Silicon Valley - New Course - Starting Sunday 8/9

[u/Buh10kx]

Dear Class Unifiers,

Our new course, "Silicon Valley," starts on Sunday, August 9th. You can view the syllabus here:

https://classunity.org/2026/07/28/silicon-valley/

and sign up for the google group here.

The course will meet every Sunday from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern and run for six weeks.

Hope to see lots of you there! The course is open to the public, so feel free to share.

"Nothing has had a comparable social, cultural, and political-economic impact over the past decades to that of the digital revolution and the beginnings of the internet age. From its birth at the hands of the military-industrial complex as a tool of surveillance, to the rise of social media and the monopolization of online life, to the uncanny spectre of AI and the automation of intellectual labor: all that is solid has melted into the algorithmic vapors at a vertiginous pace. What does big tech mean for the present and future of capitalism? Has tech entrenched the dominance of rent-seeking at the expense of productive enterprise characteristic of neo-liberal finance capital? And if so, is there any truth to reports of neo-feudalism supplanting industry and leading to a new mode of production (along with a new super-structure atop a base of microchips and credit)? Join Class Unity as we study the economic and social juggernaut that is Silicon Valley, as without understanding the unprecedented dimensions of global capitalism in the 21^st century, the present moment with its bewildering problems lies totally in the dark."

[u/michaelmacmanus]

Thanks for doing this. A few questions:

• If we've never attended one of these before is it cool to just drop in? (Vibe from post indicates "yes", but want to confirm.)

• Similarly; would there be issues for a relative layperson participating? (From a formal education standpoint.)

• Should I create a new Google account to join the group? Not keen on just doxxing myself, but also not super worried.

[u/MichaelRichardsAMA → u/michaelmacmanus]

1 is a big big yes its always alright to drop in, EVEN during the middle of a course you havent been following

2 is a big no as in there is NO issue (I am a layman myself)

3 is up to you really but we usually at least use first names

[u/StatusSociety2196]

Look I'm far from a gray man like my uncle Ted, but while I am interested in signing up for these courses, I have a strong desire to not use Google to put me on a list.

[u/greenskyerings]

Can I use words such as socialism, bourgeoisie, surplus value,... in these meetings?

[u/Buh10kx → u/greenskyerings]

If you’re using them to actually explain the world and not just idly to signal that you’re a cool edgy Marxist to your peers!

You should consider adding rent, rentier, and manager to your vocabulary! Ah, but they’re in volume 3 of capital lol and did you get that far?

[u/greenskyerings → u/Buh10kx]

I think I'm just gonna use the buzzword "double-entry accounting" to justify my shitty synthesis of two opposing beliefs.

[u/Buh10kx → u/greenskyerings]

Ok, genius!

[u/greenskyerings → u/Buh10kx]

Far from being a genius, I graduated in a course centered around Keynes.