Just as you can't say startups create jobs without considering the jobs it displaces, I think you can't hide behind the notion that startups are generally a for

Just as you can't say startups create jobs without considering the jobs it displaces, I think you can't hide behind the notion that startups are generally a force of good. That way you sweep all the startups that have a net negative effect under the rug. Studies show FB can have a negative effect on happiness. In the tech startup playbook is stated that you need to make your site/app addictive. Well we've mastered that now and it must cost billions of dollars with people's time being wasted on crap. Even startups geared toward productivity aren't that impactful in the grand scheme, they tend to make life more convenient and only when enough customers can be found at the right pricepoint. We're training people to be distracted by trivialities and stuff that doesn't matter. Many venture backed startups are exposing the defects of the way economy functions and just how poor we are at delivering the value that is truly needed. We don't really need another gadget or app, we need to fix the way society has painted a growing number of people into a corner. Income inequality is just one way to expose the symptoms of an increasing problem, a problem that isn't really being focused on by startups because startups are born and survive by exploiting leverage that can be turned into profit.