Intuit's Lobbying Power Kills IRS Free Tax Filing Program

2025-04-18
Intuit's Lobbying Power Kills IRS Free Tax Filing Program

A decades-long battle culminated in the Trump administration shutting down the IRS's free tax filing program, Direct File, thanks to Intuit (maker of TurboTax)'s massive lobbying efforts and political donations. Despite high user satisfaction, Intuit relentlessly lobbied against Direct File, viewing it as a competitor. Their strategy involved substantial campaign contributions to politicians and hiring lobbying firms to pressure lawmakers. This resulted in the demise of a public service designed to simplify tax filing and save taxpayers money. The incident highlights the influence of money in politics and how corporations leverage their financial power to shape public policy, harming ordinary citizens.

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OpenAI's AGI Nightmare: A $500 Billion Gamble and the Looming AI Bubble

2025-03-25
OpenAI's AGI Nightmare: A $500 Billion Gamble and the Looming AI Bubble

OpenAI's ambitious "Project Stargate," a $500 billion initiative to build AGI, faces a major threat from DeepSeek R1, an open-source model from a Chinese hedge fund. DeepSeek R1 matches OpenAI's flagship model's performance at a fraction of the cost, raising concerns about an AI bubble. Massive investments are pouring into AI, yet OpenAI is hemorrhaging money, relying on a technological lead that DeepSeek R1 has effectively erased. Over-investment, dependence on expensive GPUs and energy, and questionable productivity gains from AI tools all increase the risk of a bubble burst, potentially causing a significant economic shock.

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Tech AI bubble