Zero to One_ Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future ( PDFDrive )

people. We don’t trade with computers any more than we trade with livestock or
lamps. And that’s the point: computers are tools, not rivals.
The differences are even deeper on the demand side. Unlike people in
industrializing countries, computers don’t yearn for more luxurious foods or
beachfront villas in Cap Ferrat; all they require is a nominal amount of
electricity, which they’re not even smart enough to want. When we design new
computer technology to help solve problems, we get all the efficiency gains of a
hyperspecialized trading partner without having to compete with it for resources.
Properly understood, technology is the one way for us to escape competition in a
globalizing world. As computers become more and more powerful, they won’t
be substitutes for humans: they’ll be complements.