It's a ridiculous fantasy. Even assuming they were correct about some apocalypse and managed to escape the US, I'd expect the NZ government (now no longer beholden to the crippled/non-existent US)...
It's a ridiculous fantasy. Even assuming they were correct about some apocalypse and managed to escape the US, I'd expect the NZ government (now no longer beholden to the crippled/non-existent US) to just seize their property. At best, these guys might wind up working as farmhands or something, because the Silicon Valley executive skillset is basically irrelevant outside of the current system.
Exactly. I like how part of their apocalypse plan is to rely on their wealth after society has collapsed. It's like no one thought through the fact that, if you have a moped and a bug out bag with...
Exactly. I like how part of their apocalypse plan is to rely on their wealth after society has collapsed. It's like no one thought through the fact that, if you have a moped and a bug out bag with guns in an "you or me" survival scenario, the cash is the last thing anyone is gonna want.
On the bright side, if an apocalypse ever comes there will be a lot of very well-protected construction inspectors, tax assessors, and laborers in NZ! I assume Peter Thiel's houses are already...
On the bright side, if an apocalypse ever comes there will be a lot of very well-protected construction inspectors, tax assessors, and laborers in NZ! I assume Peter Thiel's houses are already filled with Gareth and 200 of his best sheep.
Wow, how incredibly delusional. It just blows my mind how anyone could think that a post-apocalyptic world will somehow be a meritocracy and preserve their existing societal ranking. Each of these...
I also have this somewhat egotistical view that I’m a pretty good leader. I will probably be in charge, or at least not a slave, when push comes to shove.”
Wow, how incredibly delusional. It just blows my mind how anyone could think that a post-apocalyptic world will somehow be a meritocracy and preserve their existing societal ranking. Each of these people would likely be murdered by their head of security who would take all their toys at the first possible chance. We have plenty of examples of what happens when the rule of law breaks down, and afaik, it’s war worlds, not ex-business leaders that rule that world.
Yeah. The thing that gets me about guys like Huffman is he completely fails to realize how dependent on the system he is. Essentially no one is willing to put up with his shit for less than...
Yeah. The thing that gets me about guys like Huffman is he completely fails to realize how dependent on the system he is. Essentially no one is willing to put up with his shit for less than $100k/year. Not that it is a flawless approach, but if you want to guess who would be running things in the event of an apocalypse, look at the people who are able to get others to work toward their goals for free, or have others pay them for the privilege.
I think the Libertarian aspect is part of it, but I also think there's a certain psychological aspect to the fantasy. If you go back to the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and the like, there seemed to...
I think the Libertarian aspect is part of it, but I also think there's a certain psychological aspect to the fantasy.
If you go back to the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and the like, there seemed to be a sense amongst them that they were building the country both in terms of their businesses and their philanthropy. This isn't to say that they were without controversies but in their own image of themselves, they were making a positive contribution.
Most of what is done at most Silicon Valley companies (excepting perhaps some of what Google does and arguably some of what Elon Musk does, though he has other issues) is, basically, shit. The Facebooks, Twitters, Reddits and the like are kind of like drug dealers; you might make a lot of money selling meth, but ultimately you're leaving the world in a shittier state than it was before you got here. Compounding that is that (no offense to Deimos) it is not an insurmountable feat to recreate these platforms - most of the effort of these companies is really making sure some college kid in a dorm room does not invent something that renders their platform completely obsolete. In terms of contribution to society, it's very little and quite possibly negative. Since they don't see how they can improve the world (even if that vision is incorrect) they are left fantasizing about everything ending.
Putting this another way - let's say you live in a post-apocalyptic hellscape and you find a genie. He offers you your choice of wishes: you can have John D. Rockefeller come back to life with all the assets and infrastructure of Standard Oil, or you can have Mark Zuckerberg come back to life with all the assets and infrastructure of Facebook. Which of these would you choose?
The really hysterical thing about this is that the Cold War fantasy was always about government-sponsored underground doomsday bunkers. I'm trying not to kill myself laughing at the prospect of...
The really hysterical thing about this is that the Cold War fantasy was always about government-sponsored underground doomsday bunkers.
I'm trying not to kill myself laughing at the prospect of these libertarian selfish Randians trying to cooperate to rebuild civilization to their liking.
I don't necessarily think that time-requirements on citizenship are a good thing, but the guy flat out broke the rules.
One of the requirements for New Zealand citizenship is that that applicant should be resident in the country for a majority of the time over a five-year period, and plan to reside in the country after citizenship, or work for a New Zealand company overseas.
Thiel did not meet either of these requirements as he had only visited the country on half a dozen occasions, and had no plans to permanently reside there, despite owning properties in Parnell and Queenstown.
I don't necessarily think that time-requirements on citizenship are a good thing, but the guy flat out broke the rules.
It's a ridiculous fantasy. Even assuming they were correct about some apocalypse and managed to escape the US, I'd expect the NZ government (now no longer beholden to the crippled/non-existent US) to just seize their property. At best, these guys might wind up working as farmhands or something, because the Silicon Valley executive skillset is basically irrelevant outside of the current system.
Exactly. I like how part of their apocalypse plan is to rely on their wealth after society has collapsed. It's like no one thought through the fact that, if you have a moped and a bug out bag with guns in an "you or me" survival scenario, the cash is the last thing anyone is gonna want.
On the bright side, if an apocalypse ever comes there will be a lot of very well-protected construction inspectors, tax assessors, and laborers in NZ! I assume Peter Thiel's houses are already filled with Gareth and 200 of his best sheep.
My post apocalypse quest has now become making steve huffman my personal monkey butler.
When the revolution comes, we should put this guy to work digging latrines.
Wow, how incredibly delusional. It just blows my mind how anyone could think that a post-apocalyptic world will somehow be a meritocracy and preserve their existing societal ranking. Each of these people would likely be murdered by their head of security who would take all their toys at the first possible chance. We have plenty of examples of what happens when the rule of law breaks down, and afaik, it’s war worlds, not ex-business leaders that rule that world.
"Now I know you want to kill me and eat my liver, but hear me out: I used to run a pretty big website."
Yeah. The thing that gets me about guys like Huffman is he completely fails to realize how dependent on the system he is. Essentially no one is willing to put up with his shit for less than $100k/year. Not that it is a flawless approach, but if you want to guess who would be running things in the event of an apocalypse, look at the people who are able to get others to work toward their goals for free, or have others pay them for the privilege.
Holy shit he pulled a Richard Hendricks.
So why don't they just spend money to avert the apocalypse instead? Are the bunkers the fallback plan?
I think the Libertarian aspect is part of it, but I also think there's a certain psychological aspect to the fantasy.
If you go back to the Rockefellers, Carnegies, and the like, there seemed to be a sense amongst them that they were building the country both in terms of their businesses and their philanthropy. This isn't to say that they were without controversies but in their own image of themselves, they were making a positive contribution.
Most of what is done at most Silicon Valley companies (excepting perhaps some of what Google does and arguably some of what Elon Musk does, though he has other issues) is, basically, shit. The Facebooks, Twitters, Reddits and the like are kind of like drug dealers; you might make a lot of money selling meth, but ultimately you're leaving the world in a shittier state than it was before you got here. Compounding that is that (no offense to Deimos) it is not an insurmountable feat to recreate these platforms - most of the effort of these companies is really making sure some college kid in a dorm room does not invent something that renders their platform completely obsolete. In terms of contribution to society, it's very little and quite possibly negative. Since they don't see how they can improve the world (even if that vision is incorrect) they are left fantasizing about everything ending.
Putting this another way - let's say you live in a post-apocalyptic hellscape and you find a genie. He offers you your choice of wishes: you can have John D. Rockefeller come back to life with all the assets and infrastructure of Standard Oil, or you can have Mark Zuckerberg come back to life with all the assets and infrastructure of Facebook. Which of these would you choose?
Even though their wealth is based mostly on fiat currency and will be non-existent once the world crashes?
Somehow, I don't see any of them as Immortan Joe.
The really hysterical thing about this is that the Cold War fantasy was always about government-sponsored underground doomsday bunkers.
I'm trying not to kill myself laughing at the prospect of these libertarian selfish Randians trying to cooperate to rebuild civilization to their liking.
I don't necessarily think that time-requirements on citizenship are a good thing, but the guy flat out broke the rules.
I thought @dubteedub already did, using the quotes from the Guardian article.