The End of Reality

A withering takedown of four billionaires (from Andreessen to Zuckerberg) who are selling us fantasies while the world burns.

At a time when multiple crises are compounding to create epic inequality, four billionaires are hyping schemes that are designed to divert our attention away from issues that really matter. Each scheme—from the metaverse to cryptocurrency, space travel, and transhumanism—is an existential threat in moral, political, and economic terms. In The End of Reality, Jonathan Taplin shines a light on the enormous cultural power of Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Marc Andreessen, questioning whether we want our society to be run by people who receive blood transfusions to stay young. Will we really want our children anywhere near the metaverse? Do we trust Musk to rule over Mars?

Tech monopolies have brought middle-class wage stagnation, the hollowing out of towns where normal people live, a radical increase in income inequality, and unbounded public acrimony. Meanwhile, an enormous amount of taxpayer money is being funnelled into dystopian ventures, the benefits of which will accrue to billionaires. The End of Reality is both a scathing critique of the warped worldview of a tiny minority and a vision of truly regenerative economics to build a sustainable society with healthy growth and full employment.