An ex-programmer’s devastating take on AI data centers is going viral — and it’s hard to ignore

• A former programmer’s anti-data-center speech is going viral because it cuts through AI hype and focuses on local costs
• Ohio has become a hotspot for backlash over data centers, with concerns over power, water, land use, and tax breaks
• The bigger question is whether communities are being asked to sacrifice too much for too little in return

It’s not every day that a city council planning meeting goes viral, but a recent session in Ravenna, Ohio, has done exactly that.

The reason is a speech by ex-programmer, Mr. Hollingsworth, who delivers one of the cleanest and most articulate arguments yet against the construction of a massive AI data center.

The clip has racked up 49 thousand likes on Reddit, with one user commenting, “God Damn that was good. Seriously this should be used as a script in every county these corporations are hustling.”

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