The old world of tech is dying and the new cannot be born
4 hours ago
- #globalization
- #US hegemony
- #tech industry
- The author discusses their Icelandic heritage and challenges the myth of Iceland as a 'Viking nation', emphasizing its long Christian history and the influence of millenarian thinking in Christian cultures, which fosters expectations of world-changing singular events.
- The concept of a 'technopoly' is introduced, where only ideas supported by technology gain legitimacy, and the US enforces this through policies like the DMCA to protect its technological and cultural hegemony, as seen in the Dmitry Sklyarov case.
- The global tech economy is depicted as dependent on US dominance, with US tech companies enjoying protectionist policies and minimal local regulation, while being unpopular yet unchallenged due to US political and economic control.
- The decline of US global hegemony is linked to financialization post-2008, the rise of China, and internal conflicts within allies like the EU, which faces a double bind between protecting its industries and adhering to US tech dominance.
- Recent crises, such as the Hormuz Strait closure and US trade wars, are accelerating the unraveling of US hegemony, causing allies to reconsider reliance on the US dollar and tech, potentially leading to a shift towards alternative energy and closer ties with China.
- The software industry's strategy of controlling rather than serving industries is criticized, with its foundation in US hegemony now crumbling, raising uncertainty about its future as political clout wanes and global dynamics shift.
- The author concludes that the old world order is dying but a new one cannot yet emerge, leaving the tech industry's fate uncertain and their historical understanding of software development now outdated in a changing reality.