Molly White, a researcher and software engineer, delves into the authoritarian tactics of tech billionaires and their impact on free speech. She discusses how cryptocurrency influences American politics, including Trump's connection to meme coins. The podcast critiques the growing power of tech titans in governance and the dangers of privatizing public resources like libraries. Molly emphasizes the need for resilient information systems that promote access over profit, urging a collective effort to counter misinformation and support open media alternatives.
Molly White highlights how the growing influence of cryptocurrency in political funding threatens democratic principles and access to diverse information.
The podcast discusses how wealthy tech billionaires prioritize profits over public welfare, undermining educational institutions like libraries essential for an informed society.
Emphasizing the importance of open-access information systems, there is a call to build alternative platforms that resist exploitation by big tech companies.
Deep dives
Crypto's Unprecedented Political Influence
The cryptocurrency industry raised a remarkable $200 million in the latest election cycle, a significant shift for an industry that typically underparticipates in political funding. This spending eclipsed that of some of the most established political donors in history and has resulted in an uneven landscape of political influence. With a venture capitalist named David Sachs appointed as a 'crypto czar' in the White House, the industry's new lobbying power is evident. The formation of a crypto advisory council comprised of cryptocurrency CEOs indicates a growing relationship between regulators and industry leaders, raising concerns about the implications for public policy.
The Radical Agenda of Tech Billionaires
The discussion highlights how tech billionaires like Peter Thiel are influencing American politics by positioning themselves at the intersection of technology and governance. Figures like Thiel groom political candidates who align with their radical ideas, often promoting an authoritarian model that centralizes decision-making. This model undermines democratic principles and creates a political landscape where profits take precedence over public interest. The conversation underscores the danger of viewing government through the lens of business efficiency, which disregards the complexities of democratic governance.
The Ideological Disconnect of Wealthy Elites
Wealthy tech executives often fail to understand the importance of an educated society, viewing public services like libraries as economically inefficient. This ignorance can lead to policies that undermine public access to information and create systems that prioritize profit over social welfare. The dialogue examines how this disconnect contributes to a political environment that deliberately undereducates populations, enabling authoritarian governance. By dismantling institutions that provide free and open access to knowledge, these elites seek to control narratives and maintain their power.
Valuing Knowledge Beyond Profit
The conversation emphasizes the need for models, like Wikipedia, that harness human curiosity and the desire to share knowledge without a profit motive. Wikipedia's survival is attributed to a community dedicated to free access to information, demonstrating that shared knowledge holds inherent value. There is a belief that people appreciate and will support resources that benefit society, even if it requires financial contributions. This model serves as a counter to the growing trend of enclosure in the digital space, emphasizing the importance of preserving accessible knowledge systems.
Building Alternatives to Dominance
There is a growing sentiment that individuals and communities need to actively build alternative systems that resist exploitation by big tech companies. The conversation discusses how current platforms often require users to navigate profit-driven motivations that benefit a select few. Advocating for the development of cooperative platforms and spaces can empower individuals to create more equitable systems that prioritize collective good over coerced profit. This proactive approach not only challenges existing power structures but also fosters an environment where creativity and accessibility thrive.
Banning books, cutting library funding, attacking Wikipedia. The authoritarian regime of the tech-bro backed hard right doesn’t want to protect your free speech. It plans on eliminating freedom altogether.
When it comes to dismantling democracy, it’s far easier if your populace is divided and uneducated with limited access to diverse opinion. Enclosing our information spaces, both online and physically, is a key strategy in undermining our rights, minimising our power, and draining our wallets. Researcher, writer and software engineer, Molly White, has been tracking exactly how these tech billionaires have been dismantling the information space so their political allies can dismantle the political space, boosting their profits while we suffer.
Molly writes the newsletter Citation Needed and runs the websites Follow the Cryptoand Web3 is Going Just Great. She joins me to the radical political agenda of these tech bros, how cryptocurrency helped buy the election, and how much money Trump and his family are making off of meme coins. We then explore the ideological failings of these power brokers, and why they’re determined on denying us access to information. Finally, we examine how to build resilient, reliable, open-access information systems, alternatives which protest our the erosion of our collective web of knowledge—and protect our fundamental human rights.
