The Resurgence of “Cyberselfish”: How Paulina Borsook’s 2000‑Era Manifesto Is Guiding a New Generation of Tech Critics

Paulina Borsook’s cult classic Cyberselfish is back in print, and its warning about techno‑libertarian hubris feels more urgent than ever as AI, crypto and “growth‑at‑all‑costs” dominate today’s headlines. In an exclusive Zoom interview with TechCrunch, the author explains why the book’s 2000‑era observations still map the cultural fault lines of modern Silicon Valley, and offers blunt advice for the engineers and founders who hope to change the system from inside.

A Book From the Past Returns

When Tin House announced a clean‑reprint of Cyberselfish earlier this year, the move sparked a flurry of social‑media chatter, European academic inquiries, and a new introduction by Gil Durán, author of The Nerd Reich. Borsook, who first published the book at the height of the dot‑com boom, described the revival as “a kind of travelogue that finally got a second chance to be read.”

“I never imagined the manuscript would be dusted off two decades later,” Borsook told us. “The fact that people are still asking the same questions about power, regulation and myth‑making tells you something about the industry’s stubborn inertia.”

The reissue preserves the original text word‑for‑word, a decision the Tin House editor insisted on to keep the work an authentic artifact of its time. Borsook added a brief forward that situates the book within today’s AI‑driven frenzy, but otherwise the pages remain untouched.

The Techno‑Libertarian Lens

Borsook coined the term “techno‑libertarian” to describe a pervasive belief system that glorifies unregulated market forces while ignoring the massive public subsidies that made modern tech possible. She likens the mindset to a “basket of beliefs” that emerged in the early 1990s and has since seeped into every corner of the Valley.

Key observations from the interview:

• Violent anti‑regulation: The culture treats any government oversight as an existential threat, even though most breakthrough research (from the internet to smartphones) relied on federal funding.
• Self‑perception as pioneers: Founders see themselves as heroic explorers, not as beneficiaries of a social contract.
• Cultural bifurcation: Borsook distinguishes “Ravers” (the libertarian‑leaning, counter‑cultural crowd) from “Gilders” (the socially conservative, market‑fundamentalist faction), a split that still defines boardrooms today.

She argues that this ideological split is not merely academic; it shapes hiring practices, investment decisions, and even the geographic migration of tech talent to places like Nevada, where tax avoidance is framed as a fight for “freedom.”

Why Regulation Matters

Despite the entrenched myth of “the free market,” Borsook stresses that government intervention has been the backbone of the sector:

• R&D subsidies: DARPA, NSF and other agencies funded early internet protocols, GPS, and the first wave of AI research.
• Environmental regulation: The pristine waters of Lake Tahoe, a favorite retreat for tech executives, exist because of decades of environmental policy.
• Consumer protection: Laws governing data privacy, antitrust and labor standards provide the scaffolding that keeps the industry from collapsing under its own excesses.

She warns that the current “let‑everything‑evolve” mantra ignores these dependencies, creating a fragile ecosystem that can be destabilized by sudden policy shifts or market crashes.

AI as the Latest Frontier

When asked how the rise of artificial intelligence fits into the techno‑libertarian narrative, Borsook was blunt:

“AI is the perfect illustration of the same old story—brilliant engineers convinced they are above regulation, backed by venture capital that treats the technology as a Ponzi scheme rather than a public good.”

She points to several warning signs:

• Regulatory avoidance: Companies lobby aggressively against any form of AI oversight, arguing that “innovation will die.”
• Talent drain: Young engineers are lured by sky‑high salaries, often at the expense of ethical considerations.
• Concentration of power: A handful of hyperscalers control the majority of compute resources, reinforcing the “amoral” business culture she described.

Borsook argues that without a robust policy framework, AI could exacerbate existing inequities, amplify misinformation, and entrench the very techno‑libertarian mindset she critiques.

Lessons for the Next‑Gen Engineer

Borsook’s advice to aspiring technologists is both pragmatic and sobering:

• Seek diverse mentors: “Don’t only listen to the loudest founders; find voices that question the status quo.”
• Build for resilience: Focus on sustainable business models rather than pure growth hacking.
• Engage with public policy: Understanding how legislation shapes technology can turn engineers into effective advocates.

She also lamented the disappearance of the “bootstrapped consultancy” model that allowed small teams to innovate without massive external pressure. While the app era still offers niches, the AI‑centric funding climate makes it harder to launch non‑AI ventures.

The Road Ahead for Silicon Valley

Borsook remains cautiously cynical about the possibility of internal reform:

“The industry is amoral enough to change when it aligns with profit, but it’s also deeply entrenched in a worldview that sees regulation as the enemy.”\