Comment by overfeed
12 hours ago
Unless the surveillance is total and the technology flawless and unbreakable, this scheme is a bet against human ingenuity, and can be neutralized given enough time, creativity or unforeseen loopholes. Off the top of my head, a conspiracy among the help to act as a mutual dead man's switch will stale-mate explosive collars: if one conspirator is killed, junior will get dispatched by an unnamed co-conspirator.
there is no absolute system. Even in today's world military and cops can turn against government any moment as other commenter said. In some cases system converges to stable state, in some not (endless coups and civil wars). The goal is to have more stable state, with security team to have enough incentives to not challenge leader and enjoy what they have.
> The goal is to have more stable state[...]
The post-apocalyptic stable-state doesn't require a billionaire at the top; without the threat of state violence, I posit that the most stable configuration is the people who control the guns calling the shots. Things will get feudal fast medieval-era food tasters included; explosive collars do nothing against the chef intentionally lacing food with botulism neurotoxins from canned food.
> [...] with security team to have enough incentives to not challenge leader and enjoy what they have.
This is what we have with the current system, underpinned by the "rule of law" - which has seen better days tbh. These billionaires have been cynically chipping away at its foundations without realizing if society falls, they fall with it. In the dystopian fantasy, the nerds in charge have to pacify all their employees all the time, an ambitious or dissatisfied lackey only needs to get lucky once.
Sure, he won't be billionaire anymore, but just one of racers to become warlord. He will have significant advantage: being in bunker, controlling small or large army of drones, and be able to pre-select team base on loyalty. I don't see why he shouldn't prepare and try this scenario.