Google Puts Boston Dynamics Up for Sale in Robotics Retreat
I really hope that the last paragraph is wrong. Getting out of that area because they&#x27;re afraid of neo-luddite backlash is ridiculous. Instead, they should be using their considerable power to push the much-lauded &quot;Silicon Valley Democracy&quot; (<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.vox.com&#x2F;2016&#x2F;2&#x2F;19&#x2F;11057836&#x2F;silicon-valley-democrat-explained" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.vox.com&#x2F;2016&#x2F;2&#x2F;19&#x2F;11057836&#x2F;silicon-valley-democra...</a>). Things like:<p>- Guaranteed income, or at least a stopgap like the old welfare system, but with far less means-testing and much more generosity<p>- Universal, free higher education<p>- Free, universal health care<p>- Smart, flexible regulatory apparatus<p>- A complete rethought system of unions (a la Sweden)<p>- Massive push (or even buildout) of dense urban housing developments. Make the modern &quot;company town&quot; an explicit goal if you must, then expand it to regions across the country<p>I really wonder if the Nordics have a leg up on us here; they&#x27;re already 3&#x2F;4 of the way towards this ideal, both in terms of policy and a cultural understanding of the benefits of a truly progressive taxation system&#x2F;public goods and services. Would a Danish or Finnish robotics company bail out just because of fear of backlash, or would they say &quot;society already has you covered, people&quot;?