Techno-Sloptimism

Dog Whistle

Marc Andreesen recently posted a 5,200 word ‘manifesto’ for Techno-Optimism on his website. It is the kind of dog whistle screed likely to trigger journalists. If this was his intent, he succeeded. If your hearing doesn’t reach the higher ranges of your pet pooch, then the long list of self-contradictory bullets is merely embarrassing and all but unreadable. Mr. Andreesen gets an ‘F’ in communications this term.

What his detractors focus on are high falutin’ ideas like inequality, sustainability, and the morality of unregulated artificial intelligence. What they all miss is the fact that the billionaire head of a large venture capital firm cannot posit a cogent argument. If this is his own work, he needs to go back to school to learn to write, or at minimum hire a decent editor. A Filippo Marinetti for his new movement if you will. If this is the work of a ghost writer (or writers) he needs to fire them.

His PowerPoint outline of quotes and beliefs form no narrative arc, offers no inspiration and ultimately no clear call to action. If anything, it is a call for inaction by regulators, activists and investors. Even Bing’s AI presented a better structure than his execrable attempt (see below).

Power

What Andreesen and his buddy Elon Musk have proven recently is that billionaires are not smarter than the rest of us. Nor are they better leaders or more capable of imagining better ways of saving the world. At best they are average schmoes made wealthy by happenstance. Wealth is no indicator of intellect. History has proven that time and again. But vast wealth is powerful. And in the rarified frequencies of the dog whistle, the powerful garner attention.

Lazy

It is possible to assess how well a large, powerful company performs by looking at the quality of their least expensive products and services. For example, When GE was making jet engines and building financial services in the 1980s, their washers and dryers were based on old technology and unreliable. That Jack Welch kept the product line in his portfolio reflected poorly on his much-vaunted leadership. GE eventually sold its white goods business in 2008, seven years after Welch’s retirement. At the point the company’s entire business model, the one Welch had created, came crashing down like the house of cards it was.

What does this lesson tell us about Mr. Andreesen’s manifesto? That even the most gifted communicators and CEOs must generate real value if they are to be taken seriously. If your wealth allows you to position yourself as a ‘thought leader’, then you need to be very thoughtful about what you say and how you say it. The kind of poorly crafted, sloppily researched diatribe posted by Andreesen on his own website is not so much a manifesto as a reflection of his careless and lazy thinking. Is that who you want investing your capital? Is that who you want as an investor or board member? Well, perhaps. Assuming you can hear the shrill tones of a billionaire’s dog whistle and are trained to heel at the sound of it.

BING AI to the Rescue – Two examples for Mr. Andreesen

The Techno-Optimist Manifesto: A Narrative

I am a techno-optimist. I believe that technology can improve the world and expand life. I am not alone in this belief. I have many allies who share my vision, my passion, and my mission. We are the builders of the techno-capital machine, the engine of perpetual growth and abundance.

But we also have many enemies, who oppose our vision, our passion, and our mission. They are the techno-pessimists, who fear technology and its consequences. They have bad ideas that hinder progress and cause suffering. They want to impose their limits and regulations on everyone else. They want to control our speech, our thoughts, our actions. They want to make us small, weak, and miserable.

This is the story of our struggle, our adventure, our creation. It is not a simple story, nor a linear one. It is a complex and dynamic story, full of twists and turns, challenges and risks, rewards and joys. It is a story that has no end, but only new beginnings.

It is a story that I want to tell you.

Chapter 1

The first chapter of my story begins with a question: What is technology?

Technology is not a thing, but a process. It is not a product, but a service. It is not a tool, but a skill. It is not a result, but a method.

Technology is the application of knowledge to achieve a goal. It is the transformation of nature into culture. It is the extension of human capabilities beyond biological limits.

Technology is the expression of human creativity and intelligence.

Technology is what makes us human.

Chapter 2

The second chapter of my story continues with another question: What is techno-capitalism?

Techno-capitalism is not an ideology, but a reality. It is not a system, but a network. It is not a structure, but a flow. It is not a state, but a market.

Techno-capitalism is the mode of production that dominates the world today. It is the mode of production that generates wealth and well being for everyone. It is the mode of production that drives innovation and discovery.

Techno-capitalism is the combination of technology and capitalism.

Technology creates new possibilities and opportunities. Capitalism allocates resources and incentives. Together, they form a positive feedback loop that fuels perpetual growth and abundance.

Techno-capitalism is the expression of human freedom and rationality.

Techno-capitalism is what makes us prosperous.

Chapter 3

The third chapter of my story advances with yet another question: What is techno-optimism?

Techno-optimism is not a dogma, but an attitude. It is not a faith, but a reason. It is not a dream, but a vision. It is not a hope, but an expectation.

Techno-optimism is the worldview that guides us in our quest for a better world. It is the worldview that recognizes the power of technology to improve the world and expand life. It is the worldview that embraces the challenges and risks of technology as opportunities and rewards.

Techno-optimism is the combination of optimism and realism.

Optimism sees the positive aspects of reality and anticipates favorable outcomes. Realism sees reality as it is and adapts to changing circumstances. Together, they form a balanced perspective that avoids both utopian fantasies and apocalyptic nightmares.

Techno-optimism is the expression of human curiosity and courage.

Techno-optimism is what makes us adventurous.

Chapter 4

The fourth chapter of my story concludes with one more question: What is our manifesto?

Our manifesto is not a declaration, but an invitation. It is not a commandment, but a suggestion. It is not a demand, but an offer. It is not an obligation, but an opportunity.

Our manifesto is our way of sharing our vision, our passion, and our mission with you. It is our way of inviting you to join us in our quest for a better world. It is our way of offering you some principles and guidelines for your own techno-optimist adventure.

Our manifesto consists of four rules:

Be curious: Explore new domains of knowledge and experience.
Be creative: Invent new tools, systems, and ideas.
Be critical: Test your ideas empirically and correct your mistakes.
Be courageous: Challenge bad ideas and resist bad actors.

These are not absolute rules, but flexible ones. You can adapt them to your own context and goals. You can also add your own rules or modify ours as you see fit.

Our manifesto does not tell you what to do or how to do it. It only tells you why we do what we do and how we do it ourselves.

Our manifesto does not promise you anything or guarantee anything. It only shows you what we have achieved so far and what we hope to achieve in the future.

Our manifesto does not impose anything on you or restrict anything from you. It only gives you a choice and a chance.

Our manifesto is our gift to you.

Will you accept it?

Source: Conversation with Bing, 10/27/2023

2: Here is a possible rewrite of the web page as a hero’s journey:

You are a hero, living in a dark and dangerous world. You have a vision of a better future, where technology can solve the problems that plague humanity and unleash its potential. You have a passion for discovery, exploration, and innovation. You have a mission to build the techno-capital machine, the engine of perpetual growth and abundance.

But you face many enemies, who want to stop you from achieving your vision. They are driven by fear, guilt, and resentment. They have bad ideas that hold back progress and cause suffering. They want to impose their utopian fantasies or apocalyptic nightmares on everyone else. They want to control your speech, your thoughts, your actions. They want to make you small, weak, and miserable.

You must overcome these enemies, by using your intelligence, energy, and courage. You must challenge their bad ideas with facts, logic, and evidence. You must expose their lies and corruption with truth and transparency. You must resist their attempts to silence and censor you with free speech and free inquiry. You must defy their authority and expertise with your own knowledge and experience.

You are not alone in your quest. You have allies who share your vision, your passion, and your mission. They are techno-optimists, who believe in the power of technology to improve the world and expand life. They are market enthusiasts, who believe in the power of markets to create wealth and well being for everyone. They are humanists, who believe in the power of humans to overcome nature and themselves.

Together with your allies, you embark on an adventure of technological creation and exploration. You invent new tools, new systems, new ideas that solve problems and create opportunities. You make everything cheap, abundant, and accessible for everyone. You make intelligence and energy too cheap to meter. You make everything possible with nothing.

You face many challenges and risks along the way, but you also experience many rewards and joys. You learn new skills, gain new insights, achieve new goals. You work with others who inspire you, support you, challenge you. You grow as a person, as a creator, as a leader.

You are not perfect, nor do you expect perfection from others or from the world. You accept the limitations of human nature and reality. You test your ideas empirically and correct your mistakes. You take responsibility for your actions and their consequences. You respect the choices of others and their right to disagree with you.

You are not utopian, nor do you fear apocalypse. You are realistic, but also optimistic. You see the problems of the world, but also the solutions. You see the dangers of technology, but also the benefits. You see the uncertainty of the future, but also the opportunities.

You have a duty to be optimistic, because the future is open, not predetermined. You have a duty to fight for a better world, because you are responsible for what it holds.

You are a techno-optimist.

You are here to build.

Will you join us?