Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires
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4.7 • 15 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The tech elite have a plan to survive the apocalypse: they want to leave us all behind.
Five mysterious billionaires summoned Douglas Rushkoff to a desert resort for a private talk. The topic? How to survive The Event: the societal catastrophe they know is coming. Rushkoff came to understand that these men were under the influence of The Mindset, a Silicon Valley–style certainty that they can break the laws of physics, economics, and morality to escape a disaster of their own making—as long as they have enough money and the right technology. In Survival of the Richest, Rushkoff traces the origins of The Mindset in science and technology through its current expression in missions to Mars, island bunkers, and the Metaverse. This mind-blowing work of social analysis shows us how to transcend the landscape The Mindset created—a world alive with algorithms and intelligences actively rewarding our most selfish tendencies—and rediscover community, mutual aid, and human interdependency. Instead of changing the people, he argues, we can change the program.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Media theorist Rushkoff (Team Human) presents a fascinating and distressing account of how the very wealthy prep for doomsday. His premise is that über-rich individuals are operating with "The Mindset," or the belief that with enough wealth and resources, they can "insulate themselves from the damage they are creating" and survive an event that decimates the general population. Rushkoff introduces readers to the purveyor of multiple "residential farm communities for millionaires" designed to provide safety for the upper class in the future; the concept of "seasteading," the creation of "independent, free-floating city-states" in the ocean; and "prepper construction companies" in Texas that offer million-dollar luxury bunkers outfitted with bowling allies and pools. He also argues that supposedly innovative solutions to climate change that focus on the crisis as an opportunity for continued economic growth are only going to make the rich richer at the expense of everyone else. It's all rather intriguing, even if a couple of chapters feel somewhat tangential (one is a brief history of how the internet went from an ethos of "serving others" to a source of profits). This is an eye-popping look at some outlandish visions for the future.
Customer Reviews
Douglas Rushkoff's Call to Reconnect in a Chaotic World
Douglas Rushkoff is a refreshing dose of common sense in a world gone mad. His podcast, Team Human, and his books (going back to his rockstar PBS docs) champion community, mutual aid, and human connection. In "Survival of the Richest," he takes on Silicon Valley's tech fixation - not to be a Luddite party pooper - but to investigate "The Mindset" that dominates tech culture. This mindset sees tech as the answer to everything, even when it's the problem. And, as a bonus, it can make someone a boatload of cash. This thinking affects all of us who click buttons without realizing the damage we're contributing to. But it's time to wake up, reflect, and take responsibility for the world we're building with tech. Good news: we have a choice. But if we don't make it, we'll end up with more Mars rockets instead of better communities. Let's choose wisely, people!