Book & podcast collection

The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto

byJonathan Taplin

Jonathan Taplin critiques the futuristic visions promoted by Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, and Elon Musk. He examines promises involving the metaverse, cryptocurrency, space colonization, artificial intelligence, and transhumanism, arguing that these projects redirect attention from solvable problems on Earth while concentrating wealth and power. The book traces the ideologies, business interests, and political networks behind billionaire technology culture. Taplin contends that private fantasies of escape can erode democratic institutions and shared reality, and calls for investment in public goods, accountability, and a future shaped collectively rather than by a few moguls.

Publisher

PublicAffairs

Publication date

2023

Format

Print edition

Pages

—

ISBN

9781541703155