Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an eccentric figure whose beliefs span the political spectrum. He has embraced both right-wing fantasies and remnants of his former progressive stance, such as advocating for Bitcoin and promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. He even claims that Prozac is responsible for mass shootings and opposes U.S. support for Ukraine, while also endorsing single-payer healthcare. Without the name recognition associated with his famous family, Kennedy would likely go unnoticed. However, despite his lineage, he stands no chance of winning the Democratic presidential nomination.
Surprisingly, Kennedy has recently gained support from influential figures in Silicon Valley, as Ron DeSantis’s campaign faces setbacks. Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, has publicly endorsed Kennedy, and other notable tech figures have hosted fundraisers for him. Even Elon Musk, who is in the process of dismantling Dorsey’s creation, held a Twitter Spaces event with Kennedy.
This phenomenon begs the question: what role do technology billionaires play in modern American politics? Recently, I highlighted how some tech elites have become skeptics of economic progress, denying the positive news about economic growth and inflation. The growing support for Kennedy among Silicon Valley insiders demonstrates that this trend is part of a larger pattern.
What seems to captivate tech billionaires about Kennedy is his contrarian nature and disregard for conventional wisdom and expert opinions. Before delving into the specific tech-bro aspects of this political moment, it’s worth discussing the value of being contrarian.
It is true that conventional wisdom and expert opinions are generally correct, but there can be significant personal and social rewards in challenging established beliefs. The key to reaping these rewards lies in striking a balance between excessive skepticism and gullibility.
It is easy to veer off this delicate balance. As a young and ambitious academic, I used to mock older economists who dismissed new ideas out of hand. However, nowadays, I sometimes worry that I have become the person I used to ridicule.
On the other hand, indulging in reflexive contrarianism, as economist Adam Ozimek describes it, can be detrimental to one’s intellect. Those who succumb to this intellectual drug lose the ability to discern good evidence from bad and become fixated on low-quality contrarian fads.
Tech billionaires, in particular, seem to be highly susceptible to this brain-rotting contrarianism. Their financial success often convinces them of their unmatched brilliance, leading them to believe that they can effortlessly master any subject without consulting true experts. Many have accumulated their wealth by defying conventional wisdom, reinforcing their belief in the infallibility of their contrarian tendencies.
Furthermore, immense wealth creates an echo chamber where these individuals surround themselves with sycophants who validate their ideas and reinforce their inflated self-perception. It’s akin to the emperor’s new clothes, but in an intellectual sense.
Tech bros primarily engage in conversations with one another, forming a bubble separate from the rest of society. Anil Dash, a tech entrepreneur and writer, asserts that many big tech CEOs and venture capitalists are radicalized within this narrow cultural and social context. He christens this phenomenon “VC QAnon,” which helps explain their adoption of peculiar positions in recent times.
Allow me to offer a personal speculation. It may seem paradoxical for men of great wealth and influence to endorse conspiracy theories about elites controlling the world, considering they themselves are part of the elite. However, I suspect that their frustration arises from their inability to exert complete control over events or prevent online ridicule. Consequently, rather than accepting the complex nature of an uncontrollable world, they become susceptible to the notion of secret cabals conspiring against them.
Historical precedents validate this observation. When observing Elon Musk’s recent behavior, one can draw comparisons to Henry Ford, the quintessential example of a famous and influential entrepreneur who eventually succumbed to conspiracy theories and became an anti-Semite. Ford even funded the reprinting of “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a known forgery likely promoted by the Russian secret police.
To sum it up, what we are witnessing is quite remarkable. The craziest faction in U.S. politics today is not the red-hatted blue-collar individuals in diners but rather the technology billionaires residing in extravagant mansions and jetting around in private planes. It may be amusing on one level, but unfortunately, their considerable wealth gives them the means to wreak havoc.
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