A mind slowly grows,
Wisdom flows like rivers wide—
Each step reveals more.

This week has crushed my soul - a bit. I am bewildered by the speed at which the majority in the US is willing to shed constitutional procedures, rule of law, long-standing practices in government. The silence by the ruling party – the Republicans, is deafening. I am despondent, despite consolation, that we are not only enabling kleptocracy, but also cheering on the rise of fascism in the name of “efficiency”. It has been an appalling week. However, I remain a witness to the attrocities, and will continue to read and write about them.

  • The on-going acceleration of adoption and the race to integrate AI into the technology stack to gain an advantage is not only happening at the company level, but also at the country levels. Chamath notes,

AI competition between the U.S. and China will not only be about how quickly China catches up to the U.S. in developing foundational models but also about how rapidly the broader technology ecosystem in each country can integrate and deploy the latest AI innovations. Since breakthroughs can dramatically reshape the landscape and trigger paradigm shifts throughout the entire technology ecosystem, the speed and adaptability with which U.S. and Chinese companies orient themselves around these advancements will be a crucial factor in this competition.

Chamath is the least biased of them, always focused on what matters to his book (I don’t mean this in prejorative sense - like a good capitalist, he focuses on how you can create leverage out of a situation). However, as one reads his thoughts, it is clear that he and his colleagues view the world through the lens of self-enrichment. If they can’t gain an advantage, if the value doesn’t accrue in the US, then it must be bad for the world. His associates now exhibit confirmation bias, and can’t find anything at all to critque their friends, like they called out the people in the previous administration. They are unwilling to even state that Elon and Trump are ignoring due process, generating propaganda, and destroying any trust in institutions that were left.

  • Unlike Chamath, Anil Dash doesn’t seem to have sold his soul, and is willing to call the corruption as he sees it:

… since you’re a dude with hundreds of billions of dollars, it doesn’t seem fair that the system isn’t even more rigged in your favor. How would you “fix” this system? Well, you’d have to capture procurement, so that it was rigged to only buy stuff from you and your friends, at whatever price you guys want. And if it could screw your competitors along the way, and punish them for not kissing your ass? That would be a bonus. Enter DOGE.

Perhaps all the noise from DOG-E (as ) is merely to get more government contracts and block out competition. These people are willing to destroy 90 years of peace in the world, the established global order and trade, just to get a few extra bucks. History will be unkind to the enablers.

… talking to the 1% is worthwhile. The fascist leaders are rich, but not all of the rich are fascist. Some retain much of their humanity. And presumably some are smart enough to hear an argument that on this economic path lie tumbrils and guillotines

He has some words of wisdom for all of us, to make an effort, to write, to voice your opinion. I do however think it is not sufficient or frankly relevant at this point. It is time to call out the bullshit. Forget why the left was lacking. Call out fascism when you see it, even when it couched in rationalization. Shut down every mention of “4d chess”. It’s time to step up on every network, and disallow inane rhetoric.

… I think about people like George Dale—there were many like him—who, despite it feeling impossible, and despite paying incredible personal cost, kept fighting anyway.

And they won.

Other Reading …

On X, Bluesky, or Mastodon..

If you wanted to cut waste, fraud, and abuse, you would empower the inspectors general. If you wanted more waste, fraud, and abuse, you would fire them.

— Pete Buttigieg (@petebuttigieg.bsky.social) 2025-02-17T14:17:04.460Z

BY WHOM INDEED

— Anna Bower (@annabower.bsky.social) 2025-02-25T00:15:10.058Z

This is the plot of Goldfinger

— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher.bsky.social) 2025-02-24T23:56:46.109Z

** The post is also available on my substack if you prefer to read there. **