Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally).
-
By the same token: the real "dead economy" risk isn't that all the productive labor will be done by chatbots owned by a habitual liar and eminently guillotineable billionaire like Sam Altman. The *actual* dead economy risk is that our institutions and markets will continue to move capital from productive activity into memestocks, vibes, and bubbles.
10/
We *could* do "AI cancer research" by producing tools that automate gnarly multivariant analysis problems for cancer researchers. But what we're *actually* doing is defunding cancer research (especially any research into "systemic" cancer because studying systemic things is "woke") to free up fiscal space so we can build data-centers and make Musk into a trillionaire.
That's not just a *dead* economy - it's one that'll kill everyone you love and everything that matters.
11/
-
We *could* do "AI cancer research" by producing tools that automate gnarly multivariant analysis problems for cancer researchers. But what we're *actually* doing is defunding cancer research (especially any research into "systemic" cancer because studying systemic things is "woke") to free up fiscal space so we can build data-centers and make Musk into a trillionaire.
That's not just a *dead* economy - it's one that'll kill everyone you love and everything that matters.
11/
These are the LAST DAYS to get *Canny Valley*, the extremely limited edition, signed and numbered book collecting my Pluralistic collages. I'm not selling these - they're exclusively available to people who donate to Creative Commons for their 25th anniversary:
https://giving.gofundme.com/campaign/778218/donate
eof/
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic The economy is feeling very "Weekend at Bernies". A corpse being manipulated by a bunch of dudes with their hand up its ass.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic Too big to fail = too big to care, combined with work fast and break things.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
Well, that logic aligns very well with the choice of the current president…
Literally everything he ever did in his life was a flop, and yet here he is.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic SpaceX IPO is the most successful grift that I've seen so far, truly the most successful conman of all time.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic He's coasting on extraordinarily expired karma.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic It's a continuation of the theme of destroying everything. Some things are destroyed outright. Sometimes destruction is set in motion to take full effect later. And sometimes destroyed things are replaced with the illusion of those things.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic Whenever he's quoted now he sounds like a troll on 4chan. I suspect he was more coherent back in 2020.
Edit: The Thai cave thing was in 2018, so perhaps not.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic It is incredibly disgusting how these fuckers used the pandemic to fleece us.
-
@pluralistic SpaceX IPO is the most successful grift that I've seen so far, truly the most successful conman of all time.
@deposevampires @pluralistic
I miss when conmen would build elaborate, humanity-destroying systems of lies and deceit so they could spend all their time searching for buried treasure on the high seas and not because they're the physical manifestation of the hollow pit of loneliness and despair at the heart of capitalism, wrought carelessly into an empty, shambling husk of flesh. -
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
Most of what Musk did before 2016 was government subsidized.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic Starring @johnquiggin !
-
Most of what Musk did before 2016 was government subsidized.
And all of the profitable parts were stolen from other people.
-
Here's a fun fact about Elon Musk: in 2020, his (nominal) net worth was $20b, and today it's $1t (nominally). But *that's* not the fun fact; *this* is: everything he's done since 2020 was a flop.
--If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/17/its-the-stupid-economy-stupid/#trillionairitis
1/
@pluralistic Musk and Trump are very much alike. If it were not for gullible and/or greedy people, neither would be where they are financially.
-
@deposevampires @pluralistic
I miss when conmen would build elaborate, humanity-destroying systems of lies and deceit so they could spend all their time searching for buried treasure on the high seas and not because they're the physical manifestation of the hollow pit of loneliness and despair at the heart of capitalism, wrought carelessly into an empty, shambling husk of flesh.@jargoggles @deposevampires @pluralistic I miss the kind of conmen that turn up in The Dollop episodes.
-
J jwcph@helvede.net shared this topic
