http://x.com/i/article/2069608056946933761
7:39 PM · Jun 23, 2026 · 28.2K Views
Brian Roemmele argues modern AI gatekeeping resembles the 1970s 'computer priesthood' bypassed by the DIY Mark-8 minicomputer
He compares IBM and DEC to OpenAI and Anthropic.
45407567568.3K
Sentiment
Many users are excited about open source and sovereign AI democratizing power like the 1970s PC revolution because it breaks gatekeeping by closed labs, while some criticize the greed and arrogance of Anthropic and OpenAI.
Pos
66.9%
Neg
33.1%
18 comments with sentiment.
Cluster Engagement
Digg Deeper
No Digg Deeper questions have been answered for this story yet.
Related links
Posts from X
Most Activity
Most Activity
VIEWS20.8KBOOKMARKS44LIKES178RETWEETS23REPLIES17
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
Just like with AI today the arrogance of Anthropic (IBM) and OpenAI (DEC) mirrors the arrogance of the computer giants.
They would not even call what we soldered toys, that would come with the Apple Ii.
Today the Dario’s and Sam’s of the world laugh at us with our open source models and mods they never thought of.
It is not a guess where AI will go after they are done with fear games and government manipulation.
We have the fire.
When they are gone we will keep the place warm for you…
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
http://x.com/i/article/2069608056946933761
4hViews 20.8KLikes 178Bookmarks 44
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
The computer was once only the province of high priests. They are trying to it again with AI.
We took the fire from the Prometheus gods of computers and we made it our own.
We took the fire from the Prometheus gods of AI and we made it our own.
We ain’t asking.
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
http://x.com/i/article/2069608056946933761
4hViews 11.2KLikes 114Bookmarks 14
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
When I saw this on the magazine stand in 1974, my life up to now and beyond flashed before my eyes.
It is the first moment I truly believed I can build a computer and ask no permissions.
It save me (or ruined me) all these decades.
I remember going back to school that fall with that magazine rolled up in my pocket like a nerd badge of honor.
“A computer, that I can make”
I got to know the TTL and CPU, RAM, ROM like my name I still know the traces.
Today I know the common crawl and the pile like I knew those schematics. I know parts of base AI models no builder of large AI cares to think about.
I blast out junk here regularly on what I know, like curated High Protein Training Data matters and go about saving what they see as valueless.
A few switches went off on me the last few days that had me thinking hard.
OpenAI is is more trouble than I thought, and Anthropic trouble is big already.
They are blowing it. And it sucks because it doesn’t need to be this way.
The leaked OpenAI financials has an item that is the tell:
Total spent on Sales and Marketing (the line item covering advertising and marketing costs) across the two years in the leaked financials: ~$6.84 billion.
Breakdown: • 2024: $1.11 billion • 2025: $5.73 billion • Combined (2024 + 2025): $6.84 billion
Yes they spent at THE HEIGHT OF BRAND RECOGNITION;
$6.84 billion dollars.
It is insane no matter what MBA dance one does. It is a big issue for AI and the US.
It is a big issue for all of us indirectly.
The odds against them is now tilted in my mind.
Understand I have issue with the way these two companies are run and short term of course they succeeded mid term this is not going to be the case.
I don’t want to se any US AI company fail.
I go back to the ride I have been blessed to have and think of this moment and want to find hope for them both.
There are ways to navigate what river they are on, some of us know it. No “mature MBA” will navigate it.
I will remain in hope.
I will also know the open source community these companies laugh at could save their butt.
They just don’t think they need one.
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
Just like with AI today the arrogance of Anthropic (IBM) and OpenAI (DEC) mirrors the arrogance of the computer giants.
They would not even call what we soldered toys, that would come with the Apple Ii.
Today the Dario’s and Sam’s of the world laugh at us with our open source models and mods they never thought of.
It is not a guess where AI will go after they are done with fear games and government manipulation.
We have the fire.
When they are gone we will keep the place warm for you…
3hViews 9KLikes 46Bookmarks 7
Jonathan Hall 🌌@DrJMMHall
Just like with personal computers, the real power and innovation will come from personalised, sovereign AI that individuals and organisations actually own and control. When models can run locally, fine-tune on your own data, and stay private by default, the arrogance of the big closed players starts to look like a temporary phase, not the end state.
4hViews 33Likes 2Bookmarks 1
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
@JasonMatozzo Jason, I got ya. Look up my work in Cryptochrome. I have to wait to be thr Quantum Computer Grifter can’t freak folks out too much.
4hViews 161Likes 3
Robert Scoble@Scobleizer
@BrianRoemmele There are some weird garages up in Idaho, by the way. Right on.
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
Just like with AI today the arrogance of Anthropic (IBM) and OpenAI (DEC) mirrors the arrogance of the computer giants.
They would not even call what we soldered toys, that would come with the Apple Ii.
Today the Dario’s and Sam’s of the world laugh at us with our open source models and mods they never thought of.
It is not a guess where AI will go after they are done with fear games and government manipulation.
We have the fire.
When they are gone we will keep the place warm for you…
3hViews 679Likes 5Bookmarks 0
Jason@JasonMatozzo
@BrianRoemmele we may win with AI, however a quantum computer may be more difficult
4hViews 29Likes 3
Jackson C@CJackson26740
@BrianRoemmele but who is our Intel to give us fuel? these has to be a giant we stand on the shoulders of
4hViews 39Likes 1
Peter Hanse@PeterKHanse
@BrianRoemmele What marketing has open AI done? I have never seen any ads
3hViews 13Likes 1
E__Strobel@E__Strobel
@BrianRoemmele Man, did I ever lust after those Altair & IMSAI boxes!
4hViews 47Likes 3
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
@PeterKHanse Peter, same!
3hViews 136Likes 2
PanOptimist@FarNorthwind
@BrianRoemmele AGI might even emerge from a garage builder first.
3hViews 1Likes 1
Brian Roemmele@BrianRoemmele
@CJackson26740 There are a few. Fortunately SpaceX and unfortunately China. It’s what we got until the arrogance is gone.
4hViews 142Likes 1
Justin Gedge@GedgeJustin
@BrianRoemmele Even 20+ years back. The GNU world was considered a toy, but most corporate environments had a tool tree with the GNU core utils installed because they were better than what shipped with commercial UNIX.
Today- part of every Linux distribution. Others?... lost to time.
4hViews 41Likes 2
David Lewis@myfoolishness
As a young teen, I couldn’t afford any of those kits. But I did buy each of those magazines. I savoured over every issue, imagining what I could do with those marvellous machines.
A few years later, I was able to scrape together enough money to buy an Ohio Scientific SBC. No case or power supply. Had to make them. Same with the RF modulator. Fun times.
2hViews 34Likes 2
🌙@Alexrb111
@BrianRoemmele @VincentCrypt46 on the same wave today. Open source for the win. 🙏
4hViews 23Likes 2
Ithaca Pengu 🐧✳️@IthacaNFT
@BrianRoemmele The Priests of the Temples of Syrinx?
(🎶Their great computers fill their hallowed halls🎶)
2hViews 17Likes 2
Gator Stephens the Pilot of the 4 Winds@pilot_winds
@BrianRoemmele As smart as they are they won’t be joining us in the evolution. They is no room for their kind of blind certainty in the awakened realm.
3hViews 14Likes 2
Meat Axe@MeatAxe4517
@BrianRoemmele I downloaded the 258GB GLM 5.2 and stored it on my terabyte drive JUST IN CASE I am ever able to afford the hardware to actually run in. Stack 'em while we can.....
4hViews 38Likes 1
Sierra White@white_sier3790
@BrianRoemmele With any and all tech breakthroughs, greed, corruption, manipulation and deception caused it to be less than what it could/should have been. Same peeps. Same outcomes. Disheartening. Observe mode activated.
4hViews 29Likes 1
Load more posts