Let's be Fwends is sent via MailChimp, an email markting platform. By clicking 'join now!' to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms.

Let's be Fwends #121:

The Kingdom behind the Techno-King

'a cuddly mouse with a crown on its head building a robot' created by DALL-E 3

“Most of the mess that is called history comes about because kings and presidents cannot be satisfied with a nice chicken and a good loaf of bread.”

~ Jennifer Donnelly

This was a slow two weeks. For me, not for the people in tech. So, this is a short one, with links to the structures behind the OpenAI drama, and some very good advice on being a human online in 2023.

Dynasty, but with Generative Artificial Intelligence

It's rare that tech reporting takes on the form of tabloid drama and TV soap operas, but apparently we weren't capable to talk about the governance of an industry-shaping technology company like OpenAI in any other form than that.

Oh well. There is some good reporting out there, and if you want to get some details on the structures that made all the drama even possible, be sure to read Ben Thompson's piece at Stratechery. It's stuck in a timeline where Altman leaves OpenAI for Microsoft, but it offers insights into the way OpenAI is built and structured that do not change with who the CEO is.

The big question behind this whole thing is: Who should govern possibly world-changing technology?

The answer Silicon Valley found was unsurprisingly: Money. Money should do that.

The "philosophical" underpinning of this idea (because every egomaniac needs their ethics, don't they?) is either "effective altruism" or "effective accelerationism", depending on which side you're on, but trust me, they're both bad.

Do you know the feeling when you read something so obviously wrong, you can't even arse yourself to summarise it in a way that will do it justice (like building a steel man )? When the basic idea is already flawed (for example, the super-rich should be super rich so they can hand out money to charities they think are important vs. the super-rich should be taxed so that society can decide to do with the money what it thinks is important), I find it hard to not being overly cynical.

Luckily, Molly White doesn't suffer such an intellectual flaw and put together a great piece on effective altruism/accelerationism and why it's all hogwash.

The good thing is that they've finally stopped with the pretext and admit that they think they should be allowed to act like kings. And be treated as such. The bad thing is that they actually have the money and the power to follow through.

No Dickheads, Pls

Sara Tasker put out a great Manifesto for Posting Online in 2023:

(...) 11. Block without warning. Mute liberally. Don’t offer up explanations. (...) 13. Guard your energy fiercely.

That's it for this edition of Let's be Fwends. Don't know about you, but I'd rather be a 🤡 than a 🤴anyway, and the difference is often blurry as well.