[antonvs]

The explanation is much the same as for Peter Thiel’s ravings about the antichrist: there is no plausible explanation. The truth value of the claim is irrelevant, but it’s intended to influence a particular audience. Same goes for much of what Trump says.

[graemep]

You might be right, but I think it likely he genuinely thinks like this. He says a lot of similar things to small audiences and he is fairly consistent, and it aligns with a lot of tech billionaire thinking in general.

[antonvs]

I don't doubt that he's a genuine, dyed in the wool misogynist, but it's hard to believe that he genuinely thinks that these technologies will somehow inevitably "increase the economic power of vocationally trained, working-class, often male, working-class voters." At least, I can't think of any plausible scenario where that would happen. The only way it would happen is politically, i.e. redistribute wealth to them (which he almost certainly is not in favor of.)

That "working-class friend" aspect is just classic billionaire misdirection designed to exploit bigotry. Why do "highly educated, often female voters" come in for particular attention, given that Karp himself is highly educated (Ph.D. in neoclassical social theory!) and extremely wealthy (net worth ~$15 billion)? By all rights the working class should be much more concerned about Karp and his ilk than educated women.

You don't generally get to be a billionaire by blurting out your true innermost thoughts everywhere. Consistently positioning himself and his company's technology as a friend of the working class (hard to say that with a straight face) can give political influence that helps suppress rebellion against his technological ambitions, and even gain active support for it. He wants that working class all saying "surveil me harder daddy!"