Some of my readers may be aware of The Techno-Optimist Manifesto by Marc Andreessen, founder and partner of the world’s largest venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The manifesto is a 5,000-word hymn to the unrelenting power of technology as the solution to all problems, and simultaneously a scream in the wind for less regulation, less government control, and less bureaucracy.
Writing this article demands the courage to challenge common sense and offer a critique that goes beyond solving all the issues with new technologies and capitalism, continually reinventing itself and creating new 'green' industries. I don't know how it would be possible to build this control without the need for such centralisation of power. Delegating it to governments would require a high level of trust, which I believe is possible in the Nordics but is not the reality for all countries. Many governments are still extremely corrupt, and this could lead to similar issues and inequality as well, but perhaps is better than nothing.
A Sobering Antidote to Marc Andreessen’s Techno-Optimism
Writing this article demands the courage to challenge common sense and offer a critique that goes beyond solving all the issues with new technologies and capitalism, continually reinventing itself and creating new 'green' industries. I don't know how it would be possible to build this control without the need for such centralisation of power. Delegating it to governments would require a high level of trust, which I believe is possible in the Nordics but is not the reality for all countries. Many governments are still extremely corrupt, and this could lead to similar issues and inequality as well, but perhaps is better than nothing.