Politicians from both sides are targeting Big Tech's externalities, like rising electricity costs from AI data centers. This pressure signals a trend of forcing tech giants to bear costs for the "good of the system," effectively taking their "pound of flesh."

A company's monopoly power can be measured not just by its pricing power, but by the 'noneconomic costs' it imposes on society. Dominant platforms can ignore negative externalities, like their product's impact on teen mental health, because their market position insulates them from accountability and user churn.

Many self-proclaimed capitalists embrace the system only when it benefits them. True entrepreneurship involves accepting the risk of being outcompeted without complaint. Crying foul or seeking protection when a bigger competitor emerges reveals a hypocritical stance on free-market principles.

To prevent the social unrest caused by mass AI-driven unemployment, governments will be forced to act. They will heavily tax the few hyper-successful tech companies and redistribute that wealth to the public, creating a system where extreme capitalism's outcomes necessitate socialist policies to maintain stability.

We have replaced religious figures with tech CEOs, viewing them as saviors with our best interests at heart. This 'idolatry of innovators' makes us forget their primary job is to increase shareholder value by any legal means, even if it causes societal harm. We shouldn't trust them; we should regulate them.

The system often blamed as capitalism is distorted. True capitalism requires the risk of failure as a clearing mechanism. Today's system is closer to cronyism, where government interventions like bailouts and regulatory capture protect established players from failure.

By threatening to force Anthropic to remove military use restrictions, the Pentagon is acting against the free-market principles that fostered US tech dominance. This government overreach, telling a private company how to run its business and set its policies, resembles state-controlled economies.

Shkreli suggests that massive tech companies are evolving into entities with influence rivaling nations. This leads their leaders to adopt a "super governmental" mindset and an overwrought sense of responsibility, viewing their company as its own sovereign entity.

The popular Silicon Valley mantra often masks a willingness to create negative externalities for others—be it other businesses, users, or even legal frameworks. It serves as a permission slip to avoid the hard work of considering consequences.