It’s Time to Stop Capitulating to Big Tech

August 9th marks four years since the CHIPS & Science Act was signed by President Joe Biden. Four years of Big Tech accumulating power and extracting wealth from the working class – but enough is enough.

In 2022, semiconductor manufacturers promised community benefits in exchange for massive investment from the federal government. The benefits left much to be desired, but the funding came with strings requiring affordable childcare, workforce development, and more.

Big Tech has yet to fulfill their end of the deal.

Some chip makers are going so far as to do the opposite of what they agreed to; Intel promised to create 10,000 jobs for US workers, but have laid off almost 4,500 workers in Oregon alone. These layoffs have come as Intel receives over $8 billion (and counting) from our state and federal government, and inks deals with Elon Musk’s Terafab, NVIDIA, Google, and the Department of Defense. Just last month, Intel reported a $3.3 billion increase in Q2 sales compared to last year.

Companies like Intel are recording record profits, because they’re the hardware backbone of the AI boom. The gen-AI machine is greedy, demanding mineral extraction and the air, water, and energy our communities need. The working class is being exploited at every step of the AI supply chain, and for what?

For the billionaire, and now trillionaire, class.

We are pawns in the elites’ so-called ‘AI Cold War.’ The US is in an imperialist pissing contest with China to determine who holds the reins on the global tech empire. Make no mistake – working-class folks everywhere will be the losers.

The only way we win is together. We must be in communication and coordination with each other. From supporting Filipino liberation and opposition to Pax Silica to fighting alongside workers from Hillsboro to Gwangju, we are strongest when we are united.

A year from now, we will be celebrating the wins we are sowing today.
A year from now, Big Tech will be accountable to us.