Tools and Weapons: The Promise and the Peril of the Digital Age

by Brad Smith

These concerns are important. But given the role that technology now plays in the world, it’s equally dangerous for a tech company to move faster than the speed of thought, or simply to fail to think at all about the broader implications of its services or products. One thesis of this book is that it is more than possible for companies to succeed while doing more to address their societal responsibilities. As Satya is quick to point out when such issues arise, we need to move fast but with some guardrails on our technology. An ability to anticipate issues and define a principled approach to address them is more likely to keep “the car on the road” as it gains speed. It helps avoid at least some of the public controversies and potential reputational damage that can force executives to spend more time on issues other than product development and user growth.