A surprisingly engaging read, the authors set out a strong argument that Silicon Valley doesn't stand for much of any importance, followed by some rather fragmented arguments and opinions on what should be done about it.
Part 1 describes the current state of Silicon Valley as the authors see it, highlighting the reluctance of many tech firms to engage in military, policing or surveillance contracts. For me this highlights their refusal to engage with no real opposition or alternative. They seem to hanker for a stronger pro-American attitude from their big tech colleagues.
Part 2 continues in the same vein, widening the view to describe how politics in America is ever more dominated by arts graduates rather than technological people - as engineers have retreated from addressing social and political issues, society has become ever more skeptical of politics and politicians. The elephant in the room for me in this section is the huge rift between left and right, blue and red in America right now. I don't recall this being discussed at all in the book.
Part 3 mostly felt like a series of assertions and about how great Palantir and the tools they build are, followed by a short ode to the astonishing success of Silicon Valley in creating companies and technology which pragmatically meet the world where it is rather than where we want it to be.
Part 4 "Rebuilding the Technological Republic" takes some interesting detours - first into the derisory pay of top public servants relative to their counterparts in the private sector and the perverse incentives this creates - then pointing out that the political left has abandoned notions of nationhood and culture, leaving these exclusively to the right and far-right.
However, the vagueness in the final phrases betrays the lack of a clear project to rally around "It might have been just and necessary to dismantle the old order. We should now build something together in its place." Something indeed.
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