The Techno-Optimist Manifesto Isn’t Optimistic at All

Optimism stems from love, not money.

There’s been a lot of buzz this week about Silicon Valley VC Marc Andreessen’s “Techno-Optimist Manifesto.”

While there have been many mixed and highly publicized responses, I haven’t seen many go too far past the surface level. Are we afraid to talk about love and kindness in business and in the mass media?

While I could ramble off responses to each section of the manifesto, there’s one claim that immediately struck me/baffled me. And that’s that money is listed as the key motivator for humanity and one of the only viable sources of growth for civilization as we know it. This, in itself, tells me that the manifesto isn’t optimistic at all, but is actually an arbiter of what seems to me a depressing and pessimistic worldview — a worldview focused on the material.

That, and there’s no mention of love in the manifesto. Not when it comes to the section on “abundance” or “the meaning of life” or any other.

I’m one of those people who are described in the manifesto as “The Enemy,” someone who is passionate about and works in “tech ethics” and “social responsibility.” I’ve spent my entire career in the nonprofit sector, government, and academia. I’ve never been motivated by profit.

I’m also a self-described optimist. I’m optimistic about the benefits of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies and their capacity to do good for humanity and the planet.

The way I see and understand optimism — hopefulness and confidence about the future — is rooted in love. Love for other people. Love for the earth. Love for life. Love for your work. Love for learning. Love for discovery. For me, a general sense of love fuels the passion that ignites how I work and how I live my life. And I’ve met a lot of other hardworking folks in civil society who are motivated by the wish to do good for others, do good for the world because they love people and love the world. Let me tell you this — a lot of the most dedicated and hardworking people I know don’t get paid lofty salaries, or even salaries appropriately in line with cost of living in a given area. There’s a sense of responsibility that drives us. Our values drive us. Love drives us.

Yes — I see an almost insurmountable array of problems that need to be addressed. This can be overwhelming, and it’s certainly hopeful to think there could be a technology that’s a kind of silver bullet for society’s issues. It’s not succumbing to the overwhelm, but trusting a love of people and of the planet that drives me to jump into the mess and be part of the solution.

And I think that love can lead us to build great things, to inspire others, and to come up with innovative ideas, including for new technologies and how to use them.

Technologies should be developed with the help of all sectors and all disciplines — that’s the only way they’ll be able to address pressing, global, cross-sector needs. Technologies should be developed with diverse perspectives on what is ethical and beneficial to humanity at the core. True progress means unrelenting inclusion, comprehensive collaboration, and enough courage to ask the tough questions.

True progress will mean that we see love as a viable force and motivation in our society. With our current social norms, it seems odd or taboo to speak about love in industry. But isn’t love where the best ideas begin? Isn’t love for what you do, for your cause, for your policies, the best way to keep employees motivated? Why would we not want to make new products and technologies out of a love for other people and a love and appreciation for the lives we lead?

Opinions are my own.