Carter began Unsafe Space as a podcast in March 2016 after witnessing mainstream Silicon Valley culture succumb to the necrosis of “progressive” authoritarianism in a manner reminiscent of Herbert Marcuse’s “Repressive Tolerance.” Prior to Unsafe Space, Carter built and ran business accelerators for early stage startups in Silicon Valley and around the world. As an angel investor, advisor, and board member, he has had the opportunity to help hundreds of founders. He began his career in the mid 1990s as a cryptographic engineer in the defense industry, where he held a TS/SCI clearance. Soon thereafter, his disillusionment with the deep state led him into the private sector, where he found success in the startup world building smart card-based conditional access systems and anti-piracy technology. His love of entrepreneurship since led him into a variety of industries, including music technology, sex toys, and cannabis. Some have called it a midlife crisis, but probably just because they’re jealous.
Although his career interests have been multifarious, Carter has been an advocate for the Enlightenment ideas of reason and individualism for over twenty years—well before it became “cool.” It’s cool now, right? He first began writing for and editing Capitalism Magazine in 2001 and occasionally still writes, although his primary focus is now Unsafe Space. Carter was also an active supporter of the Ayn Rand Institute for many years and remains grateful to her for her contributions to philosophy in general, and epistemology and ethics in particular. He currently lives in the Bay Area with his very patient wife and two spirited daughters. Yes, he knows he needs to leave California and give America a try. He’s working on it.
