There's a famous scene in The Wizard of Oz where, in the midst of one of the Wizard's booming tirades, Toto pulls back a curtain to reveal the Wizard is really only a man talking into a microphone.
Going to Silicon Valley and seeing the Apple, Facebook, or Google corporate headquarters has much of this same effect. On our devices, they're omnipotent beings with complete control of our digital lives and practically complete knowledge of our non-digital lives. But then you go to the Googleplex or Apple Park and realize, despite the offices looking really cool, Facebook and Google and Apple are each really just a bunch of smart people huddled under a roof trying to get through the work day like the rest of us. Much like how "the cloud" sounds crazy futuristic until you remember it's just a server somewhere in Nevada, Big Tech sounds all-powerful until you remember it's just a bunch of people chilling in an office park with complimentary orange juice.
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