From the moment Silicon Valley exploded in the 1990s, its leading denizens have subscribed to a kind of techno-chauvinism: a belief that only engineers know how to solve the problems of humankind, and if you work for the government, then you can’t be very smart www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202... - ThreadSky

tribelaw.bsky.social • 96 days ago

From the moment Silicon Valley exploded in the 1990s, its leading denizens have subscribed to a kind of techno-chauvinism: a belief that only engineers know how to solve the problems of humankind, and if you work for the government, then you can’t be very smart
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/24/musk-doge-usaid-cuts-dc/

Comments

oeishik.bsky.social•96 days ago

Elon's hostile takeover of our government has cost our country our goodwill around the world. The longer he's allowed to sow chaos, the more he'll dismantle. https://youtu.be/odFG5YupiAE

noplanetbphoto.bsky.social•96 days ago

Why are we not putting non-violent pressure on these DOGE employees. We should be picketing there homes and parents homes! Pressure campaigns work!

liberalhegemon.bsky.social•96 days ago

"God help us, we're in the hands of engineers" - Ian Malcolm

sadieheartsclyde.bsky.social•96 days ago

I started in tech in 95 as a female engineer. I can confirm that the only thing any of the men in the tech space are good at is spouting shit and shameless confidence. Actual engineers, the smart people that build things work for an avg of 8 yrs and get out to do something, anything else. It’s toxic

nancyworld.bsky.social•96 days ago

This chart shows the peak of female participation in computing as about 1984. There's a reason for that. Women started getting dragged verbally and behaviorally in schools and at work. I worked for big universities and was somewhat sheltered from bad behavior for longer.

nancyworld.bsky.social•96 days ago

Kathy Sierra, author of the Head First programming books, including "Head First Java" in 2003, was bullied offline by death threats in 2007.

During "Gamergate", from 2014-2015, women in the video game industry were targeted with rape threats and death threats.

These are extreme examples.

nancyworld.bsky.social•96 days ago

Less obviously, you find yourself ignored, talked over in meetings, get eyes rolled at you, and excluded from buddy-type events.

Again my experience in the late '70s and into the '80s especially, was that guys welcomed female coworkers. It was fun except for often dreadful hours & no overtime pay.

nancyworld.bsky.social•96 days ago

I did it for 30 years cumulatively out of financial necessity. Started in 1975. Even though I was a rare female in offices and conferences, I was treated fine. Until the 2000s. That's when many male colleagues, mostly young ones, started acting like assholes.

pogo2.bsky.social•96 days ago

It's just painfully obvious that the way of finding efficiency is not Mollusk way. Proper auditing takes time.Done By a professional, which tRump or Mollusk are not

nancyworld.bsky.social•96 days ago

I canceled Washington Post. Anyone have a gift article? Or archive or something?

nancyworld.bsky.social•96 days ago

Got it. https://web.archive.org/web/20250224161550/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/24/musk-doge-usaid-cuts-dc/

praire.bsky.social•96 days ago

😅 I know

pelgridge.bsky.social•96 days ago

And greed, greed, greed. Plundered San Francisco twice in the name of self enrichment.

individualangst.bsky.social•96 days ago

The right-wing narrative since Reagan drilled it into the skulls of cons that fed workers are shiftless, lazy, coddled, stupid bureaucrats. Dems should be shouting the praises of fed workers from the roof tops. Once you agree that cons might have a point they will use it to drown you in the bathtub.

clitwhisperer.bsky.social•96 days ago

theyre incels, dweebs, shitheads, and worst of all, AnCaps.

Fuck em

jamest65.bsky.social•96 days ago

It's a whole different culture over there. These same dweeb fucks believe all power belongs to those who own cyberspace. And they are trying to achieve such lunacy. The next battle will be with these billionaires

edgrantworks.bsky.social•96 days ago

This is what happens when the humanities aren’t taught alongside STEM.

billymusicguy.bsky.social•96 days ago

The new Tech Titans are smart, like Nazi’s. They’re Stupifyingly Drugged out of their minds, LIKE NAZI’S. LSD, COKE, ADDERALL, KETAMINE, coffee enimas, whatever you got, they are drugged up egomaniacs, like NAZI’S.

praire.bsky.social•96 days ago

TRUTH!!!

dermann51.bsky.social•96 days ago

Because government refused to regulate it, nor employ experts to consult.

So, here we are. I've been screaming about this for 25 years, as they were allowed to override all business concerns at work.

Thankful to be retired.

mykel11.bsky.social•96 days ago

Except they are the only nes who aren’t very smart. They’ve spent their lives with their faces glued to screens and have no idea how actual human interactions occur.

dark-magic.bsky.social•96 days ago

Musk is not the Technocrat imagined by Thorstein Veblin.

praire.bsky.social•96 days ago

I had to just look him up😀 Yeah would seem as though Veblin would run circles around Musk..

proggrrl.bsky.social•96 days ago

that illustration is chef’s kiss perfection

zebnorris.bsky.social•96 days ago

Buncha macho jerkwads

maxinecheshirewapo.bsky.social•96 days ago

@josephestiglitz.bsky.social covers where it all began...

ericmichaelmoberg.bsky.social•96 days ago

#DOGE-Great-Betrayal2025

GOP Budget adds $ trillions in debt & cuts Medicare/aid

“Trump says Pentagon spending should be halved…”

But:

“Defense Department to redirect funds internally…”

So:

NO PENTAGON CUTS

“Trump's net approval rating down 13 points”

#Fight-Oligarchy

https://youtu.be/AZKkuMZ9nNc

highestbitter.bsky.social•96 days ago

Looks like tomorrow will bring votes on a Republican plan to fund tax cuts for the rich by slashing Medicaid.

So this is a great time to contact your Member of Congress.
Blow up Republican leader phones - RAISE SOME CAIN!

abbylynn55.bsky.social•96 days ago

Musk bought into companies. He has never had an idea of his own.

simonluger.bsky.social•96 days ago

And yet there's a reason they all worked here and not China, Russia, India or Peru: The US government gave them a safe space and a ton of money to work in. Ingrates one and all.

westerness.bsky.social•96 days ago

Stop it. 80% of tech is left of center. Steve Jobs was not MAGA.

julietacamp.bsky.social•96 days ago

He's not referring that. It's about the article.

tension352.bsky.social•96 days ago

Neither was Musk until he was. Jobs was notoriously an asshole and arrogant. He might well have ended up in a similar place.

julietacamp.bsky.social•96 days ago

What's your point?

tension352.bsky.social•96 days ago

What part are you not following.

julietacamp.bsky.social•96 days ago

What part are you writing?

tension352.bsky.social•96 days ago

I already wrote it. What part was unclear.

coconutlizard.bsky.social•96 days ago

They really are sociopathic and Musk treats women like baby machines and then is a terrible father. Children need both parents not just to be born.

fpjj.bsky.social•96 days ago

Very very scary thinking

themedicinebudha.bsky.social•96 days ago

The People's Union ~

kidtaxi.bsky.social•94 days ago

So they are too stupid to realize that many federal employees are engineers.

julietacamp.bsky.social•96 days ago

I remember that. I lived in those parts in the 1980's. 1980-1988.

linkcraft.bsky.social•96 days ago

😡

bakersmath.bsky.social•96 days ago

It’s frightening how much hate is in the comments for ‘silicon valley’. There are thousands of engineers who work here who are going about their jobs, care about the environment, are kind neighbors, mostly vote democrat, volunteer for little league and Girl Scouts. Don’t lump everyone in with musk.

n83z01qbui.bsky.social•96 days ago

#MoronMusk #ElonFungus
@nick-carmody.bsky.social

drd88.bsky.social•96 days ago

They're mostly myopic.

minibradcooper.bsky.social•96 days ago

Problem is though, dudes that grew up in their mom's basement don't have a very realistic grasp on how the world actually works!

bluesumari.bsky.social•96 days ago

the men here saying “oh those coders “ etc, it isnt just about them. It’s about male culture. look at yourselves. You may not be Trump or Elon but all the times you have not recognized your sexism, or called out among men, you have been low burning embers of the bonfire in the White House and nation

bluesumari.bsky.social•96 days ago

Chauvinism is chauvinism is chauvinism. I worked at a San Francisco start up in the 90s. All the coders were men and chauvinist as fuck. But because men overall prefer a quiet sexism, where we are now is critical mass of society NOT BELIEVING WOMEN and not really wanting equality as a society

angrypersiangardnr.bsky.social•96 days ago

I live among them. The entitlement is astounding. Their superiority complex is overwhelming and still I have to explain basic concepts to them.

No, your maple tree isn’t dead, it’s dormant because it’s Jan. Yes it dropped its leaves, it’s going to sleep. You know how bears hibernate? Same thing

mediagal.bsky.social•96 days ago

In reality, civil servants are some of the most educated, most trained.

uwspete.bsky.social•96 days ago

hedge fund bros came first.

kingfisher2025.bsky.social•96 days ago

Yes and nearly 100 percent of engineers are on the autism spectrum which is one reason they don’t question their own belief structure.

gigiagogroove.bsky.social•96 days ago

From Sam Seder’s podcast this is the goal:

https://youtube.com/shorts/KPL2rK7uDJM?si=8GUrnsmKoM_DxmpI

dlbonecutter.bsky.social•96 days ago

Only the people with money that everyone is listening to aren’t actually smart, they are just intolerable sitcom character versions of smart people like on the Big Bang Theory.

jetblackbox.bsky.social•96 days ago

Technocracy. Look up Musk's fascist grandfather, a big proponent of it

praire.bsky.social•96 days ago

I saw that in an article in the GUARDIAN..by Chris McGreal..Jan 26th 2025..and interesting read for sure!!

warriortui.bsky.social•96 days ago

It reminds me of john ralston saul's proposition in Voltaire 's Bastards: the dictatorship of the technocrat. Ironically, the rebellion against silos of bureaucratic has expertise (which saul railed against) has been replaced by technocrats operating outside their silos