• Pandantic [they/them]@midwest.social
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    2 days ago

    The Army said in a press release that the four executives are Shyam Sankar, CTO at Palantir; Andrew Bosworth, CTO at Meta; Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer of OpenAI; and Bob McGrew, an advisor at Thinking Machines Lab and former Chief Research Officer for OpenAI.

    The four men are being commissioned at the high rank of lieutenant colonel as part of a program called Detachment 201: The Army’s Executive Innovation Corps.

    Anyone else find this extremely worrying?

  • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    LOL might as well add the army to the list of products made even worse by tech enshittification

    • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      This Is the fascist fusion of corporation and state.

      Technofascist oligarchs are being given military positions to convert the military and surveillance state into a big brother grade domestic secret police. I’m sure they’ll be given command over ICE and DOGE by end of year.

  • Botzo@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    The Army said in a press release that the four executives are Shyam Sankar, CTO at Palantir; Andrew Bosworth, CTO at Meta; Kevin Weil, Chief Product Officer of OpenAI; and Bob McGrew, an advisor at Thinking Machines Lab and former Chief Research Officer for OpenAI.

    The four men are being commissioned at the high rank of lieutenant colonel as part of a program called Detachment 201: The Army’s Executive Innovation Corps.

    This feels like cosplay + “you could just do …” energy that will undoubtedly funnel money straight back to these companies.

    Bonus bosworth points

  • BaroqueInMind
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    2 days ago

    I find it odd that they force PhDs, literal fucking doctor’s, to go through the Direct Commission course, but allow these dipshit tech nerds to skip it. Almost as if their wealth allowed them privilege a god damned doctor doesn’t typically have after a decade of school debt

  • tomatolung@sopuli.xyz
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    2 days ago

    For those who have read the Galaxy’s Edge series, I can only think of the appointees (aka 'Points). Political appointed officer who often end up getting the legionaries killed and lack the combat prowess/skill to be in the officer position they exercise.

    Realistically we have many other direct commission officers such as the medical, engineers, legal, etc. What’s really different here is they are not requiring the full 5 week Direct commission officer basic course .

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I’m just thinking about how various European militaries used to give dipshit aristocrats officer commissions back in the day, until they got curb-stomped by Napoleon or whoever and figured out it wasn’t such a great idea.

      • Madison420@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Not generally given, bought. You used to buy your commission in the military, and yes it went exactly as you’d think buying merit goes.

  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    Get ready for 90-10 style reviews every month or quarter, and then these idiot tech bros being confused they can’t just fire people in the military for no goddamned reason.

  • Saganaki@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    I find this worrying, yet—I’ll play devil’s advocate:

    Having CEO-like people in charge of others is not necessarily bad, assuming they’re not in charge of front-line people. The vast majority of military work is logistics and intel. Having some that knows how to accomplish that efficiently isn’t a bad idea.

    They 100% will be put in charge of front liners, though.

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Executives aren’t the ones making companies successful they’re usually more hindrance than anything else…

      • Saganaki@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        No real disagreement from me. Again, just playing devil’s advocate and assuming an “ideal.” It’s 100% a good boys’ club hire.