SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: We've entered an era where some billionaires are no longer just "rich"—they've effectively become independent power structures.

https://x.com/hanieh35/status/2053901421695647982

دیکتاتور حانیه

Translated from Persian

This Atlantic article is interesting. The author describes how a few years ago, he was invited to an ultra-exclusive gathering party owned by Jeff Bezos. A place filled with billionaires, executives from tech giants, investors, media people, and celebrities. But what captivated his mind more than anything wasn't the luxury or the bizarre wealth there—it was this sense that these people truly believe they're immune from the consequences of their actions.

It's as if they live in a world where the law, failure, or even the ordinary realities of other people's lives no longer reach them.

The author says that when you talked to these people, you felt like they no longer viewed society like the rest of us humans do. Ordinary people are more like "data," "users," "masses," or "markets" to them than real humans with emotions and complex lives.

The article then moves on to the world of Silicon Valley and explains how part of tech culture has gradually come to believe that:
If you're smart enough and rich enough, then you must have the right to shape the world.

And that's where the author names people like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. Not just because of their wealth, but because of their outlook on society, politics, and humanity.

For example, he says that in part of this culture, "empathy" has become a weakness. If you're too worried about people getting hurt, you're seen as "emotional" or "impractical" by them. Instead, what's admired is power, speed, dominance, and breaking boundaries—even if a bunch of people get crushed in the process.

The author says the real problem isn't that these people have a lot of money. The problem is that they have so much wealth and influence that there's almost no mechanism left to stop them.

If an ordinary executive makes a big mistake, they might get fired, go bankrupt, or have their reputation destroyed. But for some of these billionaires, failure has become just a game. Project flops? No big deal. Thousands of people get hurt? Still no big deal. Because they still have billions of dollars, they have media, they have political influence, and they can just start over from scratch.

The article describes this situation as "life without consequences"—a life where people no longer truly pay the price for their mistakes.

One very important part of the article is where the author says these people are gradually distancing themselves not just from people, but even from reality itself. Because when you always have a private jet, a private island, your circle of associates is only ultra-wealthy people, and no one dares to say "no" to you, you start to think anything is possible and every obstacle is just for ordinary folks.

That's why some tech billionaires are now talking about colonizing Mars, immortality, genetic control, superhuman artificial intelligence, or building private cities—even as a huge chunk of the world's people are getting crushed under the pressure of rent, healthcare, and living costs.

The author says the scariest part of it all is that these people don't just have money; they have real levers of power:
Social networks, media, communication infrastructure, data on billions of humans, and even direct influence over politicians.

And when that kind of power falls into the hands of people who see themselves as above society, the outcome can be dangerous.

The end of the article gives the overall sense that the author is issuing a warning:
We've entered an era where some billionaires are no longer just "rich"—they've effectively become independent power structures. People who can influence politics, culture, the economy, and even our understanding of reality, with almost no real accountability in sight.