Little Tech is our term for technology startups, as opposed to big tech companies.
Little Tech has operated apolitical throughout our career, but as the old Soviet joke goes: “You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.”
We believe that bad government policies are the biggest threat to Little Tech right now.
We believe that American tech dominance, and the vital role that little tech startups play in ensuring that dominance, is a first-class political issue, no less than any other.
It's time to stand up for Little Tech.
Our political efforts are entirely focused on defending Little Tech.We don't engage in political fights except on issues that directly affect Little Tech, but we will fight with all our resources for Little Tech – for the freedom to research, invent, create jobs, and build the future.
We see that there are three types of politicians.
- People who support Little Tech, we support them.
- Those who are against Little Tech. We are against them.
- Those in the middle are those who want to help but have concerns, and we work with them in good faith.
We support or oppose politicians regardless of party or position on other issues.
We’re in this for the long haul.
America
America was able to lead the 20th century because it excelled in three things:
- technology – America drove the Second Industrial Revolution throughout the 1930s and the Computer Revolution from the 1940s onwards.
- economy – America’s free market system has created enormous social wealth and dramatically improved the quality of life for ordinary people.
- army – American military power led to victories in World War I and World War II and subsequently facilitated the unilateral surrender and collapse of the Soviet Union.
Each of these aspects reinforces the other two.
- Our technological excellence powers our economy and our military.
- Our growing economy funds huge investments in technology and the military.
- And our military superiority keeps us safe from foreign threats and hostile ideologies that threaten to destroy our technology, our economy, and our people.
And America's success has had a positive ripple effect on much of the rest of the world. American technology is the global standard. The American economy is the primary production and consumption partner for many other nations. And the American military has maintained peace and prosperity throughout the world at a level unprecedented in world history since World War II.
Opponents argue that America's best days are behind it and that the 21st century will see America's role in all three dimensions shrink.
We disagree.
There is No reason American technological, economic, and military leadership cannot continue for decades to come.
There is No reason The 21st century cannot be a second American century.
Startups
America's technological leadership is the result of a complex system built over the past 150 years that includes a pioneering spirit, a work ethic, the rule of law, strong capital markets, a system of higher education, and long-term government investment in scientific research. University, government, and corporate laboratories have all played important roles.
But the vanguard of American tech supremacy has always been startups: From Edison and Ford to Hughes and Lockheed, SpaceX and Tesla, the road to greatness begins in a garage.
A startup is when brave outcasts and misfits come together with their dreams, ambition, courage and a particular set of skills to create something new for the world, build a product that improves people's lives, and start a company that has the potential to continue to create even more new things in the future.
The great advantage of any startup is that it’s a clean slate, a shot at imagining and making a different, better world a reality.
But startups start at a disadvantage in every other way, especially against incumbents with vastly superior brands, market positions, customer bases, and financial muscle that are choking startup competitors in their infancy.
Incumbents often have another big advantage: their ability to hold governments against upstart competitors.
Dominant corporations don't start out that way. In fact, they start as upstarts and fight their way up the ladder until they secure profits and work their way up the ladder to power. They insert themselves into the political system, Regulatory Capture There are legal and regulatory barriers that protect and strengthen their position, making it virtually impossible for new startups to overcome.
The historical result of regulation governing one market after another has been government monopolies and cartel enforcement.
And the motto of every monopoly or cartel is “we don't care, because we don't have to care.”
If this cycle continues, big corporations will be able to weaponize governments against newcomers, resulting in stagnation and then decline.
Currently, there are many signs of stagnation and decline in the American economy.
Economists measure the rate of technological progress in an economy by: Increased ProductivityAnd today, 50 years after the widespread use of powerful technologies such as computers and the Internet, productivity improvements are Lower than before the 1970s.
The real-world results are astonishing.
- Low productivity growth means low economic growth.
- Low economic growth means low or even complete regression in the quality of life for ordinary people. For example, rising prices and declining quality of education, health care, and housing are sure signs of regulatory captivity.
- Low economic growth means the rise of intense zero-sum politics, as the gains of some groups necessarily come at the expense of taking something from others.
- Zero-sum politics erode our national spirit of opportunity and growth, and we can feel this erosion all around us.
The way to prevent this outcome is to encourage new startups, promote innovation, competition, and growth, and prevent big corporations from weaponizing government to crush startups.
problem
The US government is now far It's more hostile towards new startups than it was before.
for example:
- Regulators are authorizing the use of aggressive investigations, prosecutions, intimidation and threats to disrupt new industries like blockchain.
- Regulators are approving similar measures for artificial intelligence in real time.
- Regulators are exerting direct pressure on banks to keep disadvantaged startups and founders out of the financial system.
- Regulators are punitively blocking acquisitions of startups by larger companies that the government favors in many other ways.
- The federal government, a customer in key areas such as defense and intelligence, is more likely than ever to favor large incumbents over innovative startups.
- And the government is now Not realized Capital gains would completely devastate both start-ups and the venture capital industry that funds them.
The anti-startup bias that is increasingly pervasive throughout the US government is a clear and present threat to the health and vitality of America's tech success — and by extension, to the American economy, the American military, and the American people.
Why is this happening? Partly it's clear decision, partly it's inertia, but also because tech startups, as an industry, are not as visible in Washington DC or in the political system as larger corporations. As long as this imbalance persists, the war on tech startups, and the resulting threat to America, will continue.
Therefore, Little Tech needs to be defended politically.
opportunity
Reversing destructive policies is only one side of the coin. positive Policies that encourage technology start-ups to thrive, benefiting them and their customers, and encouraging competition from new companies to keep large incumbents vibrant and healthy.
for example:
- Regulatory reform in key industries like health care, education and housing will remove current regulatory constraints for incumbents, resulting in lower prices and higher quality.
- Policies that would rebuild American manufacturing around automation and AI, bringing entire industries back home and creating millions of new middle-class jobs.
- Reshaping America's military industrial base with startups building cutting-edge autonomous and AI-enabled defense systems.
- Environmental reforms to encourage the development and deployment of nuclear power for unlimited clean energy production.
- Expanding highly skilled immigration to encourage foreign graduates from American universities to start new businesses and industries here.
- And a whole-of-government program to position American technology companies for global success in the face of a hostile China and a regulation-crazed EU.
we have no doubt A U.S. government that truly wants start-ups to succeed and new industries to thrive would significantly improve the living standards of ordinary Americans and ensure America's technological, economic, and military strength for decades to come.
The glory of a second American century is within our reach.
Let's understand.
