Silicon Valley oligarchy, like the military-industrial oligarchy woefully depends on a the state and it’s subsidies, regulations and legal protection rackets in order to exist. Given that this same government is going bankrupt through massive overspending on this corporate welfare, these oligarchic systems are doomed. How long can such companies as M$, Apple and the like stay in business without strict state-enforcement of IP? How long can military industrial behemoths remain solvent without the government teat?

Schorsher is a labor leader in the Aerospace industry – has written some really interesting posts about issues in fair trade, off-shoring etc. E.g. proposing replacing the WTO with institutions that actually consider social and environmental aspects of trade.

readers who don’t know Kotkin though should be aware that he’s primarily made his name in urban planning circles as basically an anti-planner – he argues tirelessly that there should be no regulations or limits on low-density urban expansion, give property developers their way – and also, he’s a big critic of any attempts to revitalise public transport and reduce society’s car-dependency.

This essay does have a point about the power and oligarchic potential of IT industry elites in California … but notice that the military-industrial complex are invisible in this article, and the subtle sneering at the “serfs” and their “spending demanded” (IE this is a new form of right-wing code for critiquing remains of social democracy and the welfare state).