The Good In Technology
Over the past two decades, technology companies have ridden a wave of trust and goodwill.
Over the past two decades, technology companies have ridden a wave of trust and goodwill.
Amazon as the earthās most customer-centric company.
Google, promising donāt be evil, and giving away products of extraordinary valueāāāemail, maps, browsers, calendars, video streaming, photos, storage, translation tools, video conferencingāāāfor free.
And Facebook, a fun place to stay in touch with all your friends.
Clearly though, most people reading those descriptions will feel a pang of cynicism. Tech companies are no longer just for the good.
People have realised that, as Bill Gates describes it, innovation is no longer perceived as an āunalloyed way to improve the human conditionā.
People realise that just as technology can inspire the Arab Spring, so too it can be the platform for spreading fake news
We are even starting to see this anti-tech sentiment bubble up to sober places like The Economist.
The Australian technology sector has largely avoided this distrust, but itās clear that anti-tech sentiment is coming.
Because #startupaus is such a small community of people, there is still a chance for us to get ahead of this turning narrative tide and spend more time:
Sharing more widely the good that the community is doing.
Taking on more responsibility as a community for the negative impacts technological change brings.
If Australia is going to be a wonderful place to found a technology company, we would be wise to ensure we preserve a supportive environment for those brave enough to make the jump.
My personal experience of the Australian startup community is that it is an overwhelmingly benevolent and supportive place.
Here are some of the positive initiatives (small and large) that Iām aware of.
Atlassianās Pledge 1%
Airtreeās Open-Source Australian Investor Directory
AVCALās Open Source Funding Documents
Blackbird & Reinventureās Internship for Women VCs
Google funding places for 250 high-school girls to attend The Sunrise conference
Koala donating more than $500,000 to environmental charities.
Open and honest dialogue about founder mental health amongst startup leaders.
Peter Huynhās Mentorship in Mindfulness.
The Disruptors Handbook hackathonsāāāhelping the homeless, addressing domestic violence
If I missed any, please share them in the comments.