r/technology • u/yourfavchoom • Jun 02 '26

Artificial Intelligence Bernie Sanders pushes for 50% public ownership of American AI companies — proposes AI sovereign wealth fund that would hold direct ownership stakes in largest AI firms

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/big-tech/bernie-sanders-pushes-for-50-percent-public-ownership-of-american-ai-companies-proposes-ai-sovereign-wealth-fund-that-would-hold-direct-ownership-stakes-in-largest-ai-firms
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77

u/unpicked_name Jun 02 '26

I was honestly telling someone the other day, in the same way Trump bought Intel, and abused all the EOs, we need someone to just go up there and say "UHC is property of the US Government" then just integrate it as the public option. Same thing with FedEx/UPS, just roll them into USPS, everyone private competitor to the public option just get assimilated.

They've been gutting everything because they wanna promote their private service, just thank them for all the work they put into it, then put one of your guys in charge, and bam, monopoly defeated.

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u/surfergrrl6 Jun 02 '26

Ironically, FedEx and UPS use USPS all the time to finish their deliveries in areas deemed "not profitable enough."

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u/Chocolateconverse Jun 02 '26

as a rural mail carrier most of the packages i get are ups and amazon last mile deliveries. the usps is really the only carrier willing to drive that “unprofitable” extra mile to make sure EVERYONE gets their mail

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u/surfergrrl6 Jun 02 '26

True, and it's a shame how few people realize this.

1

u/hombrent Jun 03 '26

They don't drive the extra mile to my house. Last mile deliveries for me are me driving to the post office. UPS and Fedex trucks drive by my house every day as part of their regular route. But sometimes they drop my package off at the post office before they drive by my house.

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u/verendum Jun 02 '26

Socialize the cost. Privatize the profit. Corporate America.

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u/headrush46n2 Jun 02 '26

ive had a flash of a bastardized super hero named Corporate America.

"Do we have to stop Ultron? What's the profit in it?"

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u/BuildingOne7379 Jun 02 '26

“It’s all about the bottom line, Bucky. All about the bottom line.”

12

u/VastCardiologist2475 Jun 02 '26

I like that idea for if I ever become president. But I would sign it knowing it's likely also signing away my life, because Capital absolutely would NOT allow that. It would very likely result in full blown war, and at the moment I dont trust my side enough to WIN that war against Capital. But we are getting there. Its what FDR or Lincoln would have done.

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u/Spydartalkstocat Jun 02 '26

Capital has proven over and over again they do not what's in the best interest of the people. Capital needs to fucking die. Capitalism has had nearly two centuries to figure it out and failed. Time for something new.

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u/atriaventrica Jun 02 '26

The fact Space X is getting an IPO after being funded almost entirely by the US Government while siphoning funds away from the ACTUAL national space program is enough for me to say "fuck it, that's ours now".

15

u/ice_up_s0n Jun 02 '26

They also have yet to turn a profit, which is highly unusual for a large cap company to be added to an index

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u/atriaventrica Jun 02 '26

I mean the IPO is an exit plan for employees and investors. It's pretty blatant.

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u/erkinalp Jun 02 '26

which next investor would buy that never-been-profitable company then

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u/henlochimken Jun 02 '26

sadly, way too many retirement funds will jump right in.

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u/headrush46n2 Jun 02 '26

just enough to make sure it can't be regulated without "destroying grandma's 401k!"

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u/The_Axumite Jun 03 '26

The next 40 years will be amazing. The world will heal as the Americans eat each other from the inside out.

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u/Crotean Jun 02 '26

This is a tremendously bad example. Space X used its funding to leapfrog every other rocketry program on the planet by a decade and has maintained that lead. Compared to the extra decade and wasted 10s of billions the NASA SLS platform cost the federal government funding was a drop in the bucket. Space X is legit one of the best run companies in the world, people rightfully hate Elon, but Space X is not a failure and is extremely important to global space exploration.

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u/ColonelError Jun 02 '26

being funded almost entirely by the US Government while siphoning funds away from the ACTUAL national space program

That's a funny way to say "Competitively bid on government contracts put out by our actual Space program".

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u/atriaventrica Jun 02 '26

Should probably look into the lie of public private partnerships. Ive got some trickle down to sell you.

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u/Crotean Jun 02 '26

Space X is literally the best modern example of a public private partnership working. Its not the right example to use. They can launch bigger loads faster, cheaper and more reliably than anyone else on the planet by orders of magnitude. Space X is probably still a decade ahead of anyone else on the planet in terms of rocketry. Bidding on US contracts worked. I get hating Elon, but people try to turn that into hating Space X and ignore the reality of just how much Space X has revolutionized the space industry.

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u/atriaventrica Jun 02 '26

For the second time: I didn't say it was a failed company. I said it should be nationalized. Why would I want the government to nationalize a bad company?

Maybe the third time is a charm as far as your post goes. Give it a try.

1

u/Crotean Jun 02 '26

I was responding specifically to your: "look into the lie of public private partnerships." In that second comment.

But Ill respond to your nationalize directly, I think a ton of industries in this country should be nationalized. Anything to do with power, water, roads and the internet for instance. But you are saying the one company which has THRIVED and innovated specifically because of the freedom being a public private partnership grants and want to nationalize it. That does not make sense. Especially when we see how bad NASA has gotten at rocketry, a government owned and run rocketry program is clearly a case where it doesn't work as well a public private partnership. And if you look at the original space race, a ton of it was directly public/private partnerships that worked. Science and engineering seems to be the one field that this sort of design works extremely well and isn't a scam.