Techno-Optimism is a War Machine

The timing of Marc Andreessen's manifesto shows the priorities of the tech elite.

Photo by Tobias Tullius on Unsplash

Former wunderkind and current tech overlord Marc Andreessen released a blathering screed this week. In a 5000-word manifesto, he makes the case for Techno-Optimism in the face of nameless boogeymen who sound suspiciously like the people on Twitter¹ he has blocked over the years.

Andreessen founded the internet browser Netscape in the 1990s, sold it, made a lot of money, and eventually became a venture capitalist. He now runs Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and complains about people on the internet. Andreessen is a billionaire, and shares a fondness for oppression cosplay with his fellow internet billionaire, Elon Musk. Like many of our middle aged wealthy techlords, Andreessen is not happy to just enjoy his money. He feels what appears to be an almost compulsive need to remain relevant, and expends great effort to justify the worldview that his firm espouses through its investments.

“The Techno-Optimist Manifesto” is something you can read if you want. It's…