3 ms·

Everyone loves to talk about the problems Silicon Valley has but I honestly want to know what harm is Silicon Valley causing to the world? It's not like it caus

by httpz 8y ago

Everyone loves to talk about the problems Silicon Valley has but I honestly want to know what harm is Silicon Valley causing to the world? It's not like it caused a global financial crisis like Wall Street. Yes, there are the whole privacy issues with companies who's main business is selling ads but that's the nature of their business. If Silicon Valley was more diverse or if those companies were located in a different city, would there be any difference?

amelius 8y ago
Where to begin ... if you follow HN, you see harm caused by SV companies every day. Sometimes it's privacy infringements; sometimes it's companies and investors making huge piles of money to take over entire markets; and sometimes it's SaaS companies deliberately locking in users, the list goes on.
Aloha 8y ago
It's less about what problems Silicon Valley is causing the world, and more, that problems that Silicon Valley cant solve because of its own ideological limitations. Though I'd suggest that Social Media is causing some very real problems - but I don't see an easy answer that doesn't involve changing the fundamental constructs of social media.
- tareqak 8y ago
  Could you please detail specific examples of what these ideological limitations are? I see different kinds of limitations that are driven by blindly chasing profit, attempting externalize everything that doesn't affect the bottom line, and insistent refusal to accept even partial responsibility for creating tools when said tools are misused until public opinion is overwhelming against them. I don't think that the limitations that I listed are ideological though.
  - tomatotomato37 8y ago
    I guess one example would be the ideological push for dense urbanization. It makes sense from the perspective of a city jammed between mountains or packed on an island, but not so much for a prairie city that could survive quite well with low density development if it’s competent enough at managing its sprawl.
    - ummonk 8y ago
      Odd. I've definitely noticed this ideological push, but it has always felt somewhat external to me; it feels like it is mostly pushed by transplants, especially temporary transplants to SF, who think everyone should live in dense walkable cities. FWIW I do think SF and the peninsula need dense urbanization, but this is due to the geography of the bay and the fact that demand seems to be overwhelmingly outstripping supply, and I'd rather increase density than rip up the green space along the peninsula. I don't think this is necessary for most cities though, or even necessary around San Jose for that matter (since it has less narrow growth constraints due to geography). I get the impression the majority of locals / immigrants in the Bay Area who support denser urbanization have a similar viewpoint, and don't consider it an ideological necessity for the rest of the world.
platz 8y ago
they're trashing our rights hack the planet
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
ebcode 8y ago
I think you have to look at "Silicon Valley" as a kind-of short-hand for the FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) companies, along with Microsoft and Intel. It's more of a "state-of-mind" than an actual state. So the author's point is that the "monoculture of thought" that pervades The Valley (and elsewhere) is in fact a problem, and one that needs to be addressed. There are different words for the monoculture. Here on HN you might see it referred to as "the hivemind" or "groupthink". Or HN itself might be called an "echo chamber". I think this is a valid concern, expressed by a voice in the minority, and is worth the time to attend and reflect upon. To answer your original question, I would say that the harm that Silicon Valley is causing the world is the creation of the hivemind itself. It's not overt; it's insidious.

by httpz 8y ago

amelius 8y ago

Where to begin ... if you follow HN, you see harm caused by SV companies every day. Sometimes it's privacy infringements; sometimes it's companies and investors making huge piles of money to take over entire markets; and sometimes it's SaaS companies deliberately locking in users, the list goes on.

Aloha 8y ago

It's less about what problems Silicon Valley is causing the world, and more, that problems that Silicon Valley cant solve because of its own ideological limitations. Though I'd suggest that Social Media is causing some very real problems - but I don't see an easy answer that doesn't involve changing the fundamental constructs of social media.

tareqak 8y ago
Could you please detail specific examples of what these ideological limitations are? I see different kinds of limitations that are driven by blindly chasing profit, attempting externalize everything that doesn't affect the bottom line, and insistent refusal to accept even partial responsibility for creating tools when said tools are misused until public opinion is overwhelming against them. I don't think that the limitations that I listed are ideological though.
- tomatotomato37 8y ago
  I guess one example would be the ideological push for dense urbanization. It makes sense from the perspective of a city jammed between mountains or packed on an island, but not so much for a prairie city that could survive quite well with low density development if it’s competent enough at managing its sprawl.
  - ummonk 8y ago
    Odd. I've definitely noticed this ideological push, but it has always felt somewhat external to me; it feels like it is mostly pushed by transplants, especially temporary transplants to SF, who think everyone should live in dense walkable cities. FWIW I do think SF and the peninsula need dense urbanization, but this is due to the geography of the bay and the fact that demand seems to be overwhelmingly outstripping supply, and I'd rather increase density than rip up the green space along the peninsula. I don't think this is necessary for most cities though, or even necessary around San Jose for that matter (since it has less narrow growth constraints due to geography). I get the impression the majority of locals / immigrants in the Bay Area who support denser urbanization have a similar viewpoint, and don't consider it an ideological necessity for the rest of the world.

platz 8y ago

they're trashing our rights hack the planet

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

ebcode 8y ago

I think you have to look at "Silicon Valley" as a kind-of short-hand for the FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) companies, along with Microsoft and Intel. It's more of a "state-of-mind" than an actual state. So the author's point is that the "monoculture of thought" that pervades The Valley (and elsewhere) is in fact a problem, and one that needs to be addressed. There are different words for the monoculture. Here on HN you might see it referred to as "the hivemind" or "groupthink". Or HN itself might be called an "echo chamber". I think this is a valid concern, expressed by a voice in the minority, and is worth the time to attend and reflect upon. To answer your original question, I would say that the harm that Silicon Valley is causing the world is the creation of the hivemind itself. It's not overt; it's insidious.