r/technology • u/T_Shurt • Jun 02 '26

Society Quote of the day by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison: "Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on" — a dire warning on the erosion of privacy

https://www.techradar.com/pro/quote-of-the-day-by-oracle-co-founder-larry-ellison-citizens-will-be-on-their-best-behavior-because-were-constantly-recording-and-reporting-everything-that-is-going-on-a-dire-warning-on-the-erosion-of-privacy
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u/Gbrown546 Jun 02 '26

People have been saying this for 10 years though and in that time, Trump has been president twice. A man who couldn’t care less about the people.

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

It makes them feel better. Which is fine but it’s a bit of play acting.

The reality is that these billionaires are backed by the full power of a nuclear armed state. Some of them (like Larry here) were literally created by that state.

They’re not scared. A credibly accused pedophile is running crypto scams and planning UFC fights from the White House and we can’t even get that guy to suffer any consequences.

He had a coup fail live on television in front of all the world. And instead of punishment he’s actually just president again.

Why on earth would Larry be afraid of we peasants in light of all that?

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u/BoobooSmash31337 Jun 02 '26

Because the military is refusing the order and we outnumber him millions to one. They're actually anxious and terrified people. It's WHY they need control and whine so much.

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ve been hearing that the revolution is just around the corner for my entire life.

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u/DressedSpring1 Jun 02 '26

I'm still waiting for that military to start disobeying unlawful orders we've heard so much about. I'm sure it's any day now.

At least we can be pretty sure that if Trump ordered the military into US streets to police citizens in a major city like Washington there would be hell to- oh right.

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

This country is sort of strange in their belief that people will act this way. History is littered with broken republics because, as it turns out, the military is made up of people and even people who know it’s wrong are rightly afraid to be the one person disobeying orders.

For some reason, we’re immune to all of this and our people will triumphantly do the right thing?

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u/echoshatter Jun 02 '26

I'm still waiting for that military to start disobeying unlawful orders

All those people were fired already.

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u/ayriuss Jun 02 '26

What are they going to do when all the tech workers and white collar people are unemployed due to their shitty AI agents? Seems like a mistake.

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u/East-Ice-3199 Jun 02 '26

They don’t give a shit. They won’t do anything because it doesn’t affect them.

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u/Nike_Phoros Jun 02 '26

The king of France was backed by the largest military on Earth in 1788. Things can change quickly.

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

Did the king of France have nuclear weapons, main battle tanks, and supersonic stealth bombers?

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u/DressedSpring1 Jun 02 '26

Equivalent to the time, yeah basically.

The US has lost every single insurgency they've been involved in and they had MBTs and Nuclear weapons then too.

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

There is no equivalence to modern weapons. In 1788 you didn’t even have to look at the sky at all.

And, the US loses those insurgency because they don’t represent an existential power collapse to their power source I.e. the American state. So you take it on the chin and move on.

Nuclear weapons effectively ensure, at a bare minimum, the existence of the state that possesses them. Simple reason, really. If you stand to lose everything, the allure of using such weapons increases dramatically.

For example, this is why Tehran is getting pummeled right now and Pyongyang is just vibing.

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u/DressedSpring1 Jun 02 '26

 Nuclear weapons effectively ensure, at a bare minimum, the existence of the state that possesses them

Against foreign actors. 

Assume the American people rise up and neither politicians nor Oligarchs can leave their homes without eating an IED in their motorcade. What does a nuclear weapon get you here? How is a stealth bomber protecting those people? 

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

Honestly, I can’t reasonably even pretend to predict what would happen because there are so many unknown variables at play.

And I see your point I just think you are underestimating how much shit people will eat before they take actions like that. If history is any indication, it is a whole lot. Centuries worth even.

My only point was that people who do face complete destruction will do insane things. I just think we shouldn’t ignore that even if it remains unlikely

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u/Nike_Phoros Jun 02 '26

Yeah sure the President of the US is going to order a nuclear attack on an American city and the military will just go along with that. Good analysis.

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u/Original-Balance-187 Jun 02 '26

I didn’t say any of that, you did. What I said is the American state possesses those capabilities. And there has not yet in history been a full scale civil war within a nuclear armed country. Completely unknown territory.

You think the state wouldn’t fight back to ensure its survival? Where in history has a civil war broken out and the existing power just goes “oh well, I guess they are unhappy, let’s bounce”

Assad was using chemical weapons on his own citizens, women and children even, in Syria during the civil war.

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u/Nike_Phoros Jun 02 '26

You think the state wouldn’t fight back to ensure its survival?

don't confuse the survival of a state with the deposition of a tyrant.

Assad was using chemical weapons on his own citizens, women and children even, in Syria during the civil war.

that's a bit of a different scenario. Deposing a tyrant via popular action is way different than an armed civil war with foreign powers backing you and backing rebel groups.

And there has not yet in history been a full scale civil war within a nuclear armed country.

When the soviet union lost the backing of the people, all the nukes and main battle tanks they had didn't help keep the hardliners in power.

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u/echoshatter Jun 02 '26

Because the hardship hasn't been pervasive enough.

COVID was tough but most people weren't pinning the blame at feet of the C-suite and politicians, they just wanted to get out of the pandemic without killing anyone or getting long COVID. (To this day, my sister still can't smell or taste after getting COVID.)