Mining is an afterthought for investors. But without mining, Big Tech wouldn’t exist. It’s like watching a Michelin-starred chef get all the glory for serving a meal while the farmer growing the ingredients gets ignored. The tech industry attracts investors with shiny apps and gadgets, while mining, the industry literally making all that innovation possible, remains an afterthought. Having spent most of my career consulting for software and tech companies, stepping into mining was like stepping into a time warp. Don’t get me wrong, the industry is critical. Without it, there’d be no iPhones, no EVs, and no cloud servers. But it feels like mining is stuck in an endless cycle of outdated practices. Numbers never lie. At the start of 2023, the combined market value of the top 50 mining companies was $1.39 trillion. That’s barely a third of Apple’s valuation, even after Apple shed nearly $750 billion in a single year. Think about that for a second. One tech company losing value still dwarfs the entire mining industry’s top players. Investors throw cash at virtual assets while undervaluing the raw materials that make the digital economy even possible. Mining’s problem? It’s boring. From where I’m sitting, the issue isn’t mining’s importance. It’s that mining just isn’t sexy to investors. Tech has mastered the art of storytelling. Mining, on the other hand, markets itself like a grumpy old man yelling at clouds. No one cares how critical copper is for electrification when all they see are trucks hauling dirt. So we have a massive disconnect. We’re pouring money into NFTs and social media startups while neglecting the industries needed to sustain a green future. The market capitalization of entities like META says to us that there’s more than enough capital. The money exists. It’s just going into cat videos and dopamine hits instead of sustainable infrastructure. Mining needs to start thinking like Big Tech. It could adopt marketing practices from Silicon Valley: transparency, bold sustainability goals, and investor pitches that focus on long-term value. Right now I work with several tech projects that aim to modernize different sides of the mining industry, from operational efficiency to capital investment. Some progress has been made. But let’s be honest: these changes won’t be enough if mining doesn’t fundamentally shift how it’s perceived.