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A review by sallysimo
Survival of the Richest: escape fantasies of the tech billionaires by Douglas Rushkoff
4.0
This is for everyone who is always annoyed at "techbros" (big and small) but cannot quite put their finger on what just makes them sound so obnoxious.
Rushkoff presents the ideological framework of techbros (aka The Mindset) and how it is connected to capitalism, colonialism, and empiricism. A big part of the book is actually a larger critique of growth-oriented economies, but since this is part and parcel of The Mindset, that is fair enough. Rushkoff mentions he's a Marxist on one of the first pages - so I'm a bit bewildered why people criticise the book for "digressing" - the author simply explains the underlying assumptions of The Mindset. I actually found this structural approach the most appealing feature of this book.
I do agree that the title is a bit misleading. The escape fantasies of billionaires are the hook for the author to explain what drives these fantasies (it's The Mindset). When you read the book under this theme, it shows how The Mindset is present in everything mainstream tech and why tech billionaires see humanity as a problem to be solved - or to escape from. I guess Rushkoff needed a snappy title, and calling it The Mindset would have been a bit misleading since then it gives the impression of a self-help book for wannabe tech billionaires.
Overall, a balanced analysis and surely helpful when you get that icky feeling while hearing for the millionth time how this new technological innovation will surely save us all.
Rushkoff presents the ideological framework of techbros (aka The Mindset) and how it is connected to capitalism, colonialism, and empiricism. A big part of the book is actually a larger critique of growth-oriented economies, but since this is part and parcel of The Mindset, that is fair enough. Rushkoff mentions he's a Marxist on one of the first pages - so I'm a bit bewildered why people criticise the book for "digressing" - the author simply explains the underlying assumptions of The Mindset. I actually found this structural approach the most appealing feature of this book.
I do agree that the title is a bit misleading. The escape fantasies of billionaires are the hook for the author to explain what drives these fantasies (it's The Mindset). When you read the book under this theme, it shows how The Mindset is present in everything mainstream tech and why tech billionaires see humanity as a problem to be solved - or to escape from. I guess Rushkoff needed a snappy title, and calling it The Mindset would have been a bit misleading since then it gives the impression of a self-help book for wannabe tech billionaires.
Overall, a balanced analysis and surely helpful when you get that icky feeling while hearing for the millionth time how this new technological innovation will surely save us all.