Grid Games

“Despite tech companies’ professed desire not to burden others, they often push regulators to impose some of the upgrade costs on everybody. They contend that data centers bring jobs to the area, and that grid upgrades will ultimately help local businesses and residents.” NYT (Gift Articles): Big Tech’s A.I. Data Centers Are Driving Up Electricity Bills for Everyone. This is a story about energy prices, but it’s also a story about how far big tech has integrated itself into our lives. A very few companies are everywhere, including the grid. They are the taking over every level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (If you don’t know what that is, ask Google Gemini or ChatGPT or some other big tech co.)