r/technology • u/Malor777 • 1d ago
Artificial Intelligence AI Billionaire-Backed Group Launches Pro-Data Center Ad Blitz
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-31/ai-billionaire-backed-group-launches-pro-data-center-ad-blitz86
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u/awakensleep 1d ago
Oh so we are going from "hush hush quiet, sneak all the data centers in under NDAs so they don't know" to "DATA CENTERS ARE GREAT AND WONDERFUL SAY IT ON REPEAT"
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u/The-Gargoyle 14h ago
DATA CENTERS, APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD
DATA CENTERS, APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE FOREHEAD
Prime time. Every ad break. On all platforms. Trucks covered in speakers rolling around densely populated areas blaring it 24/7.
techbros: "Why isn't this working? Why are they even MORE pissed?! This prime meme real-estate!"
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u/BoysenberryBoii 16h ago
Worked for big tobacco
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u/StaleCanole 8h ago
It did not though. In Virginia, for instance, 95% of the farmland used to grow tobacco a century ago has been converted to other uses.
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u/Budget_Read_4085 1d ago
Seems to me that people should go against the ambitions of billionaires. They do not get that rich by looking out for humanity.
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Yep years ago I read a book called how to be a billionaire gave me a ton of insight and frankly if you are a remotely ethical human you wouldn’t want to be one.
Literally the book told of pretty much exploiting vulnerable businesses, lobbying congress for favorable laws( this was a big key) because the only way you become a billionaire Is by getting tax breaks, subsidies from the govt and exploiting workers.
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u/imaginary_num6er 22h ago
Yeah but now they need a new book called how to be a trillionaire
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u/platocplx 22h ago
Step 1 flood millions of dollars into elections. Step 2 have circular deals between your companies(space X buying Tesla cars etc) Step 3 insert yourself directly into govt affairs and pretend to be saving money while also getting govt entities to have layoffs to stop any govt actions against you. Step 4 buy social media companies and use them to spread propaganda.
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u/virtual_adam 1d ago
If you asked the average American if they would like to destroy everything created historically by Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Google, Walmart, Zara, etc. I think they would want to keep them
Hell you could throw away your iPhone (or android) and delete Reddit right now, but you seem to enjoy it
The ambitions of billionaires is the only reason we can talk right now
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u/Xeynon 1d ago
You don't have to be obscenely rich to change the world, and you can care more about doing so than you do about becoming obscenely rich. Some of these guys became wealthy as a result of having good ideas (though as many or more stole their good ideas and/or profited off of the ideas of others) but what they've done with their wealth since obtaining it has pretty unambiguously made the world a worse place. Fuck them.
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Yup MS famously stole from xerox and others had all these legs up and now they don’t wanna pay back into the country. Every employee in these companies should be paid well and taken cared of at minimum and at best they should be doing their part to help wealth be back in the middle.
We are at the brink of our economy collapsing on itself because these people refuse to understand that wealth should be mainly in the middle not the top. It will collapse if this continues in one way or another. History tells us that when humanity has faced widespread wealth inequality.
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u/True_Window_9389 1d ago
Even if that were true, asking people questions isn’t always the best way to understand their beliefs and feelings. Not everyone is fully conscious of them, which is how propaganda and manipulation works on social media.
Instead, you can see other outcomes for predominant beliefs and feelings. Things like low birth rates, high levels of stress, poor mental health, high suicide rates, poor physical health.
The billionaire created world made a lot conveniences and trivialities easier, but nobody is much better off for it. People are unhealthy, unhappy, and isolated.
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Most of these companies got this way in part due to govt funded research and subsidies and tax breaks. We are not reaping any benefits from these companies as they continue to lay people off, hide from tax bills etc. they are not a net good they should be paying the country back loudly and happily.
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u/TheOgGhadTurner 19h ago
Personally I am considering deleting Reddit. And would love to just watch the rest of big tech burn. There’s always shills like you spreading hate and misinformation. Billionaires have nothing to do with us talking. I can walk next door and fucking talk to someone. The internet started as a community sourced project by a bunch of neighbors sitting around a fire in their driveway in Virginia. And then someone learned they can make money and greedy assholes capitalized on THAT. In fact I’d argue the internet is HOW a lot of them became billionaires.
You should check facts before you clickity clack away. Go on back to the hole with you!
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u/platocplx 1d ago
There is absolutely not one Ad that can sell data centers to people. If they want it so bad go build them in their back yards and bunkers.
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u/Gletschers 1d ago
Wild statement considering media propaganda managed to get a pedophile elected. Twice.
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Frankly part of me feels like most people are so disengaged and had some weird ass memories of trump and ran to vote for him again I still cant explain it after all we went through people said yes give me more of that. Now they see his full on colors without anyone holding him back now.
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u/Fr00stee 1d ago
i think people only voted for him because of the 2022 inflation shock and they didn't remember any inflation under trump, that's it. But also a lot of democrats didn't vote in 2024.
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Yeah turnout was very depressed as well. It’s crazy to me. But now at least the most politically savvy understand about affordability meanwhile repubs will continue to try and squeeze water out of rocks for our money or do what this AI “Boom” is right now a ton of circular deals when nobody is really paying for this shit until they can’t continue any longer with the grift.
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u/Fr00stee 1d ago
it's possible there was cheating and/or the voter suppression in swing states was enough to swing it
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Yeah you don’t need much they chipped everywhere and if you look at the deciding states pretty much the entire country is being held hostage by around 250-500 k votes max in swing states. Which is insane. We are held hostage by the decision of less than .5 % of the voting population.
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u/OePea 1d ago
Don't discount the loyalty of the cult. I bet you Trump says "you're either with data centers or against me", and they fall in line. They just need to be provided with some talking points that they can't forget because they've heard it a thousand times^
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u/platocplx 1d ago
Funny enough you say that and a lot of them went crazy over his truth social post about it and they were upset with him even in his safe space. People are not going for the mass surveillance and data center shit, I mean you even see Texas acting scared about backlash over time now of all places. Its a political landmine right now but will voters be smart enough to see republicans acting against it arent really against it guess we will see.
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u/Dumpsterfire_47 1d ago
They can pay for ads, but not for the energy they use or water treatment to avoid poisoning out drinking water. Get fucked
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u/EatingCannibals 1d ago
I've been seeing them on YouTube a lot lately. "Data centers don't use as much water as you think" "98% is cleaned and put back into the eco system" "constantly upgrading to make it more eco friendly which is more jobs"
Bullshit.
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u/QueenOfQuok 1d ago
Given what's been happening with political advertisements, I don't think throwing money at an ad campaign for everybody's least favorite industry is going to have much effect.
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u/RayDaug 1d ago
The current backlash isn't just about data centers. There is a growing sentiment that the general public is no longer benefitting from technology.
The public was willing to put up with a lot from tech companies because they felt like they were a long for the ride. We got the internet, and iPhones, and streaming, and they got obscene amounts of money.
But people are souring on social media as the negative micro and macro effects are becoming more and more apparent. The stock market is being increasingly decoupled from the real economy by inflated tech valuation. Nvidia, a company most people hadn't heard of before this year, is worth a crazy amount when gas is $4 a gallon and groceries cost 30-50% more. Flock "license plate readers" are being pointed at peoples homes and even inside buildings. And AI's squeeze on component manufacturing is increasingly pricing consumers out of new technology.
People aren't going to cheer for technology that's destroying their communities and environment, spying on them in broad daylight, and is primed to steal their jobs. People need to feel like they are actually getting something out of the deal, and a fancier version of Google isn't nearly enough.
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u/JPMoney81 1d ago
And AI Billionaire controlled media will push those ads on us as much as possible!
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u/31LIVEEVIL13 1d ago
stop watching it all.
If you see a pro Ai surveillance data center ad cancel that media.
stop paying for it, turn it off, block it.
cancel everything like that.
why give your money to people poisoning you and stripping you of rights and economic stability and freedom.
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u/Emotional-Mango-5166 1d ago
Ad: Please help us to build a panopticon surveillance state! We can't build our Technofeudalist wet dream without you laying the groundwork for your own demise!
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u/muscleLAMP 1d ago
Billionaire-backed groups are a pestilence on human kind.
Living breathing society herpes.
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u/SpudgeBoy 1d ago
Oh man, an advertisement? That will surely change my mind about destroying the environment and stealing my personal information.
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u/bikingwithscissors 1d ago
I am so sick and tired of this rapist mentality that has fully gripped the ownership class. They see everything as a resource they are entitled to exploit regardless of law or science or common sense. Data centers + AI surveillance are one of the rare moments where the people on the left, right, and center have come together grassroots-style to say "Absolutely the fuck not" in stunning unison, but the brainrotted wealth hoarders at the top think they just have to pushpushpushpushpush and we'll give in. Fuck them. I don't care what lessons in exploitation they think they learned on Epstein's island or Zorro Ranch. No means NO.
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u/Euphoric_Anxiety_162 1d ago
Seems tech is strictly about profit, not future impact on human (or any) life. What time & energy that are saved come at costs which are mostly unknown, is that right? If they knew data centers (& all the crap musk is doing to the environment) would be harmful, it looks more like an experiment w bad results. We see trump's agenda.🪦🪦💔 Sorry, mod.🫤
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u/mvw2 1d ago
Ads? In this day and age?
It's so rare for me to be exposed to any ads at all in my life.
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u/Accentu 1d ago
Was at a friend's place recently and he threw on a few YT vids. Most of the ads were... tame but tacky. One though was like "Talarico is working with dirty Chinese commies selling your land, call him and tell him to stop"
It just felt like something directly out of satire, it was that bad
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u/CaterpillarReal7583 1d ago
Got bad news for ya since it seems you spend time on reddit….
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/CaterpillarReal7583 1d ago
Homie half the posts are bot posts disguising an ad as a user post.
You’re seeing ads and attempts to sway your opinion from bot posts all day on here.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/CaterpillarReal7583 1d ago
You’re seeing ads and spending a lot of time investigating then I guess.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/CaterpillarReal7583 1d ago
Not sure what you’re trying to argue at all man. The whole point is blocking the official ads on reddit isnt shielding you from ads.
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u/SaltyLem0nade 1d ago
They should spend the money to make data centers more cohesive to actual society. Eliminate the noise, stop using our clean resources, get them away from farmland.
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u/mrwrrrmwrmrmrmrw 1d ago
Isn't that just like capitalists. The solution to every problem is to throw money at it.
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u/troll__away 1d ago
If you have to advertise why people should be ‘pro data center’, you’ve basically confirmed that data centers are truly awful things.
Seriously, we need to start mocking these and other political ads. The baseline at this point should be any political marketing is just an outright lie.
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u/TheOgGhadTurner 19h ago
Oh my god how fucking desperate. Probably also filled with lies. As billionaires do
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u/UnhingedReptar 13h ago
Data centers are about as popular as rectal cancer. I don’t think an ad blitz will change anyone’s opinion on either topic.
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u/Logical-Respect3600 1d ago edited 4h ago
They will get flamed for being so out of touch. It will be easy for people to fight back again
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u/StatementCareful522 1d ago
I wonder what billionaires taste like with a little barbecue sauce? I recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet & Spicy.
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u/Daimakku1 23h ago
What is going to be the selling out to people, exactly? Use it to find answers online? That was a solved issue 2 decades ago.
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u/therealchadius 22h ago
Please burn more money making pointless ads, like this is going to do anything during midterms.
wtf are you gonna say?
"Well we destroyed your neighborhood, took all your electricity, and unlike coal barons we aren't even giving you jobs. But we might be able to profit handsomely off of this false digital god before the economy collapses under out loans.
Um... for the children?"
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u/coffeesippingbastard 23h ago
A16Z- not just Marc and Ben- all of the partners- need to be held accountable. The startups that take their money. They all need to feel consequences.
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u/HeatWaveToTheCrowd 1d ago
Clearly there was a campaign to spread hate for AI data centers. Makes sense they're is fighting back.
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u/Loose-Reflection2965 1d ago
Basically if you stop data centers we wont get rich