# Azeem Azhar argues data center backlash can win community benefits for voters

> Original title: 🔮 Don’t waste a good backlash

- Source: Exponential View
- Published: 2026-11-06T12:11:39.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/ag7nfnkt7p0lvhp90ya8h228l
- Original: https://www.exponentialview.co/p/dont-waste-a-good-backlash

## Summary

Azeem Azhar argues the voter pushback against data centers, which passed 43 of 44 local measures, should be turned into lasting community benefits rather than a reason to stop building. He compares a DataVita deal in Lanarkshire, Scotland, paying up to $100,000 per megawatt per year, with an Oracle New Mexico package he calls far less generous. He estimates data centers create about 16 to 20 permanent jobs per billion dollars invested.