If you’re someone who has worked in the tech industry (or any industry, really), you’ve probably borne witness to the many ways in which the products you’ve built can be harmful.

Worse still, you’ve probably seen that harm be intentional, often driven by decisions to prioritize profit over people (i.e., someone decides human suffering isn’t worth that much).

I’m not going to list the reasons behind why I think this phenomena occurs, but I believe that it’s enabled the most by one variable we can change:

Corporate hierarchy

In the current meta where executives and majority share holders rule with little accountability (often paying fines rather than facing any real consequences), it’s difficult for ICs to do much to meaningfully influence company direction beyond resigning (something which is generally regarded as a bad idea in the current job market). Some triumph and occasionally manage to steer the ship away from the icebergs, but many others are forced to watch powerlessly as Leonardo DiCaprio freezes to death in the North Atlantic.

Network effects and lack of competition (due to ineffective and previously unenforced US antitrust law) make it difficult for consumers to vote with their wallets.

Over-representation of psychopathic traits in leadership roles means that the people who are in charge of making these decisions are more often less empathetic, i.e, assign a lower cost to human suffering or a higher value to risk/profit. Naturally, this leads to larger amounts of suffering than there might be with more empathetic decision makers. Maximizing profit at any cost eventually leads to a pretty large tab for society to pay.

Even with the best of intentions, the pressure to perform, meet targets, or satisfy fiduciary duties can lead to decisions that prioritize local profits over global well-being.

The plan

Abolish the hierarchy.

Or, at least, the artificial kind that exists in most companies today.

Create flatter and more interestingly-shaped organizations to add checks and balances on power. Build a community where every member has a voice, and where decisions are made collaboratively rather than top-down.

Let experts in their fields make decisions they’re best equipped to make.

Be transparent. Be accountable.

Don’t be evil.

Stay tuned,

- ezdev