Steve Mitchell

177 automotive bylines. Former ECD. I write about cars, technology, and the infrastructure nobody thinks about until it fails. Orange County, CA.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released a 42,000-word encyclical calling for the "disarming" of artificial intelligence.

The Church issued prohibitions against unlicensed printing in the 1480s. That effort lasted about 30 years before distribution networks made enforcement impossible.

The institutional playbook for managing a disruptive information technology hasn't changed in six centuries. Only the word count has grown.

https://t.co/liTq7CDMgu

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

The full piece — HiCloud, Natick, the Iran strikes, the moratorium math, and where the two arguments collide: https://t.co/YVg2gheN4L

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

In March, Iran droned two AWS data centers in the UAE. In May, China turned on a commercial underwater data center off Shanghai. The US has 78 active moratoriums on data center construction.

We are losing the infrastructure race at the zoning meeting.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

The communities blocking data centers aren't wrong. The industry lied to them by omission — about water use, power consumption, what happens when the tax incentives expire. That anger is earned.

The problem is the decision being made at the county commission isn't really a zoning question. It's a national security question dressed in zoning language.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

Zero commercial subsea data centers in US waters. China has two. Both running now. Both backed by state entities in a special economic zone the Chinese government has developed aggressively since 2019.

Seven Baltic cables were cut between November 2024 and January 2025. NATO stood up Operation Baltic Sentry in response.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

Zero commercial subsea data centers in US waters. China has two. Both running now. Both backed by state entities in a special economic zone the Chinese government has developed aggressively since 2019.

Seven Baltic cables were cut between November 2024 and January 2025. NATO stood up Operation Baltic Sentry in response.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

Microsoft proved the concept works. Project Natick ran 855 servers off the Orkney Islands for 25 months. Pulled them up. Better performance than land-based equivalents.

They shut it down in June 2024. Hardware cycles were too fast for sealed pods. Fair call. But here's what that left behind:

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

China's HiCloud: 35 meters underwater, 24 megawatts, GPU clusters, passive ocean cooling. PUE below 1.15. Google's land-based global average, with hundreds of engineers managing the cooling, is around 1.1.

The full complaint list driving those 78 moratoriums — water, land, heat, visual intrusion — is solved by going underwater.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

Netflix buying Warner Bros. isn’t “bold.” It’s the final stage of an industry that ripped out every guardrail that kept it creative.

Studios once weren’t allowed to own theaters.
Networks once couldn’t make their own primetime shows.
Rules existed to stop exactly this kind of consolidation.

Now Netflix gets the Warner library, the pipeline, the distribution, and the leverage to choke what’s left of theatrical.

Hollywood has consolidated itself into a corner.

My full piece is up now. https://t.co/TN8XJv7gv6

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

Mitsubishi has a new plan. We’ve seen this before. https://t.co/SiJy68BoUC

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

https://t.co/GS70yH6Sxs

Why Can’t California Work Anymore? Check out my latest piece.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

Jaguar Fires Its Ad Agency… After That “Copy Nothing” Trainwreck. Shocking. https://t.co/OMxRGYdvlu via @LinkedIn

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

*”“Just because someone else does something doesn’t always mean it’s right.”

These wise words from my East Texas-born mom resonate with me now more than ever.

Every time I scroll through social media, I’m inundated with self-praise and exaggerated humble-brags from today’s so-called ‘stars.’ The endless parade of flashy cars, luxury vacations, and over-the-top success stories feels increasingly hollow.

But here’s the thing: People are no longer impressed by these superficial displays. They’re seeking something deeper—authenticity, mastery, and trust. They want genuine connections and meaningful insights before investing their time or money.

Are you tired of the hype too? Let’s dive into how embracing authenticity over hype can transform your content strategy.

👉 Read the full article here: https://t.co/Hdoxn9vGzZ

📷

#Authenticity #ContentStrategy #DigitalMarketing #BeReal

What are your thoughts on the current state of social media? Share below!

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

@SpeakerPelosi OMG shut up. It’s not about you.

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

@ElonMNews YES

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

@NCFEF @MantaNetwork This kind of bounty is really innovative

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

@NCFEF @MantaNetwork This kind of bounty is really innovative

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

@NCFEF @MantaNetwork Big things coming Exciting times ahead. Impressive growth potential!

[Steve Mitchell @roadcomet]

@NCFEF @MantaNetwork Well done! Your talent is truly outstanding!