Tech elite stuck in the desert at rained-out Burning Man

Burning Man 2023 wasn’t a party. Image created with Midjourney.

I had a very different opening to my newsletter in mind, but the fact that the tech elite is stuck in the desert mud with their private jets at Burning Man is too much news for me to ignore. As one Burner sums it up in this sad video: Burning Man 2023 is screwed. In other news: OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, is on its way to $1 billion in revenue.

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Burning Man is the Coachella for the tech industry

When I was a student at San Francisco State University deep in the last century, I regularly rode my scooter from campus back home past Baker Beach and China Beach. Campfires were often lit there by homeless people, hippies or groups of hipsters. It was the first time I realized that their clothing was so similar that even up close I could not tell the difference between “hipsters or homeless.”

One such beach party got so out of hand that it was banned in the early 1990s and moved to the Nevada desert. Here the concept of the “Temporary Autonomous Zone” was realized — a city built from the ground up, where the usual social norms and commercial transactions were suspended in favor of a “gift economy.” Sounds wonderful.

Burning Man has grown considerably over the years, attracting more than 70,000 participants from around the world in recent editions. In recent years, the area has grown into a veritable Black Rock City, a temporary city built for the event, designed as a series of concentric circles centered on “The Man,” a large wooden effigy that is burned at the end of the festival. The city also features themed camps, art installations, workshops and a series of performances.

What Coachella is to the Los Angeles entertainment industry, Burning Man became to the Silicon Valley tech industry: a few hours’ drive to a long weekend of escapism in the desert. This is what it looked like from the air earlier this week.

I’ve never been to Burning Man because I don’t like the combination of fine sand, short showers and large groups of mostly drugged people who like to hug. But everyone I know who’s been there had a fantastic time and so I’m as much a fan of Burning Man as I am of moon landings: I don’t quite get it and gladly don’t participate in it, but from a distance I enjoy seeing so many people having fun.

Alternative protest against formerly alternative festival

Rapid growth has drawn criticism for its environmental impact. Building a temporary city of 80,000 people in the desert is actually bad for the planet, Vox reported Wednesday as climate activists headed down the road toward Burning Man:

All things told, each Burning Man generates about 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide. That’s more than about 22,000 gas-powered cars produce in a year. What started out as a gathering on a beach in San Francisco has grown into a destination for celebrities and the ultra rich, **especially tech billionaires. That’s why private jets [have become an issue](https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-one-percent-ultra-wealthy-private-jet-personal-chef-2019-8). There are now [fancy camps](https://www.vox.com/2014/8/29/11630400/k-street-black-rock-burning-mans-billionaires-row), meals prepared by private chefs, and VIP parties. Bear in mind, all of this is built just for the weeklong festival at the end of the summer, and it all has to be disassembled and taken away after. One of the founding principles of Burning Man is “leave no trace,” but even the event’s organizers [were stunned](https://journal.burningman.org/2023/03/black-rock-city/leaving-no-trace/2022-moop-maps/)** by how much trash got left behind in the desert last year. — Vox

On Monday, a small group of climate protesters parked a 2.5-meter trailer across the road, causing miles of congestion for participants on their way to Burning Man. The protesters demanded a ban on the use of private planes, single-use plastics, unnecessary propane burning and unlimited generator use.

The protest ended when a ranger rammed through the blockade with his pickup truck and, with weapon drawn, worked a woman to the ground. Looking at these images, my thoughts wandered to those fire making hippies on Baker Beach in San Francisco; how could something so relaxed and joyous get so out of control? What once began as counterculture has become mainstream, then a new counterculture emerges to protest it. It is tiring because of its predictability.

Chris Rock leaves Burning Man hitchhiking in the back of a pickup truck. Image; @erichamiilton

Chris Rock and Diplo are out

So the vibe wasn’t there from the start, but the situation worsened when the festival grounds were closed yesterday due to heavy rain by organizers, who called for conservation of water, food and fuel. Participants may be stuck for days as vehicles are stuck in the desert that has turned to mud.

A number of participants then decided to leave the site, on which a dead person had since been found, on foot. The famous angel investor Gil Penchina walked 8 miles through the mud until he could score a ride. Dj Diplo absolutely did not want to miss a gig last night and also went for a walk, only he was lucky enough to do so in the company of Chris Rock, who confessed to also having once started out as a DJ.

Rock sighed to Diplo, hitchhiking in an open pickup truck, “If I would have known DJs would ever make money, I would have never told a joke. Brazilian DJ Lukas Ruiz, better known as Vintage Culture, is still stuck in the desert and canceled several gigs via Instagram. The organization has since launched a “Wet Playa Survival Guide. The mix of celebrities, heavy rain and a photogenic desert is irresistible to the media, so for the next 48 hours Burning Man will dominate the news.

You are reading the web version of my free weekly newsletter about the technological, economic and social events that define our lives. You can subscribe for free here to receive the newsletter in your mailbox every Sunday.