I sometimes wonder about writing so much about politics when I am, at heart, a technology journalist. How did I get this way? Certainly, I have been radicalised by 14 years of Tories attempting to dismantle so many of the things which make Britain great. And, of course by Brexit, the biggest act of economic self-immolation in British history.
But there is more at work here because tech itself has become so central to our lives, cultures and economies that it is inevitably political. Tech forms the heart of mass communication and of the means of production in the 21st century, and if you know a little Marx and a little Gramsci, you will inevitably understand what that means.
Anyway, on to the (quite political) links.
1. Zuck’s struggle session
There’s an old truism about the right that whatever they accuse others of, that’s what they do. But it’s also true of abuses of power. Whatever they accuse a government of doing, that’s what they plan to do when they have the power to do it.
So it’s not really a surprise that Mark Zuckerberg decided to kill off Meta’s diversity programmes not for a valid business reason, but because he was told by one of Trump’s creatures that the incoming president would “go to war” against DEI. This, of course, after Zuckerberg had publicly complained about “pressure” on his business from previous governments.
And this wasn’t just a small side conversation, or an example of anticipatory obedience: per the NYT report, “Mr. Zuckerberg’s political lieutenants previewed the changes to Mr. Miller in a private briefing” – the president’s representative was directly involved in the business affairs of a private company, approving their plans from a political perspective. Is the next step the “voluntary” sale of companies that don’t comply to people who will? I think you would be very naive to believe that couldn’t happen, based on what already has.
2. What is to be done?
Tech companies bending the knee to Trump has, of course, left many people in the technology world in shock, and the question then becomes what to do about it. Quite a few people I know have, for example, dumped Meta platforms. But the problem with this is that it just doesn’t work when faced with a billionaire class that’s determined to get their way. As Cory Doctorow notes, "’voting with your wallet’" (is) a rigged ballot that's always won by the people with the thickest wallet.” And there’s no doubt that the likes of Zuckerberg, Bezos, and so on – knee-benders all – have the thickest wallets, and power and resources that can barely be imagined.
3. “Journalists” claim checking facts is censorship now
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the New York Post – America’s lamest newspaper – should believe that checking facts is now a violation of free speech. I mean, why would telling the truth – the fundamental mission of all journalism – be anything else?
4. Trump to elevate pyramid schemes as a national priority
I think my headline is a better reflection of the situation. According to Bloomberg Trump has already prepared over 100 executive orders, but the one which will have Marc Andreessen fapping like a teenage boy will designate crypto as a national priority. This will “encourage” (in the same way Zuckerberg was encouraged) agencies to prioritise working with the crypto scam artists industry. Of course, this will mean increased costs to taxpayers, but it will mean increased profits to the people who bankrolled and supported Trump’s campaign. So that’s alright then.
5. What can the LA fires teach us about future transport?
You will, no doubt, have heard a lot about electric cars bursting into flames and a lot of it is nonsense. But one thing that isn’t is connected to the chemistry of lithium batteries: when they burn, they are really difficult to put out.
That’s proved to be a problem in the LA fires, where firefighters reported having to use a lot of water to put out fires in Tesla cars and Power Walls. Now, for once, this isn’t Tesla’s fault – even Elon Musk can’t be responsible for basic chemistry – but it does give us some pointers towards changing the way we design home batteries and deal with fires in the future.
6. Social media propaganda machines
Why does the US government want to ban TikTok? Yes, there is of course the general question of whether they want an application that’s on a lot of people’s phones to be controlled by the Chinese government. But the biggest question is around the use of TikTok as a propaganda tool. It’s not that the Chinese government would aimlessly promote pro-China views – that would be obvious, and stupid – but that it can gently move the needle, including suppressing anti-China views.
But here’s a thing: consider how Elon Musk is currently calling for the removal of the democratically elected government of the UK, while also breaking bread with German neo-Nazis. Wouldn’t the same principle that the US is using for TikTok also apply if Europe wanted to ban a propaganda platform which actively works against their interests? Sauce, goose, gander.
7. Meanwhile, in Muskville
Elon Musk is not the world’s smartest man, but there is a strong case he might be the thinnest-skinned. Currently, he is in what the kids call “a beef” with several Twitch streamers who spotted that his claims about being a top-ten player of Path of Exile 2 might not hold water.
Let’s break this down: you are the richest man in the world. You want for nothing, and you will live in absolute luxury for the rest of your life. You have also influenced the election of the president, and have his ear. Power is yours.
So what do you do? You lie about your gaming abilities to impress a bunch of gamers, most of whom now think you’re a jerk because you faked it badly.
Pathetic.
8. Air today, gone tomorrow
The MacBook Air was so influential that it caused the entire industry to rethink their designs. Despite being underpowered, expensive, and having a spinning hard drive, its design was revolutionary and within a few years, almost every laptop resembled it. Even today, half the laptops on sale owe some of their design DNA to the MacBook Air.
Om Malik has written an eloquent piece about the Air and makes a comparison to the Vision Pro. Like the Air, the Vision Pro was far too expensive for ordinary people, but it’s also a pioneer of a sort. I can see Om’s point, but I’m not convinced that it will be as influential as the Air. There are already competitors around which, while not as advanced, are in the same mould. But either way, I loved my first Air. Maybe I would love a Vision Pro too?
9. Worst in show
Despite being a technology journalist for over thirty years, I have only ever once gone to CES. I spent a lot of that time covering the Mac, and Apple never really had a CES presence. The one time that I went, I really enjoyed it.
But one thing even a single visit taught me: there is an awful lot of crap at CES. You will see a lot of products, many of them bizarre, and some of them will never come to market. And now there is the worst in show awards, which highlight some of the… well… worst things you’ll see. Love it.
10. And finally…
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