In tody's blog posting, I am advertising two articles, both available in the May-June, 2026 edition of Mother Jones. I subscribe to the magazine, and I am not certain that non-subscribers will be able to access these articles. Nonetheless, maybe these articles will be available to those who may read this blog posting, and if they are, I am letting you know that I definitely found them worth reading:
#1
#2
I presume that you can see the thematic connection between these two articles. Both report on some of the preoccupations that are claiming the attention of various "Tech Billionaires." Now, "Tech Billionires" is a category with which I am familiar only by way of report, and not by way of any personal experience. Based on this somewhat limited source of information about such people, let me say that "Tech Billionaires" come across, to me, as disgustingly self-absorbed and so completely convinced of their own greatness that I think I would find it very difficult to stay in the same room with any one of them for any appreciable amount of time.
The names that come to mind: Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel, Ellison, Altman (and so on) are undoubtedly known to you. In the two articles I am referencing, above, specific names are only slightly associated with the comments made.
To characterize the comments made in the two articles to which I am citing, the first article reports that some "Tech Billionaires" seem to want to substitute in for "God," or for "Nature" (for those who find the word "God" a little off-putting). Apparently, a number of the so-called "Tech Billionaires" are taking concrete action to create their own "Baby Geniuses," so that the intellectual eminence of the "Tech Billionaires" can be transmitted to future generations (and particularly to those persons in such future generations who will bear their names, and, key to the concept, their genetic characteristics).
The second article, which associates "Christianity" with some of the "Tech Billionaires," documents their efforts to make sure that Christians will love Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) at least as much as they love the intelligence made available to "ordinary" people, by way of their Creator ("God" or "Nature" - pick the term that you like best).
Here is a brief quote from article #2 (the one focusing on "Christianity"):
The likes of Palantir’s Peter Thiel and other religious techies such as Andreessen Horowitz’s Katherine Boyle and Anduril’s Trae Stephens ... argue that far from being the demonic force [that some suggest] technology is more comparable to a savior—even a Christlike messiah. Not only are Christians called to embrace technology, but they have an obligation to do so, because progress itself is a moral good (emphasis added).
Again, I trust it is clear that the "Tech Billionaires" mentioned in Article #2 want to substitute themselves in for "God," and (relevant to those religious persons who identify as "Christians") for Jesus Christ Himself.
WHY, you might ask, would I suggest that anyone should read these articles (as I did, in fact, suggest as I began this blog posting). Well, I am of the general opinion that when someone actually knows what's going on, they will better understand how to value and relate to these "Tech Billionaires" who assert - directly or in other ways - that they are "superior beings."
Hey, folks. They're not! As I have already said, it strikes me that they are disgustingly self-absorbed and improperly convinced of their own greatness. They are not models to emulate. They are models of what to avoid.
Give the "Tech Billionaires," and their ideas, and whatever they propose, a very wide berth, and distance yourself (and your political efforts) from any of their policy (or religious) recommendations.
That suggestion is why I wrote this blog posting. That's my recommendation!
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