Paulina Borsook’s 2000 book "Cyberselfish," which critiques the techno-libertarian mindset dominating Silicon Valley, is experiencing a resurgence with a new edition from Tin House. The book offers a detailed exploration of how this anti-regulation ideology shaped the tech industry’s culture and business practices, despite the sector’s heavy reliance on government support. Borsook describes this perspective as outdated yet persistent, blaming it for fostering a business environment where sociopathy is valorized and financial interests trump genuine technological innovation.

Borsook’s interest in techno-libertarianism began in the early ’90s when she noticed an incongruous attitude among Silicon Valley’s leaders, who rejected regulations even though they benefited immensely from government-funded research and infrastructure. Unlike earlier STEM cultures that acknowledged government’s role, this new breed of tech overlords embraced a philosophy dismissive of the state’s contributions and aggressively resistant to oversight. This cultural milieu, starting around the Netscape IPO and intensifying through the dot-com crash, allowed investment-driven companies like Airbnb and Uber to prioritize profits over community impact.

The author draws a clear line between distinct cultural subgroups within Silicon Valley, identifying “Gilders,” conservative social thinkers exemplified by George Gilder, and “Ravers,” representing a more liberal, countercultural faction tied to events like Burning Man. Despite the region’s generally progressive electoral politics, the upper echelons of tech companies often espouse technocratic, anti-government beliefs that have become intertwined with wider political alliances, including ties to the Trump administration. Borsook highlights how economic precarity forces many employees to tolerate leadership’s controversial stances just to keep their jobs.

Looking at the growth of AI, Borsook views the current enthusiasm as a continuation of the same unchecked techno-libertarian mindset, which refuses regulation and exaggerates the industry’s brilliance. She is skeptical about whether major tech firms can reform internally but hopes that smaller ventures focused on ethical technology might emerge. The renewed interest in "Cyberselfish" has come from academics and new readers who see the book as a prescient critique of the industry’s ongoing challenges, making it an important artifact for understanding Silicon Valley’s past and present.