Mountainhead: Tech Bros: Digital Messiahs or Doom Loop Villains
The ascension of “Tech Bro” culture surrounds us. The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence platforms is front page news and the subject of intense philosophical debates. The freaks and geeks who manage the capital, develop the software and engineer the products are celebrities. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, impacted a Presidential election, attacked the federal bureaucracy through DOGE and was Trump’s new best friend until he wasn’t. The Silicon Valley leadership, historically distant from politics (it was beneath them) had front row seats at President Trump’s inauguration and are actively seeking his support for AI and Crypto projects. They are now unofficial courtiers in the Imperial Court that is the Trump White House. They attend the Met Gala and urge everyone to have more children and sign up for missions to Mars. We are bombarded with messages assuring us the tech gurus will lead us into a Brave New World. Artificial Intelligence will do all the work and make us all wealthy. We will be free to pursue our dreams and avoid mundane labor. It will be magnificent. Where do I sign up?
A wonderfully timed movie, Mountainhead, written and directed by Jesse Armstrong, the creator of Succession, was just released. Mr Armstrong’s HBO 4 year mega hit featured a mosaic of media moguls based on the Murdoch family. They were uniformly awful people with no socially redeeming qualities, but the narrative was brilliant and funny. It was almost a Shakespearean level drama. The characters were narcissistic, self destructive and pitiful, but they were powerful and dangerous. Oligarchs without a clue who operate outside any moral or ethical code were wonderful targets for satire. Succession delivered its message superbly and the popular and critical acclaim it received was well deserved. Therefore, I approached Mountainhead with curiosity and enthusiasm, hoping to see Mr Armstrong’s spin on the latest edition of contemporary society avatars- the hyperbillionaire tech fellows.
Mountainhead is a two hour movie so the opportunities for the nuance and character development that distinguished Succession were not available. Unfortunately, the final product is a genuinely BAD movie. Well, at least depressing and disturbing. The main characters are caricatures. The dialogue is rapid fire cynical one liners. The film features 4 majordomos from the tech world spending a poker weekend at an over the top retreat owned by one of them (the poorest by the way.) They are the new “Masters of the Universe” with a collective net worth of 350 billion dollars. They are also “futurists” and are not shy about glibly sharing their vision for a successful society.
Similar to Succession, Mr Armstrong is not subtle in basing his characters on real life people. There are elements of Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman and David Sachs in the movie’s primary players. Steve Carrell is miscast as the Peter Thiel/Marc Andreesen type venture capitalist who is a mentor and thought leader for his billionaire buddies. Carrell was better suited as the well meaning but confused boss in The Office. His character here is opinionated but incoherent, frequently quoting Kant, Hegel and Nietschze with no obvious purpose other than to project erudition now fruition and wisdom. He is the patriarch for the new mega billionaire class. Corey Michael Smith plays Venis, the world’s richest man who controls a company that has developed new technology which allows users to create false videos and fake events at a moment’s notice. Lots of Musk and Zuckerberg here- the character is a nihilist, a social misfit, a creepy father- aggressively proclaiming his virility but leaving the audience uneasy because his grasp on reality appears tenuous. There is megalomania, spiritual emptiness, insecurity and an inability to footer genuine relationships. The new technology has paved the way for bad actors to disrupt the political and economic foundation of societies and governments worldwide. The posted “deep fakes” foster assassinations, massacres and civil wars globally. Jacob Schwarzmann plays the “Soupy”, the most economically compromised member because his net worth is only 500 million. He has been reduced to pitching a new “lifestyle” app. Finally, Jeff is played by Ramey Yousef. He is the “good guy” because his startup has developed the prototype filter that identifies and takes down false postings and videos. A tip to Sam Altman and his regular ad hominem statements about “doing good.” He suggests that maybe the boys need to slowdown and consider the ramifications of what they are doing before introducing the next technical leap forward. The second half of the movie is the group’s effort to shutdown and eliminate Jeff and his “deceleration” thoughts. It is slapstick and only amusing if your comedic sense is frozen at a Three Stooges childhood level. A snide observation if I may- the absence of women in the storyline is hard to miss. There are 5 minute snapshots of female assistants, ex wives, girlfriends and board members. At best, they are satellites circling the “Sun God” male billionaire club.
Why review a bad movie. Well, the subject matter is compelling. We do need to evaluate this new class of influencers and leaders. They are important and powerful and are never shy about expressing their opinions and proclaiming their own brilliance and special insight. They are confidently entering the public debate on major policy questions and their financial and technological firepower allows them to fund political movements, control social media platforms and capture institutions and regulatory bodies. What risks and dangers are presented by these new “Gilded Age” representatives. They pursue change, but will the impact be positive or negative. Serious podcasts are obsessed with AI and Crypto and I humbly suggest we should be aware of the ideological and philosophical frameworks driving these people. For good or bad, society should know who they are dealing with as the waves of change wash over us with increased speed and intensity. The movie characters weren’t particularly believable, but my research reveals that Mr Armstrong based much of the rhetoric on statements actually made by the tech elite- and recently!
The modern Silicon Valley elite wants to call the shots. The coding nerds seek to be cool and dominate the cultural landscape. They have strong anti- democratic sentiments. Their vision is cloaked in optimistic and aspirational language, but there are dark overtones. Much of their ideology is “weird”, “strange”, “scary”and “fascist.” They have no knowledge or sense of history and I frequently wonder if they are under the influence of drugs. They want the superior intellects, the tech geniuses (them) to be in charge, not governments. They want to clear the decks, start over, re-order the economic and governance systems and eliminate regulation. They market their code as a pathway to a heavenly future for a “new man”. We will be wealthy and those nasty conflicts based on religion, race, politics and ethnicity will fall by the wayside in their more rational and efficient world. I recommend you pull out your tattered copies of Hg Wells and Aldous Huxley- they were prescient. But, you say- Bill where are you getting this stuff?
Marc Andreesen published the “Techno-Optimist Manifesto" in 2023. It is the founding document- the Declaration of Independence for the AI and Crypto class. There are five fundamental principles. First, technology is “the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of all progress and the realisation of our potential.” Second, growth is the ultimate goal and leads inexorably to human vitality, well being and the expansion of life. Third, we must commit to a “techno-capital machine” as the engine of growth and abundance. Fourth intelligent humans are the ultimate drivers of progress. Fifth, we must embrace the “acceleration” principle which is dedicated to the deliberate and expedited propulsion of technological development. He is transparent in identifying the “enemies” of his vision. Tech ethics, trust and safety, stakeholder capitalism, sustainability, social responsibility and ESG (Environmental Social Governance) are obstacles to the execution of the Manifesto. They must GO! Those principles are “WOKE.” The Manifesto is aggressively anti regulation of tech. The only way to save the planet is to unleash capital resources controlled by the super smart. They will be sure everyone gets a nice check and there will be great hiking trails and bike paths for all.
The political consequences of executing this vision are revolutionary. This is an intellectual ecosystem that has no place for democratic governance or the rule of law. Peter Thiel has stated on multiple occasions that he no longer believes freedom and democracy are compatible. He rues the growing power of the welfare state and regrets extending the voting franchise to women. I am not making this up! Thiel is not a fringe person- he is probably the most respected individual in the tech universe. He admires Curtis Yarvin, a self described philosopher of progress, and Yarvin believes American democracy is a “failed experiment” that should be replaced by an autocratic and accountable monarch based on a corporate CEO model. He posits that democratic processes are “fundamentally irrational.” To comfort you, please note Yarvin was awarded a special box at the Trump inaugural and Vice President Vance cites Yarvin as a major influence on his governing views. Frankly, they are technocratic authoritarians. This explains why Musk routinely backs right wing autocrats in Europe. David Sachs, the current head of Trumps’ Techno- Crypto office has said that most major American and multinational corporations are run by Marxists. These people are now inside the power structure. The issue is whether they are Bond movie evil villains or just lost souls with too much money and time on their hands.
The goal is to circumscribe or eliminate state power. Governments are an irritant- an inconvenience. AI, automation and crypto will replace traditional government mechanisms. Technological determinism, market fundamentalism and intellectual elitism are the guiding ideological principles. Crypto fits well because it is a quick way to exit democratic governance. It is open source, designed to be extra legal and beyond the reach of government. Crypto is the future and cyberspace will be the ultimate offshore jurisdiction. The economy will be unencumbered by regulation. The other reality is the demand that AI be pursued without guardrails. It is a race and we must win. The tech oligarchs promise it will all turn out well in the end. Just let them have at it. I am unconvinced I love tech and it potential for humanity, but we must watch these radical geniuses closely. Consider yourself warned. DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!!
