1 00:00:00,268 --> 00:00:00,971 A company 2 00:00:01,268 --> 00:00:02,891 How can it be more powerful than a country 3 00:00:03,427 --> 00:00:04,251 In 2022 4 00:00:04,508 --> 00:00:06,471 Something happened on the battlefield in Ukraine 5 00:00:06,548 --> 00:00:10,111 That deserves more concern than any single battle 6 00:00:10,348 --> 00:00:12,067 At the start of the Russia Ukraine war 7 00:00:12,067 --> 00:00:14,951 Russia launched massive cyberattacks against Ukraine 8 00:00:14,987 --> 00:00:17,591 Communications infrastructure was nearly paralyzed 9 00:00:17,707 --> 00:00:18,746 At the critical moment 10 00:00:18,748 --> 00:00:22,751 The Ukrainian government did not send a formal diplomatic request to an ally 11 00:00:22,867 --> 00:00:25,867 Instead it tagged one person directly on social media 12 00:00:25,867 --> 00:00:26,951 Elon Musk 13 00:00:27,147 --> 00:00:28,150 A few hours later 14 00:00:28,228 --> 00:00:30,830 Starlink terminals began arriving at the front 15 00:00:30,867 --> 00:00:32,831 Quickly restoring battlefield communications 16 00:00:33,027 --> 00:00:34,930 The lifeline of a sovereign nation at war 17 00:00:35,228 --> 00:00:36,146 At that moment 18 00:00:36,148 --> 00:00:38,924 Was held by a private company 19 00:00:38,961 --> 00:00:39,263 Hello 20 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:39,824 Hello everyone 21 00:00:39,921 --> 00:00:40,884 I am Leo Wang 22 00:00:41,201 --> 00:00:45,163 Many people told this story as one of a technology hero 23 00:00:45,480 --> 00:00:47,284 But look at it from another angle 24 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,324 And it becomes deeply unsettling 25 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,144 Because what happened later proved one thing 26 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:53,799 The person who can give it to you 27 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:54,964 Can also take it away 28 00:00:55,612 --> 00:00:57,091 Also in 2022 29 00:00:57,093 --> 00:00:59,411 The Ukrainian military urgently asked Musk 30 00:00:59,413 --> 00:01:00,932 To extend Starlink coverage 31 00:01:00,932 --> 00:01:02,612 To the waters around Crimea 32 00:01:02,612 --> 00:01:06,056 To guide underwater drones attacking the Russian Black Sea Fleet 33 00:01:06,452 --> 00:01:07,815 Musk refused 34 00:01:08,133 --> 00:01:12,496 The explosive laden drones lost their signal as they approached the target 35 00:01:12,573 --> 00:01:14,216 And eventually washed onto the beach 36 00:01:14,693 --> 00:01:16,291 One decision by one businessman 37 00:01:16,292 --> 00:01:19,136 Directly changed the course of part of a war 38 00:01:19,993 --> 00:01:21,436 Musk later explained 39 00:01:21,553 --> 00:01:24,615 He did not want his company to enable an escalation of the war 40 00:01:25,433 --> 00:01:27,675 Whether you think that reason was right or wrong 41 00:01:27,873 --> 00:01:30,975 The structural problem it revealed is what truly matters 42 00:01:31,472 --> 00:01:33,356 The head of a private company 43 00:01:33,433 --> 00:01:36,315 Had gained power over a war between sovereign states 44 00:01:36,392 --> 00:01:38,356 And could effectively veto it 45 00:01:38,752 --> 00:01:40,315 This is not science fiction 46 00:01:40,672 --> 00:01:43,281 This is the reality we are living through 47 00:01:43,478 --> 00:01:46,061 The world order we learned as children worked like this 48 00:01:46,399 --> 00:01:48,481 The state was the largest unit of power 49 00:01:48,558 --> 00:01:52,442 States competed through diplomacy trade and war 50 00:01:52,679 --> 00:01:54,761 The Cold War was between the United States and the Soviet Union 51 00:01:54,838 --> 00:01:57,402 The Gulf War was between coalitions of states 52 00:01:57,558 --> 00:02:01,162 World Trade Organization rules governed relations between states 53 00:02:01,358 --> 00:02:02,281 But today 54 00:02:02,319 --> 00:02:05,602 A completely new power structure is quietly taking shape 55 00:02:05,879 --> 00:02:07,558 The deepest conflicts of the future 56 00:02:07,558 --> 00:02:09,641 May no longer be state against state 57 00:02:09,679 --> 00:02:12,129 But state against company 58 00:02:12,326 --> 00:02:14,490 I know that sounds a little exaggerated 59 00:02:14,886 --> 00:02:16,490 So let us look at a few numbers 60 00:02:16,807 --> 00:02:17,849 This February 61 00:02:17,886 --> 00:02:20,170 The Musk owned company SpaceX 62 00:02:20,206 --> 00:02:21,629 And his artificial intelligence company 63 00:02:21,926 --> 00:02:23,089 Completed a merger 64 00:02:23,367 --> 00:02:27,089 The combined valuation reached one point two five trillion dollars 65 00:02:27,446 --> 00:02:28,069 What does that mean 66 00:02:28,647 --> 00:02:30,129 That figure exceeds 67 00:02:30,206 --> 00:02:32,730 The annual economic output 68 00:02:32,847 --> 00:02:34,170 Of roughly one hundred seventy countries 69 00:02:34,606 --> 00:02:36,450 The market value of one private company 70 00:02:36,647 --> 00:02:41,010 Exceeds all the wealth most sovereign states create in a year 71 00:02:41,527 --> 00:02:45,809 And that is not the end because the company is preparing to go public 72 00:02:46,006 --> 00:02:49,969 Its latest valuation is already moving toward one point seven five trillion dollars 73 00:02:50,807 --> 00:02:52,930 What is the real purpose behind this merger 74 00:02:52,967 --> 00:02:57,010 We devoted an earlier episode to it because Musk was buying more than valuation 75 00:02:57,127 --> 00:02:58,349 He was taking the Starlink pipeline 76 00:02:58,486 --> 00:02:59,869 And the artificial intelligence brain 77 00:03:00,087 --> 00:03:01,715 And welding them into one company 78 00:03:02,352 --> 00:03:05,474 Now consider the company behind the most powerful language model today 79 00:03:05,912 --> 00:03:09,435 Its valuation passed eight hundred forty billion dollars in 2026 80 00:03:09,831 --> 00:03:12,315 Hundreds of millions of people rely on it every day 81 00:03:12,352 --> 00:03:15,954 For work learning writing and decisions 82 00:03:16,472 --> 00:03:18,754 Yet its board has only a handful of people 83 00:03:18,991 --> 00:03:22,035 Its core algorithms are completely opaque to outsiders 84 00:03:22,431 --> 00:03:24,670 No regulator anywhere in the world 85 00:03:24,672 --> 00:03:27,163 Can audit what its model is thinking 86 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:28,479 Traditionally 87 00:03:28,481 --> 00:03:31,483 What did an entity need to become a sovereign level power 88 00:03:31,641 --> 00:03:32,263 What did it need 89 00:03:32,721 --> 00:03:35,763 Territory an army currency and a legal system 90 00:03:36,041 --> 00:03:38,043 But todays technology giants 91 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,738 Are achieving the same functions with a different set of tools 92 00:03:42,095 --> 00:03:45,219 Starlink controls the largest satellite internet network in the world 93 00:03:45,416 --> 00:03:46,654 You can think of it as 94 00:03:46,655 --> 00:03:47,918 A new kind of territory 95 00:03:48,296 --> 00:03:49,735 Not physical borders 96 00:03:49,736 --> 00:03:51,539 But the channels through which information flows 97 00:03:51,896 --> 00:03:52,798 In peacetime 98 00:03:53,016 --> 00:03:54,078 This is a commercial advantage 99 00:03:54,495 --> 00:03:55,735 In wartime 100 00:03:55,736 --> 00:03:57,815 The experience of Ukraine has already shown us 101 00:03:57,815 --> 00:03:59,578 It becomes a strategic weapon 102 00:03:59,856 --> 00:04:03,618 People in more than one hundred countries now use Starlink 103 00:04:03,935 --> 00:04:04,934 If one day 104 00:04:04,935 --> 00:04:07,455 Starlink service in a country is adjusted 105 00:04:07,456 --> 00:04:08,719 What can that country do 106 00:04:09,835 --> 00:04:12,858 Large language models are becoming new knowledge infrastructure 107 00:04:13,435 --> 00:04:15,954 When a nations education system and medical diagnosis 108 00:04:15,955 --> 00:04:17,915 Legal research and financial risk controls 109 00:04:17,916 --> 00:04:20,599 Depend more and more on one companys model 110 00:04:20,756 --> 00:04:22,835 That companys influence over the country 111 00:04:22,835 --> 00:04:24,772 Exceeds that of any trading partner 112 00:04:25,169 --> 00:04:27,291 I am not the only person thinking about this 113 00:04:27,849 --> 00:04:28,931 In 2025 114 00:04:29,048 --> 00:04:31,971 A masters thesis in international relations at Norwich University 115 00:04:32,128 --> 00:04:34,152 Was titled Digital Sovereigns 116 00:04:34,488 --> 00:04:37,351 Big Tech and the Power of the Nation State 117 00:04:38,128 --> 00:04:39,072 Its core conclusion was 118 00:04:39,409 --> 00:04:41,808 Large technology companies are acquiring 119 00:04:41,808 --> 00:04:43,991 Capabilities once reserved for states 120 00:04:44,409 --> 00:04:46,592 Setting rules and controlling infrastructure 121 00:04:46,888 --> 00:04:48,368 Shaping public discourse 122 00:04:48,368 --> 00:04:52,051 And even holding effective veto power in some fields 123 00:04:52,448 --> 00:04:55,731 Another study cited more than forty times was even more direct 124 00:04:55,849 --> 00:04:58,791 It called large technology companies the new Leviathans 125 00:04:59,808 --> 00:05:00,272 Leviathan 126 00:05:00,729 --> 00:05:02,928 Was a metaphor proposed by Hobbes in the seventeenth century 127 00:05:02,928 --> 00:05:03,751 A metaphor he introduced 128 00:05:04,169 --> 00:05:07,092 For a giant beast standing above every individual 129 00:05:07,209 --> 00:05:09,491 Used to describe the absolute power of the state 130 00:05:09,688 --> 00:05:11,212 More than three centuries later 131 00:05:11,368 --> 00:05:14,857 Scholars have begun applying that metaphor to technology companies 132 00:05:15,135 --> 00:05:15,477 In fact 133 00:05:15,815 --> 00:05:17,974 Companies challenging state power 134 00:05:17,974 --> 00:05:19,657 Is not without historical precedent 135 00:05:19,895 --> 00:05:21,818 The East India Company of the seventeenth century 136 00:05:21,854 --> 00:05:23,638 Had its own army at its peak 137 00:05:23,934 --> 00:05:24,957 Its own legal system 138 00:05:25,215 --> 00:05:26,258 Its own currency 139 00:05:26,294 --> 00:05:28,457 And effective control of the entire Indian subcontinent 140 00:05:28,614 --> 00:05:31,578 Its annual revenue once exceeded that of the British Crown 141 00:05:31,854 --> 00:05:35,974 The British king had to negotiate terms with it through royal charters and notice 142 00:05:35,974 --> 00:05:36,813 He did not issue orders 143 00:05:36,815 --> 00:05:37,857 He negotiated terms 144 00:05:38,135 --> 00:05:39,897 The East India Company of that era 145 00:05:39,934 --> 00:05:42,651 Was the technology giant of its time 146 00:05:42,928 --> 00:05:44,172 The only difference is 147 00:05:44,329 --> 00:05:47,132 Todays giant companies do not need armies or colonies 148 00:05:47,209 --> 00:05:50,451 They achieve similar control through servers and algorithms 149 00:05:50,528 --> 00:05:52,192 And at an unimaginably greater speed 150 00:05:52,728 --> 00:05:54,968 The East India Company took two hundred years 151 00:05:54,968 --> 00:05:56,168 To control India 152 00:05:56,168 --> 00:05:58,648 Today a large model needs only two years 153 00:05:58,649 --> 00:06:01,327 To penetrate the education and health systems 154 00:06:01,329 --> 00:06:03,348 Of most countries around the world 155 00:06:03,704 --> 00:06:04,447 You may say 156 00:06:04,824 --> 00:06:05,824 No matter how large a company becomes 157 00:06:05,824 --> 00:06:08,247 Does it not still operate under national law 158 00:06:08,865 --> 00:06:09,927 If a state truly wants to regulate it 159 00:06:10,144 --> 00:06:11,528 Would one decree not be enough 160 00:06:12,144 --> 00:06:14,228 That argument sounds reasonable 161 00:06:14,545 --> 00:06:16,890 But reality is making it obsolete 162 00:06:17,486 --> 00:06:18,890 In November 2025 163 00:06:19,006 --> 00:06:22,810 A court in Ontario Canada issued a notable ruling 164 00:06:23,126 --> 00:06:24,589 Several major Canadian media organizations 165 00:06:24,887 --> 00:06:26,286 Jointly sued the company 166 00:06:26,287 --> 00:06:28,089 That makes large language models 167 00:06:28,166 --> 00:06:32,330 Accusing it of using news content to train models without permission 168 00:06:32,647 --> 00:06:35,565 The companys first response was not to address the claim 169 00:06:35,566 --> 00:06:39,806 But to challenge the Canadian courts jurisdiction by saying it was a United States company 170 00:06:39,806 --> 00:06:41,390 Why should Canada have authority over it 171 00:06:42,166 --> 00:06:44,489 The court ultimately ruled that it did have jurisdiction 172 00:06:45,287 --> 00:06:47,109 But the dispute itself says a great deal 173 00:06:47,767 --> 00:06:51,489 One company serves more than two hundred countries and regions 174 00:06:51,647 --> 00:06:53,330 Yet it is registered in only one country 175 00:06:53,566 --> 00:06:55,929 When people elsewhere have their rights harmed 176 00:06:56,046 --> 00:06:58,890 They must first fight a lawsuit just to decide where they can sue 177 00:06:59,246 --> 00:07:02,130 This is the legal vacuum created by technology giants 178 00:07:03,276 --> 00:07:04,339 The deeper problem is 179 00:07:04,675 --> 00:07:06,079 Even when you have jurisdiction 180 00:07:06,115 --> 00:07:07,439 You may still lack the power to enforce it 181 00:07:07,716 --> 00:07:10,598 The European Union is the most active technology regulator in the world 182 00:07:10,716 --> 00:07:12,139 It introduced the Digital Markets Act 183 00:07:12,435 --> 00:07:14,959 The Artificial Intelligence Act and other regulations 184 00:07:15,156 --> 00:07:16,098 But what happens in practice 185 00:07:16,596 --> 00:07:18,675 Every investigation and every round of litigation 186 00:07:18,675 --> 00:07:20,639 Takes years 187 00:07:20,675 --> 00:07:23,879 While technology companies iterate in months 188 00:07:23,956 --> 00:07:26,158 By the time your regulations are finally enforced 189 00:07:26,195 --> 00:07:28,519 Their product is already three generations ahead 190 00:07:28,635 --> 00:07:31,319 The thing you meant to regulate no longer exists 191 00:07:31,476 --> 00:07:35,238 It is like a runner chasing an accelerating train 192 00:07:35,476 --> 00:07:36,178 The harder you run 193 00:07:36,435 --> 00:07:38,074 The wider the gap becomes 194 00:07:38,372 --> 00:07:39,172 And more importantly 195 00:07:39,192 --> 00:07:42,074 Some things remain entirely beyond the reach of law 196 00:07:42,352 --> 00:07:45,454 Can you legislate that a company disclose its core algorithms 197 00:07:45,992 --> 00:07:47,155 In theory you can 198 00:07:47,391 --> 00:07:48,434 But in practice 199 00:07:48,511 --> 00:07:50,711 No regulator anywhere in the world 200 00:07:50,711 --> 00:07:54,595 Can audit a large model with trillions of parameters 201 00:07:54,951 --> 00:07:59,031 You cannot even tell what decisions it makes or what logic it uses 202 00:07:59,031 --> 00:08:00,014 So how can you regulate it 203 00:08:00,593 --> 00:08:02,377 This leads to a more fundamental question 204 00:08:02,954 --> 00:08:05,353 Why has the balance of power between states and companies 205 00:08:05,353 --> 00:08:06,296 Reached this point 206 00:08:06,714 --> 00:08:08,836 The answer may be simpler than we imagine 207 00:08:09,314 --> 00:08:10,832 Traditional state power 208 00:08:10,834 --> 00:08:12,617 Rests on control of the physical world 209 00:08:13,194 --> 00:08:16,757 Territory minerals oil and a monopoly on violence 210 00:08:16,993 --> 00:08:18,632 But power in the digital age 211 00:08:18,634 --> 00:08:20,716 Rests on data and algorithms 212 00:08:21,033 --> 00:08:23,236 Data is not bound by national borders 213 00:08:23,353 --> 00:08:25,396 Algorithms do not need armies to protect them 214 00:08:25,514 --> 00:08:27,437 A completely new form of power 215 00:08:27,473 --> 00:08:30,276 Is spilling beyond the old framework of the state 216 00:08:30,514 --> 00:08:31,137 The old bottle 217 00:08:31,394 --> 00:08:32,962 Can no longer hold the new wine 218 00:08:33,279 --> 00:08:35,762 Governments have already recognized this problem 219 00:08:36,159 --> 00:08:36,941 From last year into this year 220 00:08:37,279 --> 00:08:39,362 Several countries began developing 221 00:08:39,439 --> 00:08:40,502 Sovereign large language models 222 00:08:41,038 --> 00:08:42,502 Trained on domestic data 223 00:08:42,878 --> 00:08:44,502 Deployed on domestic servers 224 00:08:44,878 --> 00:08:47,801 And governed by domestic law 225 00:08:48,118 --> 00:08:48,821 France is doing it 226 00:08:49,199 --> 00:08:50,122 Japan is doing it 227 00:08:50,158 --> 00:08:50,902 The United Arab Emirates is doing it 228 00:08:51,319 --> 00:08:53,162 And China is pushing ahead at full speed 229 00:08:53,398 --> 00:08:55,022 The logic behind this is very clear 230 00:08:55,479 --> 00:08:58,321 If artificial intelligence is the operating system of future society 231 00:08:58,398 --> 00:09:01,081 Then every country needs its own operating system 232 00:09:01,177 --> 00:09:01,878 Otherwise 233 00:09:01,878 --> 00:09:05,002 Your country is running on someone elses operating system 234 00:09:05,839 --> 00:09:09,561 Think about what that means because your education uses someone elses model 235 00:09:09,638 --> 00:09:11,601 Your finance sector uses someone elses model 236 00:09:11,719 --> 00:09:15,081 Even your defense intelligence analysis relies on someone elses model 237 00:09:15,319 --> 00:09:17,122 If the other side updates the system 238 00:09:17,199 --> 00:09:18,961 Or changes the terms of use 239 00:09:19,038 --> 00:09:20,101 Or simply cuts off access 240 00:09:20,518 --> 00:09:22,909 You do not even have a backup plan 241 00:09:23,027 --> 00:09:25,070 But there is a cruel paradox 242 00:09:25,346 --> 00:09:29,590 Training a leading model requires computing power data and talent 243 00:09:29,706 --> 00:09:32,350 That only a handful of institutions worldwide can afford 244 00:09:32,547 --> 00:09:36,230 This means sovereign artificial intelligence for most countries 245 00:09:36,307 --> 00:09:38,870 May forever remain only a beautiful aspiration 246 00:09:39,147 --> 00:09:41,985 Just as not every country can build nuclear weapons 247 00:09:41,986 --> 00:09:45,769 Not every country can train its own frontier model 248 00:09:46,046 --> 00:09:46,869 What is the result 249 00:09:47,367 --> 00:09:49,330 A completely new form of inequality 250 00:09:49,566 --> 00:09:52,410 Countries capable of building independent artificial intelligence 251 00:09:52,527 --> 00:09:54,249 And countries without that capability 252 00:09:54,287 --> 00:09:56,450 Will face entirely different futures 253 00:09:56,686 --> 00:10:00,450 The latter must choose one of a few giant companies 254 00:10:00,487 --> 00:10:01,989 To become its digital overlord 255 00:10:02,487 --> 00:10:05,489 This is essentially a new form of colonialism 256 00:10:05,767 --> 00:10:06,790 No need to send an army 257 00:10:07,166 --> 00:10:08,489 No need to occupy territory 258 00:10:08,607 --> 00:10:13,892 You only need to make the whole society run on your infrastructure 259 00:10:14,449 --> 00:10:18,052 How technology keeps rewriting the rules of geopolitical power 260 00:10:18,130 --> 00:10:19,172 We previously explored this through 261 00:10:19,209 --> 00:10:21,809 The framework of Guns Germs and Steel 262 00:10:21,810 --> 00:10:23,172 In a dedicated episode 263 00:10:23,410 --> 00:10:27,049 The East India Company is only the most recent precedent on this historical line 264 00:10:27,050 --> 00:10:28,272 It is not the last 265 00:10:28,629 --> 00:10:29,633 Consider Africa 266 00:10:30,150 --> 00:10:34,353 The entire continent currently has almost no homegrown frontier models 267 00:10:34,710 --> 00:10:35,949 Young people in Africa 268 00:10:35,950 --> 00:10:37,853 Grow up using social media from United States companies 269 00:10:38,150 --> 00:10:40,993 Along with their search engines and artificial intelligence tools 270 00:10:41,310 --> 00:10:42,908 These tools shape 271 00:10:42,910 --> 00:10:44,412 How they obtain information 272 00:10:44,790 --> 00:10:45,892 The frameworks through which they think 273 00:10:46,229 --> 00:10:48,113 And even how they define success 274 00:10:48,550 --> 00:10:52,032 This reaches deeper than any cultural influence in history 275 00:10:52,269 --> 00:10:54,552 Because it acts directly on cognition 276 00:10:54,910 --> 00:10:58,552 And it all appears completely voluntary because nobody is forced 277 00:10:58,749 --> 00:11:01,669 Everyone clicks the agree button themselves 278 00:11:01,866 --> 00:11:04,369 My viewers often debate one question in the comments 279 00:11:04,986 --> 00:11:08,450 Will artificial intelligence concentrate power or disperse it 280 00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:10,249 Judging from current trends 281 00:11:10,586 --> 00:11:12,066 At least at the level of states 282 00:11:12,066 --> 00:11:13,929 The answer is probably not encouraging 283 00:11:14,045 --> 00:11:15,309 And what concerns me most is 284 00:11:15,646 --> 00:11:18,169 This transfer of power is almost silent 285 00:11:18,285 --> 00:11:19,108 Nobody declares war 286 00:11:19,406 --> 00:11:20,805 Nobody signs a treaty 287 00:11:20,805 --> 00:11:23,049 Nobody holds a ceremony to transfer power 288 00:11:23,205 --> 00:11:27,128 A companys servers gain a few percentage points of global market share 289 00:11:27,246 --> 00:11:30,848 A model surpasses human experts in one professional field 290 00:11:31,006 --> 00:11:32,125 A satellite network 291 00:11:32,126 --> 00:11:33,508 Expands to dozens more countries 292 00:11:34,006 --> 00:11:35,045 Each individual step 293 00:11:35,045 --> 00:11:37,008 Looks like ordinary business expansion 294 00:11:37,285 --> 00:11:40,848 But add all these ordinary business expansions together 295 00:11:40,925 --> 00:11:41,929 And you discover 296 00:11:42,006 --> 00:11:45,569 The underlying logic of geopolitics has quietly been rewritten 297 00:11:46,085 --> 00:11:47,848 And this rewriting process 298 00:11:47,886 --> 00:11:52,488 Is not being systematically monitored or addressed by any existing international institution 299 00:11:52,726 --> 00:11:53,748 The United Nations cannot manage it 300 00:11:54,126 --> 00:11:55,608 The World Trade Organization cannot manage it 301 00:11:55,646 --> 00:11:57,645 Even the most powerful states 302 00:11:57,646 --> 00:12:01,361 Are still figuring out how to face this new reality 303 00:12:01,798 --> 00:12:02,741 Hobbes once said 304 00:12:03,079 --> 00:12:04,598 The state exists 305 00:12:04,599 --> 00:12:07,638 Because people surrender some freedom in exchange for security 306 00:12:07,638 --> 00:12:10,081 And transfer power to a higher entity 307 00:12:10,398 --> 00:12:14,042 What gives power legitimacy and when does that legitimacy fail 308 00:12:14,079 --> 00:12:15,642 We devoted an entire episode to that question 309 00:12:15,999 --> 00:12:16,821 Viewed from today 310 00:12:17,119 --> 00:12:18,518 The answer has a different subject 311 00:12:18,518 --> 00:12:19,481 But the logic remains the same 312 00:12:19,837 --> 00:12:20,558 Today 313 00:12:20,558 --> 00:12:23,481 Every time we click agree to the terms of service 314 00:12:23,599 --> 00:12:24,981 We are doing something similar 315 00:12:25,398 --> 00:12:27,101 Handing over our data and attention 316 00:12:27,319 --> 00:12:28,642 And even our habits of thought 317 00:12:28,678 --> 00:12:30,930 To another kind of Leviathan 318 00:12:31,288 --> 00:12:31,670 Except that 319 00:12:32,007 --> 00:12:34,130 This new Leviathan does not tax you 320 00:12:34,207 --> 00:12:35,731 It pushes information to you 321 00:12:36,087 --> 00:12:37,390 It does not rule your body 322 00:12:37,648 --> 00:12:39,211 It shapes your mind 323 00:12:39,648 --> 00:12:41,660 That is the deepest transformation 324 00:12:42,097 --> 00:12:43,576 The struggle between states and companies 325 00:12:43,577 --> 00:12:46,421 Looks on the surface like a technical issue of regulation and antitrust 326 00:12:46,618 --> 00:12:47,240 But underneath 327 00:12:47,378 --> 00:12:49,041 It is actually an ancient philosophical question 328 00:12:49,618 --> 00:12:52,140 When a completely new form of power emerges 329 00:12:52,217 --> 00:12:54,801 Can the old checks and balances still function 330 00:12:55,378 --> 00:12:58,860 Every major technological revolution reshuffles the structure of power 331 00:12:59,097 --> 00:13:01,697 The printing press broke the church monopoly on knowledge 332 00:13:01,697 --> 00:13:03,140 And gave rise to the Reformation 333 00:13:03,298 --> 00:13:05,297 The steam engine transformed relations of production 334 00:13:05,298 --> 00:13:07,061 And gave rise to the modern nation state 335 00:13:07,418 --> 00:13:09,160 What will artificial intelligence and satellite internet 336 00:13:09,258 --> 00:13:10,120 Give rise to 337 00:13:11,275 --> 00:13:12,119 I do not know 338 00:13:12,435 --> 00:13:13,458 But I know one thing 339 00:13:13,836 --> 00:13:15,799 That answer is being written right now 340 00:13:16,116 --> 00:13:16,938 And those writing it 341 00:13:17,236 --> 00:13:18,718 Are not entirely governments 342 00:13:18,795 --> 00:13:20,238 Nor entirely companies 343 00:13:20,395 --> 00:13:22,759 They are the choices each of us makes every day 344 00:13:23,076 --> 00:13:25,078 Whose model did you use today 345 00:13:25,196 --> 00:13:27,598 Whose servers hold your data 346 00:13:27,675 --> 00:13:29,858 Whose satellites connected you to the internet 347 00:13:30,316 --> 00:13:33,039 These seemingly trivial daily decisions 348 00:13:33,116 --> 00:13:36,331 Are gradually shaping the outline of that answer 349 00:13:36,688 --> 00:13:37,272 What do you think 350 00:13:37,648 --> 00:13:39,488 In the real power struggles of the future 351 00:13:39,489 --> 00:13:41,392 Who will be competing against whom 352 00:13:42,129 --> 00:13:42,831 I am Leo Wang 353 00:13:43,089 --> 00:13:43,871 See you next time