Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder and inventor of Ethereum, has become the latest victim of this insolence. The 27-year-old had pitched a bold solution to the gender pay gap: synthetic wombs. “Synthetic wombs would remove the high burden of pregnancy, significantly reducing the inequality,” he tweeted on Tuesday. The proposal gained support from several tech bros — but incurred the wrath of feminists. They argued that biological gestation isn’t the main barrier to gender equality. Instead, they pointed to the high costs of childrearing, limited governmental support, and widespread sexism. Some pointed to the positive aspects of pregnancy — or suggested that Buterin was disconnected from reality.
— Dylan LeClair ? (@DylanLeClair_) January 19, 2022 Buterin’s technoutopian solution emerged in a discussion started by the ultimate tech visionary: the self-described “utopian anarchist,” Elon Musk. The Tesla tycoon had been expressing his long-held concerns about population collapse: Synthetic wombs would presumably provide Musk with the workers that his Martian colony requires.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 18, 2022 Musk and Buterin have several things in common. Both have founded lionized companies, joined the billionaires’ club, and cultivated the image of brilliant polymaths. The duo is also capable of laughing at themselves — in a weirdly self-aggrandizing sort of way. Buterin last week asked for the “most unhinged” criticisms of him on Twitter. After 20 hours, he’d received over 2,400 responses. HT — Molly White
