When it comes to selling Americans on the data centers needed to win the AI race, Silicon Valley has a message problem—and it’s making things worse, according to a new commentary in The Federalist.
The piece, written by a former almond farmer from Bakersfield, argues that tech elites have responded to legitimate local concerns with a dismissive “we know better” attitude, fueling resentment in communities asked to host massive facilities. The author, who grew up questioning outsiders who made big promises about water and electricity, says rural Americans have been burned by investors for generations—and the tech industry’s current approach isn’t helping.
Blaming China Backfires
Instead of engaging with real skepticism, the industry has pointed to X’s disclosure of roughly 200,000 suspected Chinese fake accounts—including about 200 that pushed messages about data centers and power prices—as proof that opposition to the projects is manufactured. But the Federalist piece calls that conclusion “stupid and ignorant,” arguing that China didn’t create the anger; it simply exploited an open wound.
“Tech elites have done a terrible job speaking to their own country,” the author writes. The real issues on the ground, the piece says, are concrete: rising power bills, water usage, and whether jobs will survive after construction ends.
Conservative Base Isn’t the Problem
The piece notes that a new advocacy group backed by Republican operatives is planning a campaign to promote data centers in battleground states. But the author, who has Washington experience, predicts the result: polling, tested language, and a tone-deaf ad buy.
That approach misreads the room, the piece argues. President Trump is right that falling behind on AI is an economic threat, and the right project can bring investment, jobs, and tax revenue. But when Trump warned that towns rejecting data centers could end up “backwards and poor,” even some of his own supporters balked. Vice President Vance filled in the other half of the argument later that day: most opposition comes from places where these projects mean higher utility prices, and a data center should put “power back into the grid, not taking it out.”
The Federalist piece says these positions aren’t in conflict. America needs to build, but the companies profiting should pay their own way.
What Tech Should Do Instead
The commentary offers a concrete alternative: listen before building. That means sitting down with mayors, utility companies, school boards, fire chiefs, and neighbors before a shovel hits the ground—not for a performative listening session, but for genuine collaboration with real commitments.
Power concerns must be addressed first. The piece suggests companies should bring new generation onto the grid, pay for transmission and backup capacity, and ensure families aren’t left with higher bills. Water concerns need realistic plans that transparently explain usage, sourcing, and drought contingencies. If the math only works when local families absorb cost or risk, the project doesn’t work.
To earn lasting trust, the author recommends investing in community assets that outlast any single technology cycle: hiring locally, building apprenticeships with community colleges, and supporting schools, fire departments, and even a local baseball team. Those promises should be codified in a community agreement with public milestones, so residents can see whether the company kept its word.
“Learning what a town values and helping preserve it is how an outside company becomes part of a community instead of treating it like a cheap plot of land attached to a power line,” the piece states.
A Simple Lesson
The Federalist piece concludes that Americans understand the need to build to win the AI race. But that shouldn’t mean carrying the cost while someone else collects the upside—and it certainly doesn’t justify calling questioners ignorant or unpatriotic.
“For all the intelligence driving the AI race,” the author writes, “that simple lesson is still completely beyond comprehension for those leading the charge.”
Source: thefederalist.com — https://thefederalist.com/2026/09/02/tech-firms-brought-data-center-hate-upon-themselves-heres-what-they-should-do-instead/