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For anyone causally scrolling by, know these people are trolls. The founder of Palantir has called technology an "incredible alternative to politics", saying:

> you could unilaterally change the world without having to constantly convince people and beg people and plead with people who are never going to agree with you through technological means

If that's not "technofascism" then idk what is. Trying to spin that as culture war bullshit is disingenuous.

See quote at 13m14s in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ95Gmvg_D4

by Manuel_D59 minutes ago|

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You realize that "changing the world without politics" doesn't mean overthrow of democracy. It means founding businesses to produce goods and services that change the world. Google and Facebook absolutely changed the world, not through politics, but by creating technology.

by jakelazaroff52 minutes ago|

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If that were the case, then why do they spend millions of dollars on lobbying every year? Why does Meta have a "president of global affairs" plucked from Republican political circles? [1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Kaplan

by Manuel_D45 minutes ago|

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You realize that lobbying is working within the framework of an electoral democracy? When environmentalists lobby for more stringent emissions rules, they're not overthrowing democracy they're participating in it.

So the answer your question: Meta spends millions on lobbying to influence elected officials, because it knows has to work within the democratic system.

by jakelazaroff41 minutes ago|

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I was specifically responding to this claim:

> Google and Facebook absolutely changed the world, not through politics, but by creating technology.

But it sounds like we're on the same page that they did change the world in part through politics?

by Manuel_D35 minutes ago|

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I'd say they changed the world first and foremost through technology. Their lobbying effort is mostly focused on keeping the government from interfering with their technology efforts.

But back to the main point, quoting someone saying you can change the world though technology instead of democracy and trying to use such a statement as evidence that they want to abolish democracy is nonsense.

by onemoresoop29 minutes ago|

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> founding businesses to produce goods and services that change the world

Why begin with surveilance though?

by Manuel_D22 minutes ago|

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Palantir builds analytics, tools to better use and interpret the data that the government already has. The data collection, the actual surveillance, is done by the government.

Palantir started with analytics because the founders believed the US was making poor use of data, and needed better tools.

by dgellow50 minutes ago|

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Yes it does. He and Thiel are open about the fact they don’t believe in democracy and want to get rid of it

by Manuel_D40 minutes ago|

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Again, where does Karp or Thiel say they want to get rid of democracy? They've said that government is bad at solving a lot of problems, sure. But that's a far, far cry from calling for the abolition of democracy.