Without the fiction giving them these ideas, they would be going about their business much much differently. They'd be doing it like other, ordinary American business. The kind that actually changes the world. Shipping, commerce, unS3XY enterprise. That's what made the modern world.
Been reading a bit about Henry Ford lately. I wonder what sci-fi novels he read as a kid. If you think Musk is an asshole...
At any rate, you're making the same mistake Stross does. Human will to power came first, then the sci-fi, then the reality. For better or worse, the sci-fi is optional. Fiction writers don't build the roads, they just paint the signs.
Trust me if the current robber barons thought they could get away with acting like the old robber barons, they most certainly would. Society changed and made it much more difficult for single persons to amass so much power. It will be the same with the new batch. In another decade, this tech cult will be a distant memory.
Been reading a bit about Henry Ford lately. I wonder what sci-fi novels he read as a kid. If you think Musk is an asshole...
At any rate, you're making the same mistake Stross does. Human will to power came first, then the sci-fi, then the reality. For better or worse, the sci-fi is optional. Fiction writers don't build the roads, they just paint the signs.