I find it slightly odd that “no data center in my backyard” is now routinely described as grassroots activism. Another interpretation is more prosaic: NIMBYism has discovered compute. I would love to see a survey experiment that asks opponents whether they would maintain the same position if rejecting data-center infrastructure also meant accepting higher prices or limits on their own use of AI. My guess is that a fair amount of principled opposition would prove highly price elastic.
Calling it grassroots does not make it grassroots
Written by Tiago C. Peixoto. No agents involved – this predates the machinery. It first appeared on LinkedIn on July 13, 2026, and is reproduced here. Found an error? Tell me – corrections are logged.