Historian Warns Against the 'Artificial State' of Silicon Valley

Harvard historian and New Yorker staff writer Jill Lepore is warning, as TechCrunch first reported, that private corporations are increasingly usurping the functions of the democratic nation-state. In an interview with TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Lepore discussed her upcoming book, “The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State,” where she defines the “artificial state” as a system of government by machines, algorithms, and corporations.

Lepore argues that this shift represents a return to tyranny and mystification. While she notes that early integrations of technology into government were often well-intentioned efforts to increase speed and efficiency, she claims the last 20 to 25 years have seen a deliberate effort by tech entrepreneurs to move beyond the era of the nation-state.

Specifically, Lepore points to Elon Musk as a leader ushering in a future based on misread comic books and pulp science fiction. She notes that the narratives Musk embraces actually contradict his own political beliefs. According to Lepore, this trend is not an inevitable result of technology itself, but rather a political and philosophical choice. She cites Apple's 1984 Macintosh advertisement as a pivotal moment where technology was framed as a tool for liberation, and points to the 1996 Telecommunications Act—which she notes was deeply influenced by Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America—as a critical historical turning point, despite the current reality of corporate consolidation.