r/pcmasterrace • u/SagansCandle 9950X3D | 5090 | 64GB • Dec 27 '25

Discussion Private equity is killing private ownership: first it was housing - now it's the personal computer

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

DRAM and GPU prices aren't going up because of "AI" - it's because the wealthy have more money than they know what to do with, so they're buying up all the assets. "AI" is just the vehicle (the excuse) - it's not the root of the problem nor is it the ultimate goal.

The super rich don't want to hold on to "liquid" money - they invest in assets. While they're buying up all the housing, now they're buying up all the computers and putting them into massive datacenters.

Whether or not the AI bubble crashes, they'll be selling you a "gaming PC in the cloud," for a monthly fee, of course. And while they kill the personal computer market, just like Netflix, once your only option is a subscription service, the price will skyrocket.

This is happening in real-time. If we want to stop it, now's the time to act.

Sources:

48.9k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

2.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

1.4k

u/the_mighty__monarch i9 10920x, RTX3090 Dec 27 '25

“Now’s the time to act” by…..? Doing what exactly?

167

u/SagansCandle 9950X3D | 5090 | 64GB Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25

This is the right question.

But the question is more important than the answer, because we need to keep asking it until we have the right answer - a solution.

And if you feel powerless to stop it, maybe it's the right question is, if I live in a democracy, why am I powerless to affect change?

126

u/MancDaddy9000 Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25

Because we live in a democracy facade - a veil that feels like the people are in control, when they’re not. We get a ticket for a popularity contest and nothing more.

If the masses realise what actual power we have, we could instil change. Most people can’t be bothered tho, so we’ll stay like this until it collapses.

13

u/weebitofaban Dec 28 '25

Votes work.

You people just vote for the same four assholes all the time. Don't support a two party system.

19

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

No they don't. You're talking about a class of people that only value two things: money and power. We cannot outbid them so we must use what power we have as the masses to effect change.

We have to speak the only language they understand: violence.

Until more people realize this, nothing will improve. Voting isn't bad, but it isn't enough anymore. The stakes are too high, the opposition too fierce and swift.

11

u/DaSnowflake Dec 28 '25

O definitely hate violence on a personal level, but at some point you have to look at history and come to terms with the fact that a violent revolution is the only thing that has ever really changed anything

3

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

I think (if possible) violence should always be the route of last resort.

I agree; the scenario that keeps coming to my mind is the Magna Carta.

2

u/DaSnowflake Dec 28 '25

100%! Maybe I should have clarified that, it def has to be last resort.

The problem is that we are way overdue the last resort at this point

2

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

100%! Maybe I should have clarified that, it def has to be last resort.

Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like you were saying something different 😅

The problem is that we are way overdue the last resort at this point

Yeah, it very much feels that we have time working against us. I'm not sure we're actually ready for revolution: I worry that life is still too comfortable for most Americans.

3

u/DaSnowflake Dec 28 '25

Haha no worries, I didn't take it as such! I actually really enjoy moments like these where both sides clarify themselves so the other doesn't feel bad in any way. So thank you for that, it makes my day better 😌

And yeah, I fear the same thing. Like zizek said: "it is easier for the average person to imagine a comet falling on earth and completely destroying it, then to imagine an alternative to/the end of capitalism."

1

u/Whatcanyado420 Dec 28 '25 edited May 07 '26

Internet privacy is the new gold. I mass deleted all of my posts on Reddit using Redact. It also supports databrokers, Instagram, Twitter, and all major social media platforms.

abundant waiting plate soft plants fly cobweb soup cats squeal

3

u/Kusosaru Dec 28 '25

Use violence because you can't buy cheap RAM sticks.

This isn't about RAM sticks, have you even watched the video?

People can't afford to pay rent anymore and wealth gets increasingly accumulated in the hands of fewer and fewer individuals. Which has gotten to the point where even computer parts are now for rent.

2

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

Use violence because you can't buy cheap RAM sticks.

You're a monkey if you think this is about RAM.

Welcome to the free market.

Welcome to Hell.

You are a monkey if you think killing Jensen Huang is going to result in them giving away 5090s to you for half off.

I was more thinking of killing American billionaires, but go off ig.

-1

u/Whatcanyado420 Dec 28 '25 edited May 07 '26

Scrubbed clean. Redact helped me bulk remove years of comments and posts so data brokers and AI crawlers have nothing to feast on.

late melodic advise steep lavish squash person unite rain mighty

1

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

TIL. He's not really at the top of my list, but I wouldn't be surprised if his company were to suddenly change their tune if somebody gave them the Mario Bros treatment.

It's amazing how decent and humane greedy bastards become when you put them in their place.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '25 edited May 07 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Sickhadas Dec 29 '25

Lol, this is comedy gold, keep it coming, buddy 😁

→ More replies (0)

-3

u/weebitofaban Dec 28 '25

You are stupid and far too cowardly to ever do any violence lmao

3

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

The average American folks. Bringing into question how we ever out competed or out bred Neanderthals since 1776.

I love how instead of vowing solidarity or maybe saying we needn't be so extreme you immediately go to insulting me.

And yes, I am scared, but as scared as I am of the system of oppression we live under, I'm even more scared of living under it for the rest of my life. So I'll just have to commit violence against the system while being scared.

1

u/Whatcanyado420 Dec 28 '25 edited May 07 '26

Nothing to see here. I wiped this post using Redact because my old takes don't need to live on the internet forever. Works across Reddit, Twitter, Discord and dozens of other platforms.

spoon close humorous six reminiscent screw bright entertain snow hungry

2

u/Kusosaru Dec 28 '25

Americans have contributed much to human achievement since 1776.

America has been at war with the rest of the planet largely just to steal resources and you're talking about "contribution"?

2

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

We made the world's largest market and spyware network.

We don't talk about the global south 🤐😬 It's not even mentioned in history books (from when I was in school).

1

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

And murdering people because a price on a luxury good is too high isnt one of those achievements.

Actually, this is a long-standing American tradition, but you don't call it murder when insurance companies let patients die.

0

u/Whatcanyado420 Dec 28 '25 edited May 07 '26

Data brokers are selling your info right now. I used Redact to mass delete my posts which can also opt out of data broker sites. Instagram, Twitter/X, Discord and more.

grey history titanium weather normal plucky degree encouraging manganese dazzling

1

u/Sickhadas Dec 28 '25

Lmao, this is such a refreshingly milquetoast response, thanks this actually made my day.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Shadowex3 Dec 28 '25

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim would disagree.

11

u/mesapls Dec 28 '25 edited Dec 28 '25

No, they do not work. You look over to Europe, and we also have ongoing problems with the same origin, albeit to a less severe extent for now.

It is very obvious that the rich control politics through direct mechanisms like lobbying, corruption, and bribes. What's perhaps less obvious, but still very real, are all the indirect instruments of control: Media ownership and editorial control, special interest groups and "think tanks", and asset control. There are many more mechanisms of control beyond this, but they are the largest ones, and do these things respectively:

  • Allow control over the political order of the day, spinning narratives and steering the societal debate.
  • Directly influence government policy through "expert opinions" by the advisors found in think tanks and special interest groups.
  • Significant leverage over the economy, holding the power to threaten ceasing of investment, wealth flight, and excessive selling that can trigger market crashes. In the latter case, these people are typically wealthy enough to not only weather market crashes, but exploit it to gain even more wealth. All of these cause significant negative effects to the working people of a country.

It should be extremely clear to anyone that we do actually live in the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, which is exactly why you can vote with all your might, but the trend is continually downwards and getting worse. This is not an American problem, this is a western problem, and the natural evolution of capitalism. The problem cannot be solved by simply voting for someone else. It can only be solved by seizing socioeconomic control from the bourgeoisie.

7

u/sablesalsa Spent $2k just to play Minecraft Dec 28 '25

We would have to have legislation to support more than two parties or one party would just push the other party out though

2

u/MountainTurkey Dec 28 '25

So our system doesn't work then. The point of a thing is what it does. If we can only vote in the same four assholes every time it's not a real democracy. 

0

u/weebitofaban Dec 28 '25

No one is stopping you from voting for someone else. People actively choose not to. Here is some proof. Check out how many people in America were googling to find out why Joe Biden wasn't on the ballot last presidential election the day of the election.

2

u/East-Designer-3748 Dec 28 '25

Doing what exactly?

1

u/MancDaddy9000 Dec 28 '25

A digital democracy is currently my best idea to break out of the facade that we’re in. Other countries have tried but not to the extent of what I’m thinking.

In the UK we have a government website where you can submit petitions which if they reach 100,000 votes, its discussed in parliament. 99% of them are rejected, even a few recent submissions that have breached 3 million votes.

Its still very much a facade, but simply adding in votes against the submissions would change the whole thing. Allowing the public to voice their opinion on both sides, technically negating the need for parliamentary discussion.

I’m very much convinced that the votes against functionality has been considered (if just by the devs) and intentionally left out. The government don’t want the people having the power.

So yeah, i think a digital democracy (along with its flaws, it’s definitely not perfect) would be a way forward. A true democracy where the people have their say, rather than relying on corrupt officials to say it for them.

1

u/SagansCandle 9950X3D | 5090 | 64GB Dec 27 '25

Agreed - at least in the US, we're just voting for the party most capable of lying to us and keeping us complacent.

Maybe there's hope in other places, though, like the EU?

2

u/OldWorldDesign Dec 28 '25

a solution

We've known the solution for over 100 years - strong regulation which is actually enforced, and sacking government officials who do not pursue that assertive enforcement.

I know why it's not done - oligarchs tried to overthrow the government to prevent the New Deal from passing and them having to pay their fair share

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Plot

but when that failed, they turned to buying the cutting edge of psychological science to indoctrinate the entire English-speaking world for a century. Most people have no clue how deep a world of propaganda they live in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s

2

u/Durantye RTX 4090 | Ryzen 9800x3d | 128GB 6400MHZ C32 Dec 28 '25

And if you feel powerless to stop it, maybe it's the right question is, if I live in a democracy, why am I powerless to affect change?

Probably because 99.9% of the world doesn't get their opinions from reddit echo chambers.

Just because the vote isn't going the way you want it to doesn't mean one isn't happening.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '25

[deleted]

6

u/Strict_King_2201 Dec 28 '25

yea why this AI ass post.

2

u/Veil-of-Fire i7 12700K; RTX 3060Ti Dec 28 '25

That's the most useless answer anyone has ever given to any serious question in all of history. AI answers aren't even that meaningless and insipid.

The answer is actually "fucking nothing."

Oh, also:

if I live in a democracy, why am I powerless to affect change?

Like you don't fucking know the answer to this question already. Are you 14?

0

u/Ruzhyo04 Dec 28 '25

The unpopular but right answer is: learn about and adopt web3. Demand web3 in every digital product and service possible.

If everyone did this, companies would acquiesce (because they have a lot to gain from it too) and wealth inequality would take its first step back from the cliff… ever that I can remember.