Newest officers of the Army reserve: Tech executives
Meta's CTO, OpenAI's chief product officer, and Palantir's CTO are the newest officers of the Army Reserve. They've been appointed as lieutenant colonels. They have been tasked with modernizing the US military.
This is the typical ending rank for 20 years of service. To be gifted ranks like this outside of wartime sends a clear message to Army officers everywhere: 🖕
The blurring of industry and military... Can we call it fascist yet?
👻 darkghost [Left leaning independent]
2025-06-15 · 11 months ago · 👍 bsj38381
12 Comments ↓
🚀 stack [anarchist] · 2025-06-16 at 19:55:
Eh, honorary titles are common in all fields, including academia, and are not really FYs to everyone. Commissioned officers can be radically promoted in rank, and as POTUS has full authority to do so.
Not to say if it's appropriate here, but it would be difficult to give orders to military personnel to 'modernize' anything otherwise.
As long as we stay out of Iran, I am not worried about POTUS-appointed reserve officers. Worse appointments had happened before.
The military-industrial conplex is no more fascist today than last year. Unfortunately facebook is more useful to the military than Boeing
👻 darkghost [OP, Left leaning independent] · 2025-06-16 at 21:33:
The traditional way to do this is to make them overpaid consultants. While "captains of industry" have been awarded rank in wartime, wartime this ain't. It was for a good reason back then, to ensure they were subservient to the military and were working for the good of the nation. I don't believe for an instant this was done for the good of the nation. It's a favor for favor. What the administration is getting I can guarantee it isn't going to promote freedom and smaller government.
Re Iran: we are already involved. We are swatting away missiles launched at Israel. And it is hard to argue this isn't a proxy war as well. It started on day 61 after a 60 day warning from Trump.
🚀 stack [anarchist] · 2025-06-16 at 23:29:
I don't get a sense that Trump is eager to be in the midst of it, unlike Biden with Ukraine -- where he practically promised support and Nato membership to fight Russia, and his crack-addicted son was given a seat on the board of Burisma. Of course, nothing inappropriate there. $200 billion taxpayer dollars later (that's just officially, real numbers likely much higher, not to mention a couple of hundred thousand dead), 'the family' made few million on that deal, '10% for the big guy'. That actually makes Trump's corrupt business failures look like amazing successes.
It's turtles all the way down on both sides.
👻 darkghost [OP, Left leaning independent] · 2025-06-17 at 11:45:
I think Trump isn't as smart as everyone thinks. He had an opportunity to make Trump Mobile cost $45.47 a month and didn't. What a missed opportunity in branding!
In all seriousness, let's not put the cart before the horse. This is a pretty fluid situation. His true motivations are likely not known.
Meanwhile he has made $600 million last year on the crypto scam, perfume (urk), the watch scam, branding, and golf. While a fool and his money tend to part ways, I don't think it is conduct the president should be engaged in. I think you agree.
👻 darkghost [OP, Left leaning independent] · 2025-06-17 at 21:48:
Breaking news: they did make the monthly plan $45.47 a month. And they also yoinked a coverage map that had the Gulf of Mexico on it. It's so hard being ideologically pure! Next to go is the "Made in USA" phone because nobody is gonna plonk $2,000 for a mid-spec phone from 2019 like the Purism phone that's made in USA. Yes, I know this isn't the most pressing issue facing the nation, nor is it the original topic.
🚀 stack [anarchist] · 2025-06-19 at 20:57:
You mean Gulf of America?
While many object, America does not mean US, and includes Mexico, US, and dozens of other countries. It's more inclusive and fair, isn't it? Hardly worth arguing about -- if we actually ignore it, it will either stick, or get renamed back to what it was.
👻 darkghost [OP, Left leaning independent] · 2025-06-19 at 23:25:
I get it. Mexico is actually the Mexican States of America. It is actually a loyalty test. Remember, the AP, the world's foremost journalistic association, isn't allowed to cover the White House because they chose the transitionary moniker "Gulf of Mexico/Gulf of America" to avoid confusion. Kind of like how everyone called it Twitter/X for a few years after the rebranding. Except there is nowhere in the world where X is still known as Twitter, whereas the rest of the world still calls it the Gulf of Mexico, and all nautical maps will call it such. It's a stupid hill to die on, but that's Trump in a nutshell.
It won't impact me one iota. But when it inevitably is renamed back, it won't be the first Gulf of America to be renamed. Nakhodka Bay used to be called Gulf of America. The Russians named it, but changed it because why honor your geopolitical rival?
👻 darkghost [OP, Left leaning independent] · 2025-06-22 at 01:27:
Welp...
🥜 OraProNobis [christian anarchism/distributism] · 2025-06-22 at 22:11:
the implication is obvious and one would have to deliberately ignore how both Trump and most folks in the world use the word "America" to refer specifically the US.
🚀 stack [anarchist] · 2025-06-24 at 04:08:
I think most US citizens don't think much about other countries in the Americas
👻 darkghost [OP, Left leaning independent] · 2025-06-24 at 09:05:
Truth be told, I could probably only identify 90% of the South American countries, and probably get 70% if asked to point to them on a map. But I grew up seeing news reports of adults being unable to point to where their state is on a map.
🚀 stack [anarchist] · 2025-06-24 at 18:55:
@darkghost, that's because you are a brainiac.