Wow, Ellison is all for the US becoming a Surveillance State. That's right out of 1984, and it didn't make the population happier at all. Thanks for your excellent reporting on this, Judd.
wow was my response as well. just wow. I had no idea anyone thought mass surveillance was good or in any way consistent with who we are as a nation. I sure wish they would teach the Constitution more in school! Stopping mergers is not going to happen under trump but we have some precendent for breaking up AT&T so maybe the next admisistration can repair what Trump is allowing in his capitalism run amuck in order to dampen freedom. Insanity is the best word.
Not too far from the DOGE plan to merge all the data from the various government agencies, never mind about privacy laws and other concerns like security. Then there is RFK, Jr and his HHS dream of collecting & merging all health data. Also adding info from private sector apps people use who would be oh, so happy to share.
That's the ONLY reason that billionaires exist. It's all tax loopholes. If they paid taxes at the same rate as everyone else, Universal Health Care, free child care, free higher education, and other things needed by the average citizen would be COMPLETELY PAID FOR. That is why the Scandinavian countries have such outstanding social services. They also have no billionaires. Did you know that under President Eisenhower, the tax on millionaires was 90%? And no, I'm not joking.
If I remember correctly, the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the United States is from medical expenses. In my family's case, our daughter was critically ill when she was born (as was I), along with multiple birth defects, and we couldn't get adequate health insurance to cover her problems. By the time she was 11 years old, we had paid close to $600,000 in medical expenses, including health insurance. I'm 72 now, and our mortgage is exactly the same amount as it was when we bought the house 35 years ago. I've never been able to pay it down.
“But Ellison has larger ambitions, among them the belief that humanity would greatly benefit from a surveillance society governed by an all-seeing system of artificial intelligence. "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on," he said during a question-and-answer session with Oracle investors last year. "It’s unimpeachable."
Judd, Fabulous reporting. The more we know who’s pulling the strings the better. Looking at who attended the British bs ball was alarming. All the crooks. Thank you for adding more facts to light!
Oh good, fewer and fewer old white men running all media who find nothing wrong with Trump - "he's the only president" - and see their advantage as Trump falls further into dementia and the world is too distracted by Tik Tok to care. (Grandpa, this is your Will and you need to sign right here, and here, let me help you...)
An important addition to this reporting is that Oracle now owns Cerner, the nation’s second largest electronic medical record company. One of Cerner’s largest clients is the Veteran’s Administration which means every veteran’s health information, as well as the health data of millions of other Americans, is now accessible in the Oracle database.
"Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on," he said during a question-and-answer session with Oracle investors last year. "It’s unimpeachable."--- So who is watching that oligarchs will be on their best behavior???
Gosh I needed this. Larry really has my best interest at heart. Knowing that oracle will be watching over me just makes me feel SO much better. I can feel the happiness flow through me already. In celebration, please show me where the surveillance camera is so I can pick my nose and fling it off my middle finger in his general direction.
I hope they don't get to build their AI infrastructure. Those projects foul the atmosphere, steal water from municipalities, and concentrate yet more power into fewer and fewer oligarchs' hands.
Ellison reportedly partnered with Marc Andreessen of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz in the acquisition of an 80% ownership stake in Tic Toe. Andreessen is a huge supporter and adviser to Trump, and helped recruit employees for DOGE.
Andreessen is also one of the largest investors in Substack.
Didn’t they say the new Tik Tok would be a whole new app? So the old one wouldn’t be available in the US anymore (I assume, unless you have a VPN) and we’d have to download this new terrible one run by these awful people. Soooooo if we just…don’t, it’ll be just a video Twitter full of Nazis and they can have it. Why would I want another social media owned by these horrible people???? That’s the reason I don’t do Twitter anymore and I only begrudgingly use Instagram sparingly. I love love love love love Tik Tok but I’ll give it up if it’s these jerks owning it. In a heartbeat!
Wow, Ellison is all for the US becoming a Surveillance State. That's right out of 1984, and it didn't make the population happier at all. Thanks for your excellent reporting on this, Judd.
wow was my response as well. just wow. I had no idea anyone thought mass surveillance was good or in any way consistent with who we are as a nation. I sure wish they would teach the Constitution more in school! Stopping mergers is not going to happen under trump but we have some precendent for breaking up AT&T so maybe the next admisistration can repair what Trump is allowing in his capitalism run amuck in order to dampen freedom. Insanity is the best word.
Not too far from the DOGE plan to merge all the data from the various government agencies, never mind about privacy laws and other concerns like security. Then there is RFK, Jr and his HHS dream of collecting & merging all health data. Also adding info from private sector apps people use who would be oh, so happy to share.
Another billionaire with a god complex...who could've foreseen this? 🙄🙄🙄
🎯
They need higher taxes.
"Higher"? How about just plain "they need to pay taxes"! Bezos paid 0.4% last year. I paid 22%.
I did not know that! Yikes.
That's the ONLY reason that billionaires exist. It's all tax loopholes. If they paid taxes at the same rate as everyone else, Universal Health Care, free child care, free higher education, and other things needed by the average citizen would be COMPLETELY PAID FOR. That is why the Scandinavian countries have such outstanding social services. They also have no billionaires. Did you know that under President Eisenhower, the tax on millionaires was 90%? And no, I'm not joking.
I’m in Canada and I think we have fewer avenues for escaping taxes. No wonder the billionaires love the US.
All you get is the mythical “trickle down economics.” And no universal healthcare.
If I remember correctly, the #1 cause of bankruptcy in the United States is from medical expenses. In my family's case, our daughter was critically ill when she was born (as was I), along with multiple birth defects, and we couldn't get adequate health insurance to cover her problems. By the time she was 11 years old, we had paid close to $600,000 in medical expenses, including health insurance. I'm 72 now, and our mortgage is exactly the same amount as it was when we bought the house 35 years ago. I've never been able to pay it down.
“But Ellison has larger ambitions, among them the belief that humanity would greatly benefit from a surveillance society governed by an all-seeing system of artificial intelligence. "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on," he said during a question-and-answer session with Oracle investors last year. "It’s unimpeachable."
How very Big Brother of them.
"Best behavior." I.e., Doing what we tell them to do and nothing else.
I have a suggestion for him: Why not move to China and then let us know how you like it.
As I have mentioned in other newsletter comments sections, I keep thinking of the book The Circle by Dave Eggers.
Oh, just looked it up. Not a happy book.
And we wonder why trump loves this guy. Ellison will probably have 'trump lovers' and 'trump enemies' columns in his survellance database.
Judd, Fabulous reporting. The more we know who’s pulling the strings the better. Looking at who attended the British bs ball was alarming. All the crooks. Thank you for adding more facts to light!
Oh good, fewer and fewer old white men running all media who find nothing wrong with Trump - "he's the only president" - and see their advantage as Trump falls further into dementia and the world is too distracted by Tik Tok to care. (Grandpa, this is your Will and you need to sign right here, and here, let me help you...)
An important addition to this reporting is that Oracle now owns Cerner, the nation’s second largest electronic medical record company. One of Cerner’s largest clients is the Veteran’s Administration which means every veteran’s health information, as well as the health data of millions of other Americans, is now accessible in the Oracle database.
This really is bad.
"Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on," he said during a question-and-answer session with Oracle investors last year. "It’s unimpeachable."--- So who is watching that oligarchs will be on their best behavior???
Absolutely DISGUSTING -- and horrifying!
Just when you think it can't get any more frightening.
Gosh I needed this. Larry really has my best interest at heart. Knowing that oracle will be watching over me just makes me feel SO much better. I can feel the happiness flow through me already. In celebration, please show me where the surveillance camera is so I can pick my nose and fling it off my middle finger in his general direction.
I hope they don't get to build their AI infrastructure. Those projects foul the atmosphere, steal water from municipalities, and concentrate yet more power into fewer and fewer oligarchs' hands.
AI consumes a huge amount of electric power. Is it worth it?
President Ellison with Sec of state Peter Thiel. What could go wrong?
We get to be serfs again! I can hardly wait!
Bravo! They exist in a vacuum and they suck up all the air that the rest of us need to breathe. Oligarch Watch it is!
Ellison reportedly partnered with Marc Andreessen of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz in the acquisition of an 80% ownership stake in Tic Toe. Andreessen is a huge supporter and adviser to Trump, and helped recruit employees for DOGE.
Andreessen is also one of the largest investors in Substack.
"Andreessen is also one of the largest investors in Substack."
Jeez. More bad news.
Substack? oh, no....................
Another creep with a creepy face. This right wing takeover needs to end. We don’t need Schumer having a “discussion” with the Felon, we need action.
I actually met this man decades ago. Weird beyond words. And a danger to to us all.
I'd love to read more about your observations. Guess we have to hope that he won't be reading it, since he now is BFF with the owner of substack...
I guess he never read 1984.
Maybe he did.
Didn’t they say the new Tik Tok would be a whole new app? So the old one wouldn’t be available in the US anymore (I assume, unless you have a VPN) and we’d have to download this new terrible one run by these awful people. Soooooo if we just…don’t, it’ll be just a video Twitter full of Nazis and they can have it. Why would I want another social media owned by these horrible people???? That’s the reason I don’t do Twitter anymore and I only begrudgingly use Instagram sparingly. I love love love love love Tik Tok but I’ll give it up if it’s these jerks owning it. In a heartbeat!