That is particularly gross, but that really feels like the norm among all the tech elite these days - Zuckerberg, Bezos, etc. all doing the most laughable flip flops.
The reason the flip flops are so laughable to me is because they attempt to couch them in some noble, moralistic viewpoint, instead of the obvious reason "We own big companies, the government has extreme power to make or break these companies, and everyone knows kissing up to Trump is what is required to be on his good side."
I think Tim Sweeney's (CEO of Epic Games) comment was spot on:
> After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans, in hopes of currying favor with the new administration. Beware of the scummy monopoly campaign to vilify competition law as they rip off consumers and crush competitors.
This is exactly what OpenAI is trying to do with these allegations.
Those men and their companies are responsible for hundreds of thousands of jobs and a significant portion of the global economy. I'm actually thankful that they aren't shooting their mouths off to the new boss like spoiled children at their first job. It wouldn't make the world better, it would make their companies and the lives of those who depend on them, worse.
There is a fine line between cowardice and common sense.
In what sense is the federal government "the boss" of private sector businesses? This isn't an oligarchy yet, right? They don't have to behave obsequiously, they are choosing to. They're doing it for themselves, not for their shareholders or their employees. It's an attempt to grab power and become oligarchs because they see in this government a gullible mark.
The richest man in the world has a government office down the street from the white house, which the taxpayers are funding. He's rumored to sleep there.
Puhleeeese. I'm not advocating that these leaders all lead protest marches against the new administration. But the transparent obsequiousness and Trump ball gargling under the guise of some moralistic principles is so nauseating. And please spare me the idea that the likes of Zuckerberg or Bezos gives a rat's ass about their employees.
For a contrast to the Bezos, Zuckerberg and Altman types, look at Tim Cook. Sure, Apple paid the 1 million inauguration "donation", and Cook was at the inauguration, and I'm not arguing he's winning any "Profiles in Courage" awards, but he didn't come out with lots of tweets claiming how massuh Trump is so wise and awesome, Apple didn't do a 180 on their previous policies, etc.
The reason the flip flops are so laughable to me is because they attempt to couch them in some noble, moralistic viewpoint, instead of the obvious reason "We own big companies, the government has extreme power to make or break these companies, and everyone knows kissing up to Trump is what is required to be on his good side."
Profiles in Cowardice, every last one of them.