This essay by Langdon Winner is pretty much required reading for technologists who are interested in real-world uses of our tools and their impact in society. T

This essay by Langdon Winner is pretty much required reading for technologists who are interested in real-world uses of our tools and their impact in society. The idea that technology is apolitical is a common misconception, or self-delusion, of too many engineers. Our ideas are influenced by the systems we grew up in, learned our trade in, and benefit from. For a current example, contrast the products created to solve the problems of 25 year olds with too much money (https://medium.com/matter/the-shut-in-economy-ec3ec1294816 https://medium.com/matter/the-shut-in-economy-ec3ec1294816), and those for people who have experienced the horrible scale of mass incarceration (http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/24/pigeon-ly/ http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/24/pigeon-ly/). Both tap potentially huge markets, but posit very different worlds. Getting outside of your own experiential bubble can make you a stronger product designer and user advocate, and potentially a more successful startup founder.