The level of self-hatred in your post is astounding.
You seem to identify the problem as a lack of empathy on the part of "we, techies". You should speak for yourself on that one, as I (and probably most others here) feel no sense of belonging to your "we, techies". For many here, technology is the means by which we express our empathy: what is a startup if not a recognition of and solution to a human problem.
1. I don't see anyone here claiming to be a Randian hero or that we live in a simple society, quite the opposite. It seems to be you claiming that "youth unemployment" and other "social issues" are (simply) our fault and things that we can fix on our own.
2. For all the hate that AirBnB is getting (both in the article and this comment thread), it has provided income, housing and friendships to countless unemployed youth, many of whom lack the credit to sign a lease. Countless more have been able to keep their homes because of AirBnB. In response to Hurricane Sandy, AirBnB did this: https://www.airbnb.com/sandy (wow, corporate profits and social good going hand in hand, who'd have thought).
Perhaps they should pay the hotel tax in some jurisdictions, perhaps they would do better to comply with some regulations (most of which were intended for commercial properties, not a guy renting out his extra room to make rent). But lets not overlook the overwhelming good that AirBnB has done for so many, including myself.
3. One constant in this community (hacker news) has been the promotion of a free internet where users are in charge. The techcrunch article you say "we" deny implicitly suggests limits on the freedom of the internet: it's anti-bitcoin, anti-sharing economy etc. These are things made possible only by a free internet, which is threatened (mostly) not by our industry but by telecoms, hollywood & by extension the government.
4. Technology is not some trifling thing that is "created" by recent public or private financing. It's the legacy of over a million years of cultural evolution from before we were even a species. If anything, we owe it to our ancestors to continue the great human experiment, to keep learning about our environment (science) and how to control it (technology) to create better lives for ourselves and those who follow us (social development).
5. Yes, many of us (including myself), believe the free market is a important tool to achieve this* . Other ways we contribute are furthering Science, Art and Sport. Yet another tool is voluntary charity. And yes, another is political action through the government.
* It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest - Adam Smith