#1632 SiliCON Valley: The False Promises, Enshittification Economics, and Misguided Adventures of the Twits of Tech

Air Date 5/28/2024 Today we look at the most disappointing yet most idolized false heroes of our day, the titans of tech and the zany hijinks they've been getting up to recently. Leave us a message or text at 202-999-3991 or email [email protected] Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Clips and Shows + No Ads!) Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS 1: When a tech company like OpenAI doesn't get the dark message at the heart of science fiction 2: How Peter Thiel Got Rich | The Class Room ft. Second Thought 3: Google's Sundar Pichai on AI-powered search and the future of the web 4: Elon's Reputation is Hurting Tesla 5: Crypto's crown prince in court 6: The Entire OpenAI Chaos Explained 7: Scarlett Johansson's Open AI voice fight shows the need for consent in tech 8: Fascism and the Failure of Imagination   SEE FULL SHOW NOTES 1:03:38 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR On the misplaced excitement in private corporations pushing big technological advancements 1:09:33 DEEPER DIVE A: THAT WORD YOU KEEP USING… 1:36:58 B: SiliCON VALLEY, emphasis on the CON 1:53:05 C: MICROSOFT THE DESTROYER 2:10:35 D: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE SHOW IMAGE:  Description: Composite image where the faces of Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Elon Musk are seen through an overlay of stock prices and a growth chart arrow. Credits: Composite by A. Hoffman. Photos: 1) "Open AI co-founder & CEO Sam Altman" by TechCrunch, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 ; 2) "Peter Thiel" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY 2.0 ; 3) "Sam Bankman-Fried" by Cointelegraph, Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0 ; 4) "Elon Musk Presenting Tesla's Fully Autonomous Future" by Steve Jurvetson, Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 2.0