Silicon States: The Power and Politics of Big Tech and What It Means for Our Future

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.