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You Can’t Blame Data Centers in Seattle for Our Skyrocketing Electricity Prices
This post was originally published on GeekWire on April 20, 2026. I had noticed this “data centers in Seattle” PR op under way and flagged it in last week’s newsletter. After a vague report that some companies were seeking to build “large” data centers in Seattle, Mayor Katie Wilson is exploring a moratorium on new…
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Platformonomics TGIF #77: January 24, 2025
Platformonomics TGIF is a weekly roll-up of links, comments on those links, and perhaps a little too much tugging on my favorite threads. Get Platformonomics Updates By Email I skipped last week’s newsletter as all I had were typical EU inanities. Instead I got two standalone posts done. We’re busy girding up for the most…
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Welcome to the Khakiocracy
A system of government closely related to both kakistocracy (the rule of the least competent) and kleptocracy (the rule of thieves), khakiocracy is the rule of venture capitalists, our Silicon Valley saviors. Self-appointed, self-assured and self-interested, these khaki-clad bros always have the answer, no matter how complex, novel, or unusual the situation. They can master…
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The Inflation-Adjusted Unicorn
Aileen Lee coined the term “unicorn” in 2013 to describe billion-dollar startups. The name was chosen because unicorns are “extremely rare, and magical”. Despite that scarcity, unicorns must be herded up to deliver the returns expected from venture capital. Once explicitly defined, unicorns became much less rare, as Goodhart’s Law predicts (“When a measure becomes…
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Platformonomics TGIF #76: January 10, 2025
Platformonomics TGIF is a weekly roll-up of links, comments on those links, and perhaps a little too much tugging on my favorite threads. Get Platformonomics Updates By Email And we’re back! Welcome to 2025, which will mark the 20th anniversary of this blog. Expect insufferable celebrations thereof (updated slogan: “Entertaining Myself Here For Twenty Years…
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Oracle’s Data Center Difficulties: FY25 Q2
A quick clown CAPEX post since the Platformonomics TGIF weekly newsletter is done for the year. UPDATE: I got the spend number wrong. Oracle tries to make their CAPEX number look bigger by showing YTD or TTM numbers as opposed to the quarterly number. Despite making fun of them for this, I fell for it…