Why AI doomerism splits by generation: Xennial optimism vs Zoomer fear
nptacek · x · 2026-09-11
Antonio García Martínez theorizes that AI doomerism is largely generational: 20-something lab staff see techno-Rapture, while "olds" like Jensen Huang and Marc Andreessen tell them to chill — a "Great Generational Inversion."
Fabian Stelzer adds context: Xennials raised in the Cold War then the Clinton-era boom developed a Leibnizian "it's going to be alright" optimism, while Zoomers were shaped inversely by Covid. He also argues the tech arc 80s kids lived through (rotary phone to now) gave them unique autobiographical readiness for progress.
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