Nick Srnicek
@nsrnicek.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Digital Economy at KCL. New book out in October: 'Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI'
The straightforward benefits being profits flow to US companies and power flows to America via the capacity for weaponised interdependence
November 11, 2025 at 11:08 AM
The straightforward benefits being profits flow to US companies and power flows to America via the capacity for weaponised interdependence
I'm not sure the Marshall Plan is the best analogy (and not sure what a good parallel would be offhand), but the intention is clear - to expand the US AI stack so that others are dependent ("addicted" in the words of Howard Lutnick) on the technology
November 11, 2025 at 11:08 AM
I'm not sure the Marshall Plan is the best analogy (and not sure what a good parallel would be offhand), but the intention is clear - to expand the US AI stack so that others are dependent ("addicted" in the words of Howard Lutnick) on the technology
Tbf, this specific policy isn't in the book since it came out after I was done writing. But the broad outlines of US strategy were I think clear from before - with various tensions playing out during Biden's administration
November 11, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Tbf, this specific policy isn't in the book since it came out after I was done writing. But the broad outlines of US strategy were I think clear from before - with various tensions playing out during Biden's administration
All in all, the idea of "exporting the AI stack" is becoming the dominant frame for US AI expansion, so it's worth following what the government decides after its current request for information period
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
All in all, the idea of "exporting the AI stack" is becoming the dominant frame for US AI expansion, so it's worth following what the government decides after its current request for information period
3️⃣ A reemphasis on what the government is offering: "Selected [US] companies would all be offered to foreign governments as part of the program, and all would be equally eligible for development finance loans, grants, and other perks."
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
3️⃣ A reemphasis on what the government is offering: "Selected [US] companies would all be offered to foreign governments as part of the program, and all would be equally eligible for development finance loans, grants, and other perks."
2️⃣ Weaponised interdependence is a key goal (here recast as "data-center-based governance")
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
2️⃣ Weaponised interdependence is a key goal (here recast as "data-center-based governance")
1️⃣ American data centres alone are deemed insufficient to achieve US strategy goals - hence the need to think about the entire AI stack
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
1️⃣ American data centres alone are deemed insufficient to achieve US strategy goals - hence the need to think about the entire AI stack
The blog here is an enlightening piece on the EO, from one of the key architects behind it. The whole thing is worth reading, but some particularly notable points are:
www.hyperdimensional.co/p/dont-overt...
www.hyperdimensional.co/p/dont-overt...
Don't Overthink "The AI Stack"
Reflections on the Export Promotion Executive Order
www.hyperdimensional.co
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The blog here is an enlightening piece on the EO, from one of the key architects behind it. The whole thing is worth reading, but some particularly notable points are:
www.hyperdimensional.co/p/dont-overt...
www.hyperdimensional.co/p/dont-overt...
Yes! Out in early January there
October 31, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Yes! Out in early January there
You can order a copy here: www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI
Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI, Since the emergence of ChatGPT, generative AI has been heralded as a technology poised to revolutionize our world
www.politybooks.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
You can order a copy here: www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
Ultimately, I want the book to give people a clear understanding of where the world of AI is headed and of the key forces driving its development. Understanding the nature of power is essential to any project of resisting it, and I hope this book can contribute to that.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Ultimately, I want the book to give people a clear understanding of where the world of AI is headed and of the key forces driving its development. Understanding the nature of power is essential to any project of resisting it, and I hope this book can contribute to that.
Understanding the different elite interests at play (different fractions of tech capital, different elements of the state apparatus) helps to understand why strategies are developing the way they are.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Understanding the different elite interests at play (different fractions of tech capital, different elements of the state apparatus) helps to understand why strategies are developing the way they are.
4️⃣ Ch 4 sets out a framework for thinking about US & China's AI strategies. While the stated aims of both are clear-cut (and notably different, contra any claims of an AI race), competing elite interests have meant a much more fractured strategy in practice.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
4️⃣ Ch 4 sets out a framework for thinking about US & China's AI strategies. While the stated aims of both are clear-cut (and notably different, contra any claims of an AI race), competing elite interests have meant a much more fractured strategy in practice.
Since then, this consensus has come undone, and in its place has arisen a more conflictual and partial set of interests. This lack of elite consensus helps explain the US-China trade war & the contradictory nature of recent US policies.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Since then, this consensus has come undone, and in its place has arisen a more conflictual and partial set of interests. This lack of elite consensus helps explain the US-China trade war & the contradictory nature of recent US policies.
3️⃣ Ch 3 looks to how capitalist interests are intersecting with rising geopolitical concerns. It argues that a hegemonic coalition of interests existed between tech elite & political elite in the US & China up until the mid-2010s.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
3️⃣ Ch 3 looks to how capitalist interests are intersecting with rising geopolitical concerns. It argues that a hegemonic coalition of interests existed between tech elite & political elite in the US & China up until the mid-2010s.
Simply inventing a GPT hasn't been a surefire way to capture value - and in different and competing ways, the big AI companies are all trying to ensure their ability to capture most of AI's future value.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Simply inventing a GPT hasn't been a surefire way to capture value - and in different and competing ways, the big AI companies are all trying to ensure their ability to capture most of AI's future value.
2️⃣ Ch 2 lays out a framework for understanding the behaviours of the big AI companies - building upon profit incentives, but also taking into account the historical experiences of companies that have produced general-purpose technologies.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
2️⃣ Ch 2 lays out a framework for understanding the behaviours of the big AI companies - building upon profit incentives, but also taking into account the historical experiences of companies that have produced general-purpose technologies.
The book tries to make a number of contributions:
1️⃣ The first chapter aims to provide an up-to-date accounting of where AI stands as of 2025 - in both economic and technological terms. For anyone new to the field, I hope this provides a concise introduction.
1️⃣ The first chapter aims to provide an up-to-date accounting of where AI stands as of 2025 - in both economic and technological terms. For anyone new to the field, I hope this provides a concise introduction.
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 PM
The book tries to make a number of contributions:
1️⃣ The first chapter aims to provide an up-to-date accounting of where AI stands as of 2025 - in both economic and technological terms. For anyone new to the field, I hope this provides a concise introduction.
1️⃣ The first chapter aims to provide an up-to-date accounting of where AI stands as of 2025 - in both economic and technological terms. For anyone new to the field, I hope this provides a concise introduction.
They also make OpenAI an increasingly 'too big to fail' company - and which is likely part of the strategic intent behind these moves
October 14, 2025 at 9:36 AM
They also make OpenAI an increasingly 'too big to fail' company - and which is likely part of the strategic intent behind these moves