Elon Musk · Apple · X · TechCrunch AI
Historian Jill Lepore confirms Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy
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In her upcoming book “The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State,” Jill Lepore warns that tech companies are increasingly replacing the functions of democratic government.
Key facts
- In her upcoming book “The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State,” Jill Lepore warns that tech companies are increasingly replacing the functions of democratic government
- While Lepore’s book examines technocratic philosophies that go back centuries, she argued that many of Silicon Valley’s “charismatic or not-so-charismatic leaders”, especially Elon Musk, seem
- Their conversation also covered Apple’s famous “1984” Macintosh ad, why it’s “bananas” to call Twitter a digital town hall, and the current data center backlash
- But what’s funny about Musk is, the stuff he likes completely defeats and defies all of his political beliefs,” she said
Summary
On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, the reporter spoke to Lepore, a Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer who recently won a Pulitzer Prize for her history of the U.S. Constitution, about the evolution of what she described as “the idea that we should live under an artificial state or government by machines.” “I’m not an anti-technologist,” Lepore insisted. While Lepore’s book examines technocratic philosophies that go back centuries, she argued that many of Silicon Valley’s “charismatic or not-so-charismatic leaders”, especially Elon Musk, seem to be ushering in a future pulled from misread pulp science fiction and comic books. “But what’s funny about Musk is, the stuff he likes completely defeats and defies all of his political beliefs,” she said.