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Should our Next Leaders come out of the Tech Sector?

Arthur Hanson

Well-known member
The so-called leaders of the US coming out of the political realm are now giving us disaster, pain and failure. Is it past time for a national leader to come out of the tech sector which is our greatest hope for dealing with the numerous challenges mankind now faces. They couldn't have more flaws than our last two leaders. Any leader now needs to fully understand we will need tech in everything from water, power, agriculture, transportation, collaboration and every other area to cope with the coming challenges. Politicians are now failing on just about everything for they are government employees that have very little stake in success for they skim off the top. Social Networks, financial networks and vastly increasing the eficient use of time and resources will be key. Politicians the world over are failing. More success and advancements in everything are coming out of the tech sector than the political sector, is it time for a change? Thoughts, comments and additions sought.
 
I think next US leader needs to come with serious military experience, down to hand on operation planning, or munitions manufacturing. At least a 1 star general.
 
The so-called leaders of the US coming out of the political realm are now giving us disaster, pain and failure. Is it past time for a national leader to come out of the tech sector which is our greatest hope for dealing with the numerous challenges mankind now faces.
Why are they our greatest hope exactly?

They couldn't have more flaws than our last two leaders.
Why not?
Also, be careful what you wish, for nightmares can come true.

Any leader now needs to fully understand we will need tech in everything from water, power, agriculture, transportation, collaboration and every other area to cope with the coming challenges.
How about needing sound judgement?

Politicians are now failing on just about everything for they are government employees that have very little stake in success for they skim off the top. Social Networks, financial networks and vastly increasing the efficient use of time and resources will be key. Politicians the world over are failing. More success and advancements in everything are coming out of the tech sector than the political sector, is it time for a change? Thoughts, comments and additions sought.
Change, sure, but towards what goal?
"In order to form a more perfect union..." is how the US began. Yet I see political parties trying to force greater and greater disunion. Historically, it's been that way since parties were introduced in the form of a legislative action -- against the will of then president George Washington IIRC.
 
I think next US leader needs to come with serious military experience, down to hand on operation planning, or munitions manufacturing. At least a 1 star general.
We need people that know how to avoid war and its huge expense in the military, the damage both socially and economically that war causes. The war we need to fight is to save the planet and work out conflicts that lead to violence and a personal, local and international scale. Violence of all types is the last refuge of the incompetent. We need collaboration, not war or conflict. Lowering both just a few points would yield huge results and be the best investments we could ever make. The tech sector has given us many tools to increase collaboration, let's learn how to use them. In almost any conflict it's civilians and children who suffer the most.
 
We need people that know how to avoid war and its huge expense in the military, the damage both socially and economically that war causes. The war we need to fight is to save the planet and work out conflicts that lead to violence and a personal, local and international scale. Violence of all types is the last refuge of the incompetent. We need collaboration, not war or conflict. Lowering both just a few points would yield huge results and be the best investments we could ever make. The tech sector has given us many tools to increase collaboration, let's learn how to use them. In almost any conflict it's civilians and children who suffer the most.

Another huge conflict in this decade which will be forced on America is seemingly inevitable.

As a matter of fact, we live in the world of extremely strong totalitarian regimes which in some respects are stronger than USSR. By all means, technology has disproportionately enabled smaller regimes to fight larger wars. I.E.: How computerised machine tools have enabled the rebirth of Russian military industry with zero machine tool workers.

Every business leader today needs to consider a possibility of having to run the business during war, and of the chance of nuclear attack on US mainland being a reality.
 
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We need people that know how to avoid war and its huge expense in the military, the damage both socially and economically that war causes. The war we need to fight is to save the planet and work out conflicts that lead to violence and a personal, local and international scale. Violence of all types is the last refuge of the incompetent. We need collaboration, not war or conflict. Lowering both just a few points would yield huge results and be the best investments we could ever make. The tech sector has given us many tools to increase collaboration, let's learn how to use them.
Collaboration gives us ability, not will.
If the Golden Shield of China and The Twitter Files, are any indication (among others), technology can be used just as easily to suppress collaboration and speech. Thus war does not cease, rather, we just don't hear about it.
And because of this, a new form of war is born. One in which both sides don't discuss their differences. One in which the fight is a silent one. Unseen, unspoken, and unheard of. For example, the social war over COVID-19 vaccination.

But allow me to address the underlying problem with your lines of reasoning. Technology is a tool. Those who create it are making a tool. They are craftsmen. Technology is not a god, nor are those who create it.
Just as your average politician can be corrupted, so to could a tech politician. Likewise with an AI, some of which already show antinatal and antimarriage biases. Thus there is no need to have a robot revolution because your tech people are programming AIs to despise humanity from the beginning. And then you propose to have these same tech people or their superiors elected...
 
I don't think technology leaders are any more or less likely to do a good job leading the country than any other group. They have just as many faults as any other person. And generally they have big egos--heck, they have to in order to grow their 'babies' into household names. Finally, technologists usually have a blindspot about tech--they trust too much that tech won't be misused.

I think there are folks who would make well balanced leadership decisions. In today's environment though, these even-keeled types won't get anywhere near winning an election. Eyeballs are drawn to drama. Dramatic actors win elections (generally). And then too many go on to be pretty terrible leaders.

I think the real leadership actions will come from thousands upon thousand of local foot soldiers getting things done while whomever holds national office largely twiddles their thumbs. It may not be efficient, but things will get done eventually.
 
In the long run, the US doesn’t need leadership. We’ve rarely had good leaders, it’s more of an aberration when it happens.

The lack of leadership is what has made America great, for better or worse. Just random people doing random things for their own reasons. All wackos can and should apply.

There is this opposing force though, the natural authoritarian structure that comes with corporations, with a hierarchy, with control mechanisms, firing people who they don’t like. That is also part of American greatness, the ability to fire people. But it is authoritarian, inherently. Corporate leaders are all authoritarians.

Tech corporate leaders, by Venn diagram, are authoritarians since corporations are, and tech corporations are corporations. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m basically not sure why we need leaders, and would like none, please.
 
I think next US leader needs to come with serious military experience, down to hand on operation planning, or munitions manufacturing. At least a 1 star general.

I agree, a military leader that knows the true cost of war as to avoid it at all costs.

Same with legal conflicts. There are no winners except the lawyers most of the time. One of the first start-ups I joined 30 years ago got sued into oblivion, and not rightly so. I have been in court a few more times over the years and not once have I seen a clear winner. The distraction alone can kill a company not to mention the expense and customer reverberations. A different type of war but a war just the same, to be avoided at all costs.

Semiconductor leaders are some of the smartest people on the planet but that would disqualify them as politicians, my opinion.
 
I would like to provide the employers point of view, but I am afraid that you won't like me anymore.
Self censoring? Now that's a great example of having the "ability but not the will" as I mentioned above.

I don't think people's opinion of you would change much based on your attempts to enlighten us regarding some matter. Rather, it would be a lack of trying to make the world a better place that would be a cause for concern in another's character. That would demonstrate tacit approval of the errors of our time.
 
I think next US leader needs to come with serious military experience, down to hand on operation planning, or munitions manufacturing. At least a 1 star general.
Sad, the military gave us two failed wars in Viet Nam and Afghanistan. Both cost tens of thousands of lives of civilians, huge environmental damage and added huge amounts to our national debt. This doesn't even count numerous other failures and waste of both systems and campaigns.
 
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