Says M.G. Siegler, Google Ventures General Partner
There’s something that has been in the back of my mind for some time now. And while it pre-dates the Facebook fiasco, that situation certainly brings it to the forefront. Increasingly, it feels like people in our industry, the tech industry, are losing touch with reality.
Source: Arrogance Peaks in Silicon Valley – 500ish Words
I earned an MBA in mid-life. Prior to that I was a software engineer and software project manager. Up until then, everything in life was in need of a high tech solution – because, as you’ve heard, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Every where I looked I saw opportunities for more tech and more software. Earning the MBA broadened my perspective to see more opportunities that did not require more tech to make life better. I suspect my brain was wired much the same as everyone else drunk on tech.
We see this phenomena today when, in response to nearly every question about Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg responds with “More artificial intelligence will solve this!” It won’t solve it, but it sounds good to people in tech.
When techies sort of realize that they collect a lot of personal data and privacy might be an issue, they collectively decide that privacy no longer matters. Really?
They seem oblivious – to the point of not caring – about the dangerous and reckless way their technology is used to wreak havoc on the world around us. This is the problem that M.G. Siegler is writing about in his blog post.
