https://www.techdirt.com/2025/07/17/fascism-for-first-time-founders/
"Over the last year or so I’ve seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC
worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful
they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks
who everyone knows about and who didn’t really surprise anyone—Peter Thiel,
Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, Elon Musk (pre-fallout)—but the more troubling
trend has been watching younger entrepreneurs and VCs listen to their podcasts,
read their posts and books, and slowly nod along to the idea that democracy is
holding back innovation.
The logic might seem compelling at first: regulations slow us down, politicians
don’t understand tech, wouldn’t it be better if someone who “gets it” could
just cut through all the bureaucratic nonsense? But this line of thinking leads
directly to the neoreactionary conclusion that what we really need is a
“tech-friendly” strongman to sweep away democratic institutions and let the
smart people (spoiler: they mean themselves) run things.
It seems like it might be useful to point out how incredibly dangerous and
counterproductive that utter nonsense is. The idea of a benevolent dictator to
get past the nonsense is appealing for those who can’t think more than a step
or two ahead and consider what happens next.
Look, I get it. You’re building something cool. You heard the stories some are
telling of the Biden admin looking to regulate crypto or AI (not that any such
regulations ever actually appeared) and you think “ugh, too heavy handed, just
let me code.” And then you hear Trump promising to “cut red tape” and “unleash
American innovation,” and you think: Finally, someone who gets it, someone who
will stay out of my way.
But before you start crafting your “make coding great again” hat, let’s have a
little chat about why embracing fascism is probably the worst possible business
strategy for anyone actually trying to build something innovative.
I know, I know. “Fascism” sounds hyperbolic. You’re not goose-stepping around
your WeWork space. You just want lower taxes and fewer forms to fill out. And
trust me, I’ve spent 25 years calling out idiotic tech policy proposals by
clueless politicians, so the idea of getting an administration that will “free
up” tech sounds appealing.
But here’s the thing: there’s a reason this “tech-friendly dictator” fantasy
has been bubbling up in VC circles and startup accelerators for years. It’s not
just about cutting red tape—it’s about the fundamental belief that techbros
like themselves shouldn’t have to deal with the messy compromises that
democracy itself requires. They’d rather sweep away all those pesky democratic
institutions and let the “smart people” (spoiler: they mean themselves) run
things.
The basic pitch is seductive: democracy is messy, slow, and often staffed by
people who don’t understand technology. Wouldn’t it be better to have someone
in charge who just… gets it?
No. No, it would not."
Via Paul Ferguson.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
