Silicon Valley’s tech elite have found a new obsession, and it’s not the latest startup or gadget. Dennis E. Taylor’s sci-fi novel “We Are Legion (We Are Bob)” has captured the imagination of some of the tech world’s most influential leaders, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.

The book, published a decade ago, tells a wild story about Bob Johansson, a software entrepreneur whose consciousness is uploaded into an AI after his unexpected death. Set in a dystopian 2133, the narrative explores themes of artificial intelligence, space exploration, and the potential future of human consciousness.

Benioff couldn’t help but rave about the book during a recent earnings call, describing it as “a phenomenon in Silicon Valley”. Altman has been tweeting about it, while Hoffman has been personally distributing copies to friends in the tech community.

What makes this novel so compelling to these tech leaders? It delves into cutting-edge concepts like artificial general intelligence, digitized consciousness, and self-replicating spacecraft - technologies that are increasingly becoming less science fiction and more potential reality.

Taylor, a retired Canadian programmer, was surprised to learn about his book’s newfound popularity. He wrote the novel as a passion project, exploring then-outlandish technologies that are now subjects of serious discussion in tech circles.

Interestingly, the book isn’t just a technological fantasy. It raises profound philosophical questions about AI, consciousness, and the nature of existence. Taylor himself remains cautiously optimistic about technological advancement, noting, “I’m a techno-optimist. I’m just not all that optimistic about people”.

The novel’s resonance comes at a time when AI is rapidly transforming our world, with growing concerns about its environmental impact and potential societal implications. AI already represents up to 20% of global data-center power demand, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable technological development.

As tech leaders continue to be fascinated by Taylor’s speculative fiction, “We Are Legion” serves as both an entertaining narrative and a thought-provoking exploration of our potential technological future.