It’s Time to Save Silicon Valley From Itself
Silicon Valley, once the beacon of innovation and utopian ideals, has undeniably lost its way. What began as a vibrant ecosystem driven by the promise of technology to improve lives has morphed into a profit-maximizing behemoth, often at the expense of human well-being and societal health. This stark reality has compelled a growing number of technologists to question the very foundations of their industry, leading to a profound re-evaluation of its purpose. At the forefront of this burgeoning movement is Alex Komoroske, a veteran of Google and Stripe, who, along with a collective of like-minded individuals, has unfurled "The Resonant Computing Manifesto" – a passionate plea and a blueprint for reclaiming the soul of technology.
Komoroske’s disillusionment with Big Tech’s darker side is not a recent development but a slow-burning realization cultivated over years within the industry’s inner sanctums. Despite cutting his teeth in product management at giants like Google and Stripe, he found himself increasingly uncomfortable with the industry’s relentless prioritization of profits over people. He vividly recalls an incident during his Google tenure in the 2010s, where he enthusiastically championed a project for its potential societal benefits, only to be met with a cynical, career-focused retort: “Oh Alex, you’d be a VP by now if you just stopped thinking through the implications of your actions.” This seemingly innocuous comment encapsulated a pervasive cultural shift, signaling a disturbing trade-off between ethical consideration and professional advancement. Since that pivotal moment, the tech industry’s revenues and valuations have not merely grown but skyrocketed, mirrored by an equally dramatic surge in its blithe disregard for users. Komoroske’s sentiment is unequivocal: “It’s disgusting to see the industry as it currently is.” He points to the pervasive issues of data privacy breaches, algorithmic biases, the intentional design of addictive platforms, and the erosion of genuine human connection as tangible manifestations of this systemic failure.
But Komoroske is not merely content to lament the state of affairs; he’s actively doing something about it. Today marks the public release of The Resonant Computing Manifesto, a collaborative effort with a loose, yet deeply committed, group of concerned technologists. This idealistic set of principles represents a concerted attempt to recenter Silicon Valley around the very values that have been systematically eroded in the frenzied scramble to hyperscale and maximize shareholder value. Komoroske and his coauthors extend an open invitation to anyone who "resonates" with this jeremiad to sign the manifesto and actively proselytize its values in the products they create. Accompanying the manifesto is a shared document outlining "the theses of resonant computing," designed as a living repository where the community itself can provide input and collectively refine these shared principles. The vision is clear: a modern-day Martin Luther, armed with a Google Workspace account, nailing his ninety-five theses to the digital church door of Silicon Valley.
Mike Masnick, founder of Techdirt and a coauthor of the manifesto, articulated the widespread sentiment during WIRED’s Big Interview event, which served as a platform for the manifesto’s announcement. “There are a lot of us who remember a Silicon Valley, a world of innovation, where we felt good,” Masnick stated, evoking a nostalgic image of an industry driven by genuine excitement and a sense of positive impact. “A lot of us have noticed that we don’t get that feeling anymore.” Komoroske echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the manifesto is a direct response to the prevailing cynicism within the tech world. He argues that the values articulated within the document are not revolutionary but represent inherent ideals that many within the Valley secretly yearn to follow, even if external pressures and incentives often obscure them.
The genesis of this manifesto traces back to an informal "think tank," as Komoroske describes it, a collective of technologists deeply troubled by the trajectory of Silicon Valley. Their journey began with a simple group chat, evolving into regular in-person meetings every couple of weeks. Annually, they would retreat to an Airbnb in the woods, engaging in intensive game-planning sessions for the future of technology. Their foresight was remarkable; in their second year of these retreats, they delved into the intricacies of generative AI—a full two weeks before ChatGPT burst onto the scene. Komoroske recalls his reaction upon witnessing OpenAI’s chatbot shortly thereafter: “I was like, Oh shit, LLMs are going to be as important as the printing press, electricity, the internet.” While fascinated by the transformative potential of such technology, he simultaneously grasped its immense destructive capacity, particularly when integrated into the "engagement-maxing machine" of the modern internet, designed to exploit human attention for profit.
By 2025, the conviction solidified among Komoroske and his cohort: Big Tech had unequivocally strayed from its early idealistic principles. As Silicon Valley increasingly aligned itself with narrow political and corporate interests, the idea of charting a radically different course gained traction within the group. A casual suggestion evolved into a structured process, with several members beginning to draft what would ultimately become The Resonant Computing Manifesto. The choice of the word "resonant" was deliberate, primarily due to its positive connotations. As the document elegantly explains, "It’s the experience of encountering something that speaks to our deeper values," encapsulating the longing for technology that truly aligns with humanity’s best interests.
The Resonant Computing Manifesto stands in stark ideological contrast to Marc Andreessen’s triumphalist and jarringly bitter "Techno-Optimist Manifesto." Andreessen’s document, released earlier, is characterized by its aggressive tone, accusing dissenters of being "virtual murderers" for impeding the unfettered advancement of AI, which he claims will save countless lives. The new document, however, adopts a remarkably gentle and inviting tone; one could almost imagine new-age music providing a serene backdrop. Even while delivering sharp criticism, asserting that new digital platforms "routinely drain the depth and warmth from everything they touch," it deftly modulates its critique by adding, "The people who build these products aren’t bad or evil." The manifesto attributes the problematic outcomes not to malicious intent, but to a flawed system of incentives that compel individuals to make choices they might otherwise resist.
Masnick, a key coauthor, elaborated on this conscious tonal choice prior to the Big Interview event. He explained that the aim was to avoid "rage-baiting," a common pitfall in contemporary discourse. “Everything right now feels like it’s accusatory in some way or another,” he observed. “We’re hoping that taking this approach will get people to recognize the humanity behind it.” This softer approach, however, has not been without its critics. Komoroske openly admits that some individuals have refused to sign the manifesto precisely because they perceive it as letting "tech scoundrels" off the hook, arguing that a stronger condemnation is warranted.
At its core, humanity serves as the unifying "glue" for the five principles of resonant computing articulated in the document. It politely but firmly demands that users regain control over their technological tools, advocating for systems designed to promote genuine social value and foster authentic human connection. This ethos is unmistakably resonant of the idealism that once permeated every aspect of the early microcomputer revolution and the initial internet boom. In those nascent days, the pursuit of what was "good for the world" seemed infinitely more important than the relentless drive for scale and the maximization of stock prices. Tim O’Reilly, a venerated figure in the tech world and an early signer of the manifesto, confirms this resonance: “I certainly subscribe to the principles,” he states, having championed these very values for decades. He recalls a time when open source collaboration, the democratization of information, and community building were the primary drivers, not just profit margins.
Komoroske and his coauthors harbor no illusions that their campaign, powerful as it may be in its message, will magically solve the deep-seated issues plaguing Silicon Valley. “I am under no illusion that some manifesto will magically solve this at all,” Komoroske candidly admits. (Notably, Komoroske himself has cofounded a startup called Common Tools, currently in stealth mode, which presumably aims to embody these resonant ideals from its inception.) Instead, the authors’ more pragmatic, yet profoundly ambitious, goal is to energize and empower a new generation of tech professionals who genuinely desire to be proud of their creations. “When they’re building things, they might start taking these ideas into account,” Masnick explains, envisioning the manifesto as a practical "tool for people within companies to push back on some of the incentives" that currently drive unethical design and development.
If nothing else, securing a few thousand signers would serve as a powerful affirmation to these idealists that they are not alone in their convictions. It would demonstrate that a significant cohort within the industry shares their yearning for a more humane and ethical approach to technology. And perhaps, crucially, some of them might willingly choose to pass on opportunities to make VP, instead opting to create software that truly aligns with their values – the kind of software they would genuinely want to use themselves. This movement is a clarion call, a hopeful whisper in the cacophony of ambition, reminding Silicon Valley that it’s time to save itself from the very forces it unleashed. It’s a plea to reclaim technology’s potential for good, grounded in empathy, control, and true human connection, before the pursuit of endless growth irrevocably drains the depth and warmth from everything it touches.
