Headlines seem to write themselves, a phenomenon still acceptable despite the rise of generative AI. Tech is culty. While that may be tempting to view as a metaphor, it’s still a rather unclear statement.
Initially, when I stumbled upon Michael Saylor’s Twitter profile, I was left uncertain. Saylor is a entrepreneur, tech government official, and former billionaire. As soon as reported to be the richest individual in Washington, DC’s vicinity, Michael S. Terrenz misplaced a substantial portion of his $7 billion internet wealth in 2000 following a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission after it filed charges against him and two colleagues at MicroStrategy for inaccurate reporting of their financial results. Since I didn’t know who he was again at that point.
By mid-2021, Saylor started making appearances in my Twitter timeline regularly. The profile image revealed a man with defined features, silver-streaked hair, and a scruffy beard posing confidently for the camera, his black dress shirt partially unbuttoned to showcase his prominent neckline. Typical of many a tech entrepreneur’s publicity shot, this one featured a subject whose gaze was illuminated by an otherworldly intensity, as if lightning bolts had taken up residence in his eyes – a striking anomaly amidst the otherwise familiar trappings of digital royalty, including the radiant glow of a golden halo crown. There were his tweets that sparked both controversy and curiosity.
#Bitcoin is Fact.
#Bitcoin is For All Mankind.
#Bitcoin is Completely different.
Belief the Timechain.
Fiat [government-backed currency] is immoral. #Bitcoin is immortal.
Is #Bitcoin the leading digital currency that has revolutionized the financial landscape?
Bitcoin remains a vital force in the global economy.
As MIT’s humanist chaplain, I regularly observe numerous online interactions with ministers, rabbis, imams, and monks. A handful of faith-based influencers have the courage to be this devout on social media platforms. Few of their readers would welcome such an exhibition of arrogance. Why, however, does it seem that numerous individuals are tolerating this seemingly cult-like behavior from a cryptocurrency peddler? Are technology leaders like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs indeed the modern-day equivalent of ancient cult leaders, wielding immense influence over their followers with a blend of charisma, vision, and innovative thinking?
According to Bretton Putter, a renowned expert on startups and CEO of CultureGene, it’s unlikely for an enterprise to become a cult.
The seemingly innocuous allure of Silicon Valley’s most powerful players – are they simply harmless groupies, or is there a darker underbelly to their collective fervour? Should we tremble with fear or perhaps merely acknowledge the uncertainty? I spoke with Steve Hassan, a renowned expert in exit counseling, helping individuals disentangle from harmful cults.
In the early 1970s, while studying poetry at Queens High School in New York City, Hassan’s involvement with the Unification Church, notoriously known as the Moonies, began when he was just 19 years old. For nearly three years, Hassan was an integral part of the church, dedicating himself to various initiatives, including fundraising, recruitment, and politics. Notably, he developed personal relationships with Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, meeting with him on several occasions. Living communally, he struggled to get a full night’s sleep, often only dozing off a few hours each evening, and yet, with unwavering dedication, he continued to offer carnations on street corners every day of the week, all without expectation of compensation. He received instructions to abandon his academic pursuits and transfer his bank account to the church’s management. In 1976, while behind the wheel of a Moonie fundraising van, he dozed off and collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer at high speed. His family sought to reconnect with him by phone call from the hospital, prompting them to engage former acquaintances to help “re-educate” him and facilitate his exit from the cult, enlisting the aid of previous associates who were familiar with its inner workings.
Following the tragic events at Jonestown in 1978, which highlighted the devastating consequences of unchecked cult dynamics, Hassan established Ex-Moon Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to mitigating the lethal risks associated with groupthink and mind control practices. Since then, he has earned several graduate degrees, including a doctorate in the study of cults, and launched multiple initiatives. He has also authored a popular book examining how practices with which he is intimately familiar have permeated the mainstream of US politics in recent times? In early 2024, the 2019 e-book gained significant relevance after a viral video titled “God Made Trump” circulated throughout Donald Trump’s campaign trail. Hassan found himself advising Maryland congressman Jamie Raskin, the chief of the second impeachment trial against Donald Trump in 2021, on how to approach and discuss the cult-like aspects of the violent mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6 that year?
