Deedy Das, a partner at Menlo Ventures, recently helped ignite a debate about the merits of today’s artificial intelligence (AI) boom. He published his reasoning in a 30-tweet thread on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. In his post, Das was able to succinctly convey the frenetic, jaw-dropping atmosphere at that time in San Francisco. He further lamented the extreme divide of economic prosperity among tech workers. His well-founded observations touched off intense backlash and literal eye-rolling from the affected parties, namely, the platform’s social media users.
Das pointed to the critical recent development of the super-aligned worker— employees of companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI, Nvidia and Meta. Just in the last five years alone, these folks have gathered up retirement wealth well north of $20 million. He explained this trend as a “back of the envelope AI calculation.” Still, he emphasized that the windfall isn’t shared by all tech workers.
“The vibes in SF feel pretty frenetic right now. The divide in outcomes is the worst I’ve ever seen.” – Deedy Das
In his analysis, Das highlighted how the AI boom is working wonders for some people’s bank accounts. Yet others remain frozen in their usual postures. He suggested that many people could work their entire lives in well-paying jobs, earning less than $500,000 annually, and still never reach the financial heights of their colleagues benefiting from the AI surge.
Das’s post unintentionally ignited a firestorm discussion within the tech community, thanks to fellow member Deva Hazarika, who boldly made a counterargument. In response to the people highlighted in Das’s blog post, Hazarika contended that they are “incredibly fortunate.” … No matter how broke you think you are … you have the power to be happy.”
“Most of the people in this post are incredibly fortunate and can simply make a choice to be happy.” – Deva Hazarika
Das and Hazarika’s exchange underscores the growing dialogue, even in tech, about the concentration of wealth in Silicon Valley. With the accelerating pace of AI development, this conversation is more critical than ever. As millions pour into startups and established companies alike, discussions about equity and opportunity have become increasingly relevant amidst this transformative landscape.
Critics of Das’s point of view took to X to express their anger. As one user called it, “pretty damn novel & kinda gross. This new feeling reflects a rising concern over economic inequality. The public is growing nervous about how artificial intelligence might reshape society at large.
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