You Are Not So Smart

271 - Survival of the Richest - Douglas Rushkoff (rebroadcast)

Oct 15, 2023

01:01:24

Snipd AI

Guest Douglas Rushkoff, media scholar and professor of digital economics, discusses his new book about the survival strategies of tech billionaires. Topics include the philosophy of objectivism in BioShock, the manipulation of power in digital technology, mysterious number stations, billionaire preppers' escape fantasies, and the power of compassion in the digital age.

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Quick takeaways

Billionaire preppers have a techno-solutionist mindset and seek to insulate themselves from the problems they have created with wealth and technology.

Video games and science fiction stories like Bioshock shape the utopian or dystopian escape fantasies of billionaire preppers.

The podcast argues for a shift in mindset, focusing on making the world a better place for all through circular economics and improving the human experience.

Deep dives

The belief in an inevitable event and its consequences

The podcast discusses the mindset of billionaire preppers who believe in an inevitable event that will cause the collapse of society. They are obsessed with preparing for this event and insulating themselves from the problems they have created with their wealth and technology. This mindset is characterized by a techno-solutionist approach, a fear of nature and diversity, a fetishization of intellectual property, and a desire for sovereignty.

Introduction

2min

The Philosophy of Objectivism in BioShock

11min

Going 'Meta' and the Manipulation of Power

20min

Mysterious Number Stations, Late-Night Entertainment, and the Benefits of Therapy

3min

Streamlining Business Processes and Making Better Decisions with NetSuite

4min

Billionaire Preppers and Techno Solutionism

24min

The Power of Compassion and Connection in the Digital Age

3min

In this episode we sit down with Douglas Rushkoff, a media scholar, journalist, and professor of digital economics who has a new fire in his belly when it comes to the world of billionaire preppers, which comes across in his new book Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires – inspired by his invitation to consult a group of the world’s richest people on how to spend their money now to survive an apocalypse they fear is coming within their lifetimes.

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Show Notes

Douglas Rushkoff's Website