Crypto bros never tire of sharing their utopian visions, but their big brain ideas aren’t always embraced by the proles.
Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder and inventor of Ethereum, has become the latest victim of this insolence.
The 27-year-old had pitched a bold solution to the gender pay gap: synthetic wombs.
“Synthetic wombs would remove the high burden of pregnancy, significantly reducing the inequality,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
The proposal gained support from several tech bros — but incurred the wrath of feminists.
They argued that biological gestation isn’t the main barrier to gender equality. Instead, they pointed to the high costs of childrearing, limited governmental support, and widespread sexism.
Some pointed to the positive aspects of pregnancy — or suggested that Buterin was disconnected from reality.
Bro plz go outside every once in awhile
— Dylan LeClair ? (@DylanLeClair_) January 19, 2022
Buterin’s technoutopian solution emerged in a discussion started by the ultimate tech visionary: the self-described “utopian anarchist,” Elon Musk.
The Tesla tycoon had been expressing his long-held concerns about population collapse:
We should be much more worried about population collapse… If there aren’t enough people for Earth, then there definitely won’t be enough for Mars.
Synthetic wombs would presumably provide Musk with the workers that his Martian colony requires.
If there aren’t enough people for Earth, then there definitely won’t be enough for Mars ☹️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2022
Musk and Buterin have several things in common. Both have founded lionized companies, joined the billionaires’ club, and cultivated the image of brilliant polymaths.
The duo is also capable of laughing at themselves — in a weirdly self-aggrandizing sort of way.
Buterin last week asked for the “most unhinged” criticisms of him on Twitter. After 20 hours, he’d received over 2,400 responses.
HT — Molly White
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.