In the year 2000, Sun Microsystems cofounder Bill Joy wrote an essay provocatively titled “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us.” Despite being published April 1, it was no joke; and despite its 11,000-word length, it would go viral. The reason why was encapsulated in its subhead. To wit:“Our most powerful 21st-century technologies — robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech — are threatening to make humans an endangered species.”