feeling cheated.
andy99 1y ago
Yeah I let that go, it seems to be following Orwell's "fascist means anything we don't like" observation. Otherwise I think there is some grain of truth to the high level observations in article, even if the treatment is pretty shallow.
treyd 1y ago
It's possible to be gay and be far-right. Most people have some internal conflicts in their personal political positions, if they even think it through that far. If you're a billionaire, your class interest in protecting capital usually overrides social interests and alliances.
- eltondegeneres 1y ago
  > It's possible to be gay and be far-right It's not uncommon either. Ernst Röhm comes to mind, but there are plenty of contemporary examples too.
  - cryzinger 1y ago
    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/style/gay-men-trump-administration-republicans.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/style/gay-men-trump-admin...
  - NegativeLatency 1y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig_scandal
- throwirirmr 1y ago
  [flagged]
softwaredoug 1y ago
It was useful during a talent crunch for CEOs to signal they are left-leaning. In reality their left-leaning stance was just as performative as any cozying-up to Trump, etc.
- aeternum 1y ago
  Consider that they could have changed their mind given the increased rhetoric against billionaires and ceos, blocked m&a, and attempted use of the judicial rather than legislature to make rules for companies. (I did)
- stego-tech 1y ago
  Literally this. There is no leftist billionaire tech CEO because you cannot both be a billionaire and also have leftist ideals. The two are fundamentally incompatible.
  - OccamsMirror 1y ago
    In America, neoliberalism with classical social liberalism is considered to be “left wing”. We are so embedded in capitalism in the Western world we have forgotten what actually leftist ideals are.
    - stego-tech 1y ago
      This is the best comment of the bunch, I think. Judging by the vote tally and engagement on my original response, you’re spot-on that people are so Capitalism-drunk that they cannot see the broader ideological planes around them. There are good leftists who do big tech work (the main detraction of the HN crowd who don’t want to feel guilty over their salaries), it’s just that none of the ones I know are active in cesspools like these. They’re too busy living in a modest home and spending their excesses on people’s rent, bills, necessities, and generally uplifting others since they no longer need anything themselves. My interaction with the HN crowd is that most would balk at the idea of using their funds to support others’ fundamental necessities, and yet that is far more leftist than anything any SV profiteer has previously pushed for.
grammarpolice17 1y ago
That's not how the word exalt works, even if you put it in scare quotes.
- guywithahat 1y ago
  That's not what the term "scare quotes" refers to
  - tempodox 1y ago
    Nevertheless, to exalt is a verb, not an adjective. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exalt https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exalt
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
lenerdenator 1y ago
The current far-right is ultimately Social Darwinism repackaged into a hoodie with an ironic vibe. These people ultimately see themselves as the elite and those who have misgivings about their work as "less than". To oppose things like mass tech surveillance and mass unemployment through AI isn't just a thing born out of concerns held by many people, it's a literal attack on the order of nature. If your concerns were worth anything, you'd be sharing it with them at an esoteric corporate-backed technology foundation retreat or at a Mar-a-Lago lunch, but you're not.
tastyface 1y ago
Who is "climate man"? I'd say that anyone who cavorts with the likes of Thiel and Yarvin are under the far-right umbrella. And a huge number of SV elites are more than happy to sit at the same table, quite literally.
- guywithahat 1y ago
  It sounds like you already know who he is. It's the man who's entire life has been dedicated to creating a sustainable future and fighting climate change, who now also owns a top AI company.
  - tastyface 1y ago
    I cannot fathom how anyone who follows Musk on social media can come to the conclusion that he is anything other than *far* right these days. These are the people he enthusiastically agrees with and boosts: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:refbwihhzcqqfulwhcou44sr/post/3lyzc6byzgs2f https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:refbwihhzcqqfulwhcou44sr/po... I have so, so many more citations. Agreeing with Miller that leftism should be forcefully eradicated. Calling people on benefits parasites. Modifying Grok when it spits out un-MAGA facts that offend him. Blaming trans people for mass violence. (And people who know him say the climate thing was nothing more than PR to begin with.)

Molitor5901 1y ago

To me it felt a little more about being left behind. I felt this undercurrent of bitterness that the city the author once exalted, through the tech boom, the tech bro era, is leaving her behind, and in its place are the natural progressions of that era she whims nostalgically about. Like the factory towns of the pre-digital era, when it's good it's great, but when they leave, innovate away, or move on it can leave those behind feeling cheated.

andy99 1y ago

Yeah I let that go, it seems to be following Orwell's "fascist means anything we don't like" observation. Otherwise I think there is some grain of truth to the high level observations in article, even if the treatment is pretty shallow.

treyd 1y ago

It's possible to be gay and be far-right. Most people have some internal conflicts in their personal political positions, if they even think it through that far. If you're a billionaire, your class interest in protecting capital usually overrides social interests and alliances.

eltondegeneres 1y ago
> It's possible to be gay and be far-right It's not uncommon either. Ernst Röhm comes to mind, but there are plenty of contemporary examples too.
- cryzinger 1y ago
  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/style/gay-men-trump-administration-republicans.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/style/gay-men-trump-admin...
- NegativeLatency 1y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig_scandal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Craig_scandal
throwirirmr 1y ago
[flagged]

softwaredoug 1y ago

It was useful during a talent crunch for CEOs to signal they are left-leaning. In reality their left-leaning stance was just as performative as any cozying-up to Trump, etc.

aeternum 1y ago
Consider that they could have changed their mind given the increased rhetoric against billionaires and ceos, blocked m&a, and attempted use of the judicial rather than legislature to make rules for companies. (I did)
stego-tech 1y ago
Literally this. There is no leftist billionaire tech CEO because you cannot both be a billionaire and also have leftist ideals. The two are fundamentally incompatible.
- OccamsMirror 1y ago
  In America, neoliberalism with classical social liberalism is considered to be “left wing”. We are so embedded in capitalism in the Western world we have forgotten what actually leftist ideals are.
  - stego-tech 1y ago
    This is the best comment of the bunch, I think. Judging by the vote tally and engagement on my original response, you’re spot-on that people are so Capitalism-drunk that they cannot see the broader ideological planes around them. There are good leftists who do big tech work (the main detraction of the HN crowd who don’t want to feel guilty over their salaries), it’s just that none of the ones I know are active in cesspools like these. They’re too busy living in a modest home and spending their excesses on people’s rent, bills, necessities, and generally uplifting others since they no longer need anything themselves. My interaction with the HN crowd is that most would balk at the idea of using their funds to support others’ fundamental necessities, and yet that is far more leftist than anything any SV profiteer has previously pushed for.

grammarpolice17 1y ago

That's not how the word exalt works, even if you put it in scare quotes.

guywithahat 1y ago
That's not what the term "scare quotes" refers to
- tempodox 1y ago
  Nevertheless, to exalt is a verb, not an adjective. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exalt https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exalt

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

lenerdenator 1y ago

The current far-right is ultimately Social Darwinism repackaged into a hoodie with an ironic vibe. These people ultimately see themselves as the elite and those who have misgivings about their work as "less than". To oppose things like mass tech surveillance and mass unemployment through AI isn't just a thing born out of concerns held by many people, it's a literal attack on the order of nature. If your concerns were worth anything, you'd be sharing it with them at an esoteric corporate-backed technology foundation retreat or at a Mar-a-Lago lunch, but you're not.

tastyface 1y ago

Who is "climate man"? I'd say that anyone who cavorts with the likes of Thiel and Yarvin are under the far-right umbrella. And a huge number of SV elites are more than happy to sit at the same table, quite literally.

guywithahat 1y ago
It sounds like you already know who he is. It's the man who's entire life has been dedicated to creating a sustainable future and fighting climate change, who now also owns a top AI company.
- tastyface 1y ago
  I cannot fathom how anyone who follows Musk on social media can come to the conclusion that he is anything other than *far* right these days. These are the people he enthusiastically agrees with and boosts: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:refbwihhzcqqfulwhcou44sr/post/3lyzc6byzgs2f https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:refbwihhzcqqfulwhcou44sr/po... I have so, so many more citations. Agreeing with Miller that leftism should be forcefully eradicated. Calling people on benefits parasites. Modifying Grok when it spits out un-MAGA facts that offend him. Blaming trans people for mass violence. (And people who know him say the climate thing was nothing more than PR to begin with.)