Are you old enough to remember when Google a fledgling company who just dealt in search engine capabilities? It was a marvel. You could try to find something on the internet, and it would actually take you there. Wonder of wonders! For those who don’t remember, trying to find what you wanted on a web search before Google was often more of a snipe hunt than a gathering of useful information. They changed the game, and for their success they were rewarded with extraordinary piles of money.
Most of the top tech companies today started by dazzling us. Amazon made it easy to get books. No, they didn’t start off as a widespread retailer. It was seriously just books. Then, they found a systematic way to make online shopping a better experience than going to the store. Their success is built on providing something we all valued.
You can say the same for Facebook, Twitter, Apple and the rest of the giants. Before they were monsters, they were innovators, and those innovators have impacted society. Capitalism works! The problem with tech companies today is the same issue that afflicted banks a decade ago (and probably still today). As a society, we decided that they are too big to fail. We are reluctant to see them suffer for their bad decisions because we fear the unknown.
Today, the top tech companies are some of the most verifiably evil entities in the known world. Google has signed a contract with the Chinese government to help them suppress speech and privacy. Unfortunately, that’s yesterday’s news. Just wait until you see what they’re up to today.