Sygma Dynamics
Be greater.
Common Name
Sygma, Sig Boys, Big Sig, etc.
Origins
Sygma Dynamics started out in 2000, in the garage of self-taught coder Jason Greenham and Stanford computer scientist Roy Birch, both recently laid off from their Silicon Valley Jobs as a result of the dot-com bubble. The pair both had a vision of a more "connected" future, and as such decided to invest most of their time into developing a rudimentary form of artificial intelligence, codenamed EPSILON (an abbreviation of a phrase that to this day remains secret). Using parts of EPSILON's code, they engaged with companies like Google, Facebook, Intel and many other tech companies, solidifying Sygma as a well-known and reliable contractor in Silicon Valley (and in the process feeding it with the many "borrowed" algorithms from their clients to feed into EPSILON).
As the invasion of Libya commenced in 2012, Jason's father alerted him to a contract opportunity in Washington DC - the US military was looking to beef up their unmanned drone program, and Sygma's work seemed the right fit to do it. It was so that Sygma Dynamics quietly entered the roster of the many corporations supporting the US military-industrial complex. At first, Sygma provided surveillance and targeting technology to to unmanned drones. Then, possibly through an act of what some would call industrial espionage, they began manufacturing their own drones. Then, as the US entered the Yemeni Civil War, they expanded into other parts of military technology, developing cruise missiles, smart targeting firearm scopes, and stealth aircraft, eventually culminating in them introducing several prototypes of EPSILON into US military software servers.
But when the 2020s arrived and the world slowly began to fall apart, the US citizenry were among the first to disintegrate. As riots began to break out all across the country from Boston to Seattle, Sygma drones tased protesters, Sygma batons shattered rioters' skulls, and Sygma bullets tore through secessionist after secessionist. But as the world sunk deeper into chaos, even Sygma's founders weren't safe - Jason was killed in a dirty bomb planted in Sygma's New York offices. As a last-ditch resort to save the floundering US military and partially as an attempt at a farewell of sorts, Roy released the fullest iteration of EPSILON to a panicked group of US generals, who proceeded to give it almost full reign over the USA's burgeoning assets. In the span of a little more over a decade, EPSILON coordinated evacuation efforts from a nuke-scourged American east, reassembled what was left of a despondent US military, and assisted in the creation of an entirely new American society in the West Coast.
Over the year, the creation of the Western Pacific Economic Zone was built almost entirely around the direction of EPSILON, who was firmly under the direction of Roy Birch. Efforts to assassinate Roy or seize EPSILON from him proved futile, as Jason and Roy designed it so that EPSILON would only answer to individuals directly related to Jason or Roy by blood. As the world began to piece itself back together, EPSILON ensured that Sygma's assets would restore North America to the place of innovation and progress it was once before - without the petty self-centeredness and violence that caused the death of one of its creators.
Leadership
Sygma is one of the leading supervisory bodies of the Western Pacific Economic Zone, an autonomous territory encompassing most of the former West Coast of the United States. Officially, the WPEZ government sticks as closely as it can to the principles of the former US Constitution, complete with an executive Governor-General, Congress, and even a Supreme Court of sorts. In reality, the workings of government are almost entirely controlled by Sygma’s subsidiaries, a reality that quite a few people realize but are mostly too busy eking out a living to care. The sessions of WPEZ’s Congress serve mostly as to rubber-stamp Sygma’s crushing monopoly over resource distribution in the zone. To prevent any real political opposition from rising up, Sygma has banned the formation of political parties, citing the former partisan turmoil that afflicted the former US government.
A defining feature of the WPEZ is that much of its inner governance is controlled by EPSILON, Sygma’s master AI. It is specifically designed to automate all sorts of governmental processes, from traffic tickets to Supreme Court decisions. Every single thing committed by every single citizen is uploaded onto EPSILON’s servers. It knows your blood type, your dietary habits, your IQ, and even how many sexual partners you’ve had. But people don’t really complain as this information helps EPSILON make the best decisions for the citizens of the WPEZ, ranging from helping young people choose vocational courses to identifying water shortages in certain areas. There are rumors that EPSILON is well on its way to becoming truly sentient, though Sygma has categorically denied this and assures that EPSILON is fully under the control of the WPEZ government.
Major Industries/Brands/Subsidiaries
Artificial Intelligence (main) - Sygma’s pride and joy is its specializations in AI that can be modified for virtually any purpose, from managing a household to assisting fighter jet pilots to running entire countries. Many megacorps around the world run Sygma’s code in their own servers.
Robotics (military and industry) - Before the Great Collapse, Sygma produced thousands of units of unmanned drones and combat robots for the US military, as well as many other models for commercial purposes. The most direct manual labor in Sygma’s factories is almost fully automated, with most bottom-of-the-barrel jobs being simply to maintain said robotic systems.
Nanotechnology - Sygma has produced thousands of kinds of nanochip models, most notably for the fields of medicine and warfare.
Augmented reality systems - Sygma's subsidiaries are trailblazers in AR and VR experiences worldwide, working in the fields of esports, commerce, entertainment, and even sex work in some places.
Company Culture
In its company letter to new employees, Sygma posits one main company vision supposedly inspired by the great thinkers of old: “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” As in its name, Sygma prizes the mentality of being part of the greater sum or collective, being able to adjust your personal needs to that of the greater good. Sygma’s educational system regularly vilifies the individualistic, selfish nature that was part and parcel of American life before the Collapse. With the rise of automation, Sygma has accommodated and even encouraged the pursuits of art and expression - provided, of course, they express the greater benefits of being part of the whole. Sygma itself claims to be greater than a corporation - it is a guiding force for good that all Americans are to follow, lest they fall back into the old selfish ways.
Security Detail
ECHELON Security, Sygma’s former contractors tasked with protecting its assets in the Middle East, has entered into an indefinite contract with the WPEZ to provide military and law enforcement capabilities for the region. More than 60% of ECHELON’s assets are automated - the majority of the daily patrol duties of law enforcement are done by security drones, for example, while more elite squads consist of 4 to 6 humanoid combat robots managed by a human “controller”. While allowing for a vastly more efficient armed response capability compared to the armed forces of other megacorps, ECHELON does encounter the occasional rogue hacker able to seize the occasional security drone or two. Such instances, of course, are ended with extreme prejudice.
RisingSun