"Silicon Valley would not exist without government-funded research. Foundational technologies, including the semiconductor and the internet, emerged from Cold War-era military research programs."
"Even generative AI, incessantly touted as the crowning achievement of the free market, emerged out of decades of research underwritten by the Department of Defense."
"Silicon Valley elites are at the very heart of the Trump administration's devastating assault on public science funding—and, not coincidentally, have positioned themselves to profit off the wreckage."
"In private text messages leaked to The Washington Post last year, Andreessen wrote that 'universities are at Ground Zero of the counterattack.'"
Silicon Valley's existence is largely due to government-funded research, particularly from Cold War military programs. Key technologies like semiconductors and the internet originated from this funding. Notable figures like Larry Page and Sergey Brin developed Google with National Science Foundation support. Innovations such as touchscreens and lithium-ion batteries also stemmed from government grants. Despite benefiting from this system, Silicon Valley elites have attacked public science funding, with figures like Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen leading efforts against universities and institutional science.
Read at The Nation
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