Chapter 283: The Invisible Hand (18)
Finally, the day had arrived. The 2016 U.S. presidential election. The mont when the very man I had hoped all my life never to cross paths with… would beco the President of the United States. His na was Don Trenton.
Trenton’s victory would go down as one of the most extraordinary events in Arican political history. Because he didn’t just play the ga—he shattered the rules. His weapons? Rhetoric, fear-mongering, and manufacturing endless enemies. He had an uncanny talent for pouring gasoline on the public’s exhaustion, anger, and sense of loss.
— “Illegal immigrants are ruining Arica! And we’re giving them education and healthcare? Is Arica a charity now?”
— “China’s a thief! They’ve stolen our factories, our jobs, and now our future! Every ti you see a ‘Made in China’ label, think of a neighbor who got laid off!”
— “And who’s behind it all? The elites! Their so-called ‘globalization’? It really ans ‘Arica gets taken care of last.’”
It defied all common sense that soone like this could beco president… But then again:
“His opponent was just too weak.”
Democratic nominee Helena Clayton ca across as overly polished—as if every word, every gesture had been scripted. Ironically, her smooth deanor and vast political experience ended up eroding public trust, fueling suspicions that she was hiding sothing.
“That’s why she lost.”
But… That was how things had played out before I returned to this point in ti. And more importantly, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
[China is allegedly attempting to acquire Next AI. How will each of you respond?]
This presidential debate was structured as a town hall—naturally, the hottest controversy of the mont surfaced: “The AI leak crisis.”
I focused my gaze on the screen.
“What kind of promises will they make?”
My objective was crystal clear: Extract from both candidates a definitive pledge securing the future of the AI industry.
Clayton spoke first:
[“We need a national AI strategy. I will establish a dedicated inter-agency council to expand infrastructure and support startups. Additionally, we’ll work with the Departnt of Education to launch talent cultivation programs, and to counter China’s growing tech influence, I’ll propose strengthening CFIUS authority and launching a Strategic Tech Review Board…”]
On the surface, it sounded promising—infrastructure, subsidies, talent developnt—she covered it all. But.
“This’ll take forever.”
Upon closer examination, her ideas were mired in bureaucracy—committees, reviews, long-drawn deliberations. Such promises wouldn’t help . What I needed was acceleration—a push to fast-track AI developnt.
Trenton, on the other hand, was different.
[“You call that a ‘strategy’? It’s just delay tactics. While she’s setting up councils and drafting paperwork, China’s already waving a blank check! By the ti her files are complete, Sean will be shouting ‘nihao’ from Shanghai!”]
[“Not . You think I’m gonna hand over Arica’s smartest mind to the Communist Party? Are you insane? On day one, I’ll sign the ‘Protect Arican AI’ pact—no hesitation!”]
Trenton promised imdiate action. His style and character were utterly revolting by my standards, but…
“Still… if I had to choose, I’d pick him.”
What I needed was soone who wouldn’t waste ti dithering—and that was exactly what Trenton promised. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. When it ca to the AI issue alone, public sentint clearly tilted toward Trenton.
— “Clayton = UN keynote. Trenton = UFC opening. And am I the only one who finds the latter more trustworthy?”
— “Review from every angle” vs. “I’ll sign it day one”... hmmm, tough call lol
— “Clayton sounds like a manual-reading robot. Trenton’s crazy, but at least he’s human.”
Social dia soon exploded with Trenton-support s:
— “Build a wall! Not just for xico—build one 9001 feet high around Next AI HQ! #TechWall #NoChina”
— “They’re selling LLMs to a censorship state? My digital diary’s gonna be read by communists? Voting Trenton! #Trenton2016 #saveourAI”
— “Wasn’t gonna vote but now heading out for MindChat. #MyMomFainted”
— “My 2016 plan: ① Trash Trenton ② Watch AI debate ③ Vote Trenton ④ Find a therapist”
Just to protect MindChat, more people were willing to vote Trenton. Of course, these weren’t huge numbers in the broader voter base. But there was one crucial detail:
[“These are 20–30-sothings with historically low turnout. They’ve been invisible in prior polling. If they show up en masse, the entire election could be flipped.”]
[“They’re also unique in that they prioritize issues and policies over party loyalty.”]
Debates over terrorism, immigration, and manufacturing had already polarized voters by party. But this new generation of AI enthusiasts? They weren’t loyal to anyone—and would swing for whoever made the right promise. In other words, they were the wild card that could break the mold. Most importantly…
[“We’ve already seen what they can do—the Herbalife incident, the China currency war! If that energy turns toward the election…”]
It was now inevitable: both campaign camps would have to act to win over these new voters. But then…
"Here's another important fact—I have significant influence over this voting bloc."
“Why waste a good hand?”
Ti to leverage that power for a solid policy win. So I stepped right into the dia spotlight.
“I enjoyed the debate, but frankly, both candidates seem detached from reality.”
“If they truly care about advancing the AI industry, shouldn’t they start by listening to those in the field?”
And coming from —the “key AI talent” allegedly being courted by China—well, it wasn’t sothing either side could afford to ignore. Both campaigns reached out imdiately. I t with each candidate in turn, clearly outlining what the AI industry actually needed on the ground.
A few days later, Clayton made the first move:
[“We need to shorten AI firms’ depreciation cycles from five years to 12 months. For hardware with such short lifespans, five years is outdated.”]
That “depreciation cycle” refers to how fast an asset’s value is officially allowed to decline over ti—which directly affects tax deductions. Under U.S. law, GPUs and computing gear had a five-year depreciation standard. But in tech, one year can already make your gear obsolete. Clayton’s proposal to revise this was a ga-changer. It sounded like boring tax policy—but this tweak alone would make AI companies’ financials soar.
Retail investors caught on quickly:
— “Wait, Clayton actually said sothing useful??”
— “BREAKING: Clayton.exe updated… now includes ‘actual policy’ module!”
— “With this, every earnings call's gonna be fireworks!”
— “Newsflash: Clayton turns AI startups into cash printers…”
Montum shifted toward Clayton. But Trenton fired back with a counterpunch:
[“The most urgent issue is power. Why doesn’t Clayton ntion that? Because one of her biggest donors is Gooble. She won’t dare propose anything that hurts them!”]
[“But ? I’ll set up a system to supply startups with affordable, predictable electricity. I’ll expand off-grid infrastructure too…”]
He promised cheap, stable power access for startups.
— “Did Trenton just make a logical argunt? Is the universe glitching?”
— “With secure electricity, dev speed would skyrocket.”
— “So it’s Clayton for Gooble, Trenton for LLMs… which one boosts stock prices more?”
— “Forget DD. Just follow Saint Sean. He knows the way.”
Once again, all eyes were on . So I stepped up to the mic once more:
“Hmm? Which candidate do I support? Well…”
I paused for a mont, then spoke deliberately:
“I plan to support the candidate who truly addresses what this industry needs. Both sides have made interesting pledges—but we still have a long way to go. What we’ve heard so far isn’t enough.”
In other words: “If you want my endorsent, you’ll need to offer even more.”
It worked better than I expected. I kept visiting both camps under the guise of “consultation,” pushing for policies favorable to the AI industry—and the results followed fast.
“Yep—competition gets results.”
When two people fight over the sa prize, its value inevitably rises. As the bidding war peaked, Trenton even went as far as saying this:
[“The biggest problem with AI is that there are no bold users willing to adopt cutting-edge technology first! That role—let the governnt take it. If I beco President, I’ll sign a procurent contract with the Departnt of Defense on Day One!”]
A direct contract with the Departnt of Defense? There’s hardly a bigger boon than that.
“Maybe it’s ti to stop now.”
At this point, I couldn’t think of any more promises to wring out of them. I’d already extracted everything the election could offer. That part was satisfying—but, as always, life doesn’t go exactly the way you want. Even during this policy arms race, there was a part that rubbed the wrong way.
— “Yesterday, I t my dear friend, Sean! I’m the only candidate with an Asian friend!”
Extrely reluctantly, I had to face the fact that Trenton was now showcasing our relationship everywhere. While I was trying to keep my distance, he was proudly parading our "friendship" to the public. I thought about drawing a line—but in this political climate, it wouldn’t have mattered. To him, I was an important political tool.
— “We must protect Sean! He’s an Arican treasure!”
Case in point: That bizarre rally performance where soone in a giant vault set wore a mask of my face, yelling, “No way we’re letting China have him!”
anwhile, Trenton supporters were hanging banners in front of Pareto Innovation and Next AI HQ:
— “Sean! Thank you for coming to this country legally—and for staying!”
“……”
Well, in their own way, I guess they ant it as encouragent. Still…
“I really don’t want to get more entangled in this ss…”
Should I just work to get Trenton eliminated? Or maybe take matters into my own hands and help install a new President? I seriously considered it, but—
“No… That won’t do.”
Rejected. My goal had always been to accelerate the entire AI industry. Clayton’s bureaucratic attitude was the exact opposite of that. anwhile, Trenton—if I put aside my personal feelings, at least when it ca to AI, he was the one who could genuinely speed up the future.
“Yeah… Uncomfortable as it is, this is the right path for now.”
So I suppressed my disgust. After all, once the election was over, he’d drop the fake camaraderie too. Most importantly, the rewards were worth the discomfort.
anwhile, during this heated battle of campaign pledges—AI-related stocks were hitting all-ti highs, day after day. It was only natural. Whoever won the presidency would decide where trillions in federal funds would be allocated. These “thematic stock surges” during election seasons weren’t new. In 2008, green energy campaign promises sent solar companies soaring two- to three-fold. Even before my ti travel, in 2020, electric vehicles and clean energy stocks quadrupled for similar reasons.
And now… In 2016, AI was indisputably the king of all presidential campaign thes. But there was a unique twist.
Both major candidates were going all-in on the sa the—AI.
— “So basically, AI wins no matter who becos President?”
— “Spoiler alert: The election results? AI wins.”
— “Both parties hooked on AI = ultimate bull run pass. It’s like free money lying on the ground.”
— “Money printer is ON! Ready for cash tsunami!”
It didn’t matter who won. Federal funding was guaranteed to pour into AI, making a bullish market inevitable. And when trends beco that crystal clear, there's always one thing that follows in the market: FOMO.
— “This is the bottom! Failure chance mathematically proven to be 0.00000%! If you’re not buying AI, you’ve lost your brain!”
— “Put my entire severance package in! HR asked ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Are you planning to stay poor forever?’”
— “Got my parents’ account password and went all-in on AI. Real filial piety is making them millionaires without them knowing!”
— “Put my 8-year-old son’s college fund in. He won’t need it at 18 anyway—we’ll be cruising our private island in a Rambo collection yacht.”
But… This rally was fundantally different from all previous ones.
Pension funds and retirent accounts, historically cautious, were now pouring into AI like they were under a spell. People who’d never cared about stocks were jumping in, saying, “This ti, it’s for real.”
Put differently—Mass hysteria around AI had consud the entire nation. AI etups popped up on every corner. Grandparents were asking their grandkids: “So, this thing everyone’s buying—AI stocks? How do you even get those?”
The bubble inflated to historic proportions. Yet, curiously, nobody seed worried. They believed the campaign-backed surge ant the bubble was too political to pop easily. That was what Hasiheon once called the “safe bubble.”
But even this inferno of hype began to lose steam.
— “Can it even go higher? There aren’t any new pledges left…”
— “My mother-in-law just asked how to buy ‘this NVIDIA thing’—that’s it. That’s the top. Evacuate.”
— “There’s no one left to buy. Grandmas, cabbies, teens—all in AI. This is textbook bubble finale.”
The candidates’ campaign promises had reached their limit. No more shocking pledges. No more juice to push prices up. “This is the peak.” That sentint was widespread.
But I disagreed.
“We’re not done yet.”
Competition always drives up value. Even if the Clayton–Trenton duel was over, another arena hadn’t even started. Did I ntion? The real motif of this AI war was “Cold War.” In other words, the “governnt funding” I was aiming for wasn’t limited to the United States alone.
Right. China was still in the ga.
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