Reviews for Silicon states : the power and politics of big tech and what it means for our future

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Greene (director, futurist, J. Walter Thompson's Innovation Group) looks at the ways in which multinational tech giants, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook and others have resisted government regulation while pushing to take over functions traditionally provided by the state. According to the author, while democratic governments have to balance the interests of constituents, not just shareholders, corporations make decisions based on business goals not moral grounds, despite marketing themselves as being for the social good. Even the philanthropy of corporate leaders is tied to business interests. Greene goes on to explore how Silicon Valley aims to disrupt basic infrastructures of transportation, education, health care, and property ownership in America and abroad, building infrastructure in underdeveloped countries where such services could create monopolistic control. With large amounts of capital plus implementation timescales not tied to an election cycle, they can engage in moonshot projects (sometimes literally) beyond the capacities of individual governments. Ultimately, Greene leaves open the question of whether flaws such as hubris and sexism will check these juggernauts. -VERDICT An open-eyed analysis of influential technology companies' ambitions of interest to investors, tech users, and media -consumers.-Wade M. Lee, Univ. of Toledo Lib. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Tech writer and think-tank denizen Greene looks at what may be big tech's greatest disruption of all: the disruption of the political order.Do you want Amazon making health care decisions on your account, if not your behalf? It's not far-fetched, writes the author. In the blink of an eye, even as power has shifted to the ultrawealthy, Silicon Valley's cultural influence now extends far beyond technology as such. "Having taken over our lifestyles," warns Greene, "they are vying for our healthcare, infrastructure, energy, space travel, education, and postal systems." They're not doing so out of altruistic intent, either; while some public good may be realized by education reform, for instance, there's also a lot of money to be made in the game. The political power of tech corporations, more so than other kinds of companies, is amplified, Greene adds, by the fact that the current president seems so weak and hapless. But, as she asks, "is Silicon Valley the right replacement?" Perhaps it is, if in a roundabout way. Though what she calls the "PayPal mafia" is characterized by a profound lack of social engagement, with leaders like Peter Thiel spouting a kind of Ayn Rand-ian me-first-ism. Though the current crop of youngsters in the valley are white males "with a real blind spot towards issues of race and gender," the vast number of young men and women coming along in Generation Z are different. As they enter the electorate and the workforce, this ethnically mixed, tolerant, "radically progressive" cohort is likely to shift politics and the culture leftward, meaning that in the near future, Silicon Valley may become a force for good"or, at least, better than the current greying bunch burning the planet down." In that light, reinventing government may turn out to be just the thing that's needed.A fascinating exercise in description, prescription, and prognosis that we'll have a chance to field-test in the near future. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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