{"id":603107,"date":"2023-12-29T17:49:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T14:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-the-visionaries-of-silicon-valley-mean-profits-are-prioritized-over-true-technological-progress\/"},"modified":"2023-12-29T17:49:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-29T14:49:00","slug":"how-the-visionaries-of-silicon-valley-mean-profits-are-prioritized-over-true-technological-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-the-visionaries-of-silicon-valley-mean-profits-are-prioritized-over-true-technological-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"#How the &#8216;visionaries&#8217; of Silicon Valley mean profits are prioritized over true technological progress"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a502b95df69a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a502b95df69a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-the-visionaries-of-silicon-valley-mean-profits-are-prioritized-over-true-technological-progress\/#Digital_destiny\" >Digital destiny<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2018\/innovation.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2018\/innovation.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2018\/innovation.jpg\" alt=\"innovation\" title=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Technological innovation in the last couple of decades has brought fame and huge wealth to the likes of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Often feted as geniuses, they are the faces behind the gadgets and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> that so many of us depend upon.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    Sometimes they are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/elon-musk-what-are-his-most-recent-controversial-moments-13019651\">controversial<\/a>. Sometimes the level of their influence is <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2023\/05\/03\/pandoras-box-generative-ai-companies-chatgpt-and-human-rights#:~:text=Since%20OpenAI%20released%20ChatGPT%20in,of%20its%20search%20engine%2C%20Bing.\">criticized<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But they also benefit from a common <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2022\/11\/the-myth-of-the-brilliant-charismatic-leader\">mythology<\/a> which elevates their status. That myth is the belief that executive &#8220;visionaries&#8221; leading vast corporations are the engines that power essential breakthroughs too ambitious or futuristic for sluggish public institutions.<\/p>\n<p>For there are many who consider the private sector to be far <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/press.un.org\/en\/2018\/gashc4239.doc.htm\">better equipped<\/a> than the public sector to solve major challenges. We see such <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openai.com\/our-structure\">ideology<\/a> embodied in ventures like OpenAI. This successful company was founded on the premise that while artificial intelligence is too consequential to be left to corporations alone, the public sector is simply incapable of keeping up.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach is linked to a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/political-education-silicon-valley\/\">political philosophy<\/a>, which champions the idea of pioneering entrepreneurs as figureheads who advance civilization through sheer individual brilliance and determination.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            In reality, however, most modern technological building blocks\u2014like <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/elon-musks-spacex-and-tesla-get-far-more-government-mon-1850332884\">car batteries<\/a>, space rockets, the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.scientificamerican.com\/observations\/yes-government-researchers-really-did-invent-the-internet\/\">internet<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/4092375\/how-the-government-created-your-cell-phone\/\">smart phones<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/somd\/space-communications-navigation-program\/gps\/\">GPS<\/a>\u2014emerged from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/mg21929310-200-state-of-innovation-busting-the-private-sector-myth\/\">publicly funded<\/a> research. They were not the inspired work of corporate masters of the universe.<\/p>\n<p>And my work suggests <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomsbury.com\/uk\/ceo-society-9781786990754\/\">a further disconnect<\/a>: that the profit motive seen across Silicon Valley (and beyond) frequently impedes innovation rather than improving it.<\/p>\n<p>For example, attempts to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/corporatewatch.org\/vaccine-capitalism-a-run-down-of-the-huge-profits-being-made-from-covid-19-vaccines\/\">profit from<\/a> the COVID vaccine had a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12992-021-00763-8\">detrimental impact<\/a> on global access to the medicine. Or consider how recent ventures into <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/next\/2022\/10\/13\/elon-musk-spacex-signs-up-first-space-tourist-dennis-tito-starship-flight-around-the-moon\">space tourism<\/a> seem to prioritize experiences for extremely wealthy people over less lucrative but more scientifically valuable missions.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            More broadly, the thirst for profit means intellectual property restrictions <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wipo.int\/edocs\/mdocs\/mdocs\/en\/wipo_ipr_ge_11\/wipo_ipr_ge_11_topic6.pdf\">tend to restrict<\/a> collaboration between (and even within) companies. There is also evidence that short-term <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/rethinking-shareholder-primacy-new-innovation-economy\">shareholder demands<\/a> distort real innovation in favor of financial reward.<\/p>\n<p>Allowing executives focused on profits to set technological agendas can incur public costs too. It&#8217;s expensive dealing with the hazardous low-earth orbit <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/starlink-satellite-conjunction-increase-threatens-space-sustainability\">debris<\/a> caused by space tourism, or the complex regulatory negotiations involved in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eeas.europa.eu\/delegations\/australia\/world%E2%80%99s-first-ai-law-eu-announces-provisional-agreement-ai-act_en\">protecting human rights<\/a> around AI.<\/p>\n<p>So there is a clear tension between the demands of profit and long-term technological progress. And this partly explains why major historical innovations emerged from public sector institutions which are relatively insulated from short-term financial pressures. Market forces alone rarely achieve transformative breakthroughs like space programs or the creation of the internet.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                            Excessive corporate dominance has other dimming effects. Research scientists seem to dedicate <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2016\/7\/14\/12016710\/science-challeges-research-funding-peer-review-process#1\">valuable time<\/a> towards chasing funding <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8221522\/#:~:text=We%20identified%20eight%20corporate%20sectors,increase%20reliance%20on%20industry%20evidence\">influenced<\/a> by business interests. They are also increasingly <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macfound.org\/media\/files\/a_future_of_failure_-_public_.pdf\">incentivised<\/a> to go into the profitable private sector.<\/p>\n<p>Here those scientists&#8217; and engineers&#8217; talents may be directed at helping advertisers to better keep hold of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sites\/un2.un.org\/files\/attention_economy_feb.pdf\">our attention<\/a>. Or they may be tasked with finding ways for corporations to make more money from our <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2019\/oct\/04\/shoshana-zuboff-surveillance-capitalism-assault-human-automomy-digital-privacy\">personal data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Projects which might address climate change, public health or global inequality are less likely to be the focus.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, research suggests that university laboratories are moving towards a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8221522\/\">&#8220;science for profit&#8221;<\/a> model through industry partnerships.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Digital_destiny\"><\/span>Digital destiny<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>But true scientific innovation needs institutions and people guided by principles that go beyond financial incentives. Fortunately, there are places that support them.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mitpress.mit.edu\/9780262542432\/open-knowledge-institutions\/\">Open knowledge institutions<\/a>&#8221; and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oecd.org\/cfe\/empowering-communities-with-platform-cooperatives-c2ddfc9f-en.htm\">platform cooperatives<\/a> are focused on innovation for the collective good rather than individual glory. Governments could do much more to support and invest in these kinds of organizations.<\/p>\n<p>If they do, the coming decades could see the development of healthier innovation ecosystems that go beyond corporations and their executive rule. They would create an environment of cooperation rather than competition for genuine social benefit.<\/p>\n<p>There will still be a place for the quirky &#8220;genius&#8221; of Musk and Zuckerberg and their fellow Silicon Valley billionaires. But relying on their bloated corporations to design and dominate technological innovation is a mistake.<\/p>\n<p>For real discovery and progress cannot rely on the minds and motives of a few famous men. It involves investing in institutions which are rooted in democracy and sustainability\u2014not just because it is more ethical, but because in the the long term, it will be much more effective.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/techx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v2\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-the-visionaries-of-silicon-valley-mean-profits-are-prioritised-over-true-technological-progress-219795\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/219795\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                How the &#8216;visionaries&#8217; of Silicon Valley mean profits are prioritized over true technological progress (2023, December 29)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 1 January 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2023-12-visionaries-silicon-valley-profits-prioritized.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2023-12-visionaries-silicon-valley-profits-prioritized.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: CC0 Public Domain Technological innovation in the last couple of decades has brought fame and huge wealth to the likes of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. Often feted as geniuses, they are the faces behind the gadgets and media that so many of us depend upon. Sometimes they are controversial&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":603108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2018\/innovation.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-603107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}