Many sense that recent economic downturns in the developed world have resulted in part from a decline in our willingness to think big and take risks on new technology. Peter Thiel, The Seasteading Institute’s co-founder and most generous supporter, has made many successful bets on unproven technology in the past, and is using his fortune to spur even more radical innovations through a number of initiatives which share an underlying philosophy with seasteading. CorporateKnights.com, an online news site and champion of clean capitalism, recently ran a story on Thiel’s “breakthrough philanthropy” approach to giving, mentioning seasteading alongside his other programs for actualizing radical ideas around technologies, government and human affairs. Seasteading fits squarely into all of these categories with its aim to enable startup nations, capable of experimenting with innovative legal systems (i.e., social and political “technology”) aboard the new physical technology of seastead platforms themselves.
“A self-described libertarian, Thiel has little faith in government to solve global problems and sees responsible capitalism as a more effective vehicle to positive change. Government, in his mind, stifles innovation. But he’s just as likely to criticize the private sector. He once said ‘the greatest companies that one can build are ones that represent genuine progress, rather than ones that are just rapid change from one fad to the next,'” writes Tyler Hamilton, editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights.
Hamilton’s article also includes an interview with Lindy Fishburne, Executive Director of Thiel’s Breakout Labs program for accelerating radical technological innovation outside of universities.
The article is fascinating throughout.
