[pushcx]

This isn't elaborated on in the piece, but it does mention that it's written in the context of the Fermi paradox. Adding 50,000 years of technological development and a 1,000 year rebooting phase at each star system doesn't meaningfully change how long it would take life to spread when considered against the 13,500,000,000 years since stars developed.

[simiones]

Why 50,000 years of technological development and not 50 billion?

[pushcx]

I timed it a few times.