I worry about the same things he does and I also lean towards his approach (although I'm not as involved as he is). Think of it like this, if you're worried a certain technological development will change life in ways you do not think are beneficial, isn't the best defense against that to develop that technology yourself before others do, so you not only know exactly what it effectively is capable of as well as being able to shape the way it develops from a technological, legal and narrative perspective?