Coming battle: The Devil and Silicon Valley

Which side should California be on in a federal war against Silicon Valley?

The question feels less hypothetical after the State of the Union address, when President Biden blasted “Big Tech” and promised new restrictions on the lifeblood of Silicon Valley — its ability to use our data. Republicans in Congress, while heckling the president in other parts of his speech, applauded these threats, which makes it even more likely that Californians soon will be in a conundrum.

Because Silicon Valley exposes our state's hypocrisy: California likes to see itself as both a progressive force for the future and a seat of global power and wealth. But in reality, California tolerates Silicon Valley's worst practices, because we depend so heavily on it for our wealth.

We Californians will be tempted to take both sides of the coming war.

How can we not side with Silicon Valley when the feds come for it? The tech business fuels our economy, inspires innovation, and attracts smart people from around the world. We wouldn't be the fourth-largest economy on Earth without it.

But how can we side with Silicon Valley in good conscience? Tech firms proudly disrupt established industries that communities depend upon. They force automation that costs jobs, and lay off workers (over 100,000 so far this year) at the first sign of slowdown.

Of course, when we lose our jobs, we need support from the government. So how can we not back Silicon Valley, whose wealthy employees and investors pay the big tax bills that support generous programs for the poor? Big surges in capital gains taxes patch the holes in our broken school funding system. Don't we need to protect Silicon Valley to protect our children?

But don't we need to protect our children from Silicon Valley? Social media companies undermine kids' mental health. Tech firms addict and isolate our children. Why shouldn't the Biden administration make war on firms that use our kids' data to sell them things?

C'mon, protecting children is the job of their parents.

And Silicon Valley protects the families of the Bay Area, a rich place with high wages and benefits. Look at the pandemic: When tech firms shut their doors, workers in the service sector suffered.

But isn't that the problem — that California, and the Bay Area, are already too dependent on what trickles down from Silicon Valley? Have you seen how much the tech lords hoard? In the heart of the valley — Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties — did you know that eight households hold more wealth than the bottom half of households combined?

Inequality is a problem, sure. But don't we need to fight for Silicon Valley because California is fighting for its democracy? Our tech firms provide the tools and platforms (and the campaign donations) on which our democracy runs, right? Where do we express ourselves freely except on tech platforms?

But how can you say that when Facebook, Twitter and other tech companies routinely undermine democracy around the world? Social media allowed Russia to interfere in our elections. Tech companies collaborate with tyrannical govenrments. Why should Californians fight for Elon Musk and other enablers of authoritarians?

Because we'd be fighting for ourselves. Californians know that when Washington goes to war on our people and institutions, our freedom suffers. The federal government has recently sought to strip us of the power to protect ourselves against environmental pollution, climate change, and gun violence. The U.S. Supreme Court eliminated our constitutional reproductive rights. How can we ever trust the feds?

Fair point, but Silicon Valley doesn't respect our rights either. Tech firms steal our data, allow others to use their platforms to spread lies that destroy our lives — and hide behind liability shields. Silicon Valley thinks it can get away with anything because we need it.

How can we be on Silicon Valley's side?