Jaron Lanier on Fighting Big Tech’s ‘Manipulation Engine’
The VR pioneer talks about Silicon Valley myths, shepherds’ flutes and why we should be paid for using social media
By John Thornhill
Jaron Lanier arrives a little late for our lunch at a Peruvian restaurant in London’s Fitzrovia, having been distracted by a Ukrainian shepherd’s flute. As excuses go, that one is certainly novel.
His polite minder had warned me of the delay, explaining that Lanier had been “sucked into the vortex” of Hobgoblin Music, a shop for rare musical instruments next door. When Lanier finally emerges, he says the Ukrainian flute would be “disturbing if I were a sheep”, but is still kind of interesting. “There are a few temptations there but I’m undecided at the moment.”
Lanier is not the type to remain undecided for long. An imposing bear of a man with long, tangled brown dreadlocks, Lanier rarely passes unnoticed, even in an anonymous black T-shirt and black trousers. He sends the cutlery flying on the adjacent table as he settles into his seat but does not seem to notice.
As well as being an obsessive collector — and player — of several hundred musical instruments (favourite: the Laotian khaen), Lanier is a Berkeley-based composer, computer…
