**A Wall Street Journal Bestseller
An insider's revealing and in-depth examination of Big Tech's failure to
keep its foundational promises and the steps the industry can take to
course-correct in order to make a positive impact on the world.**
Trampled by Unicorns: Big Tech's Empathy Problem and How to Fix It
explores how technology has progressed humanity's most noble pursuits,
while also grappling with the origins of the industry's destructive
empathy deficit and the practical measures Big Tech can take to
self-regulate and make it right again. Author Maëlle Gavet examines the
tendency for many of Big Tech's stars to stray from their user-first
ideals and make products that actually profoundly damage their customers
and ultimately society.
Offering an account of the world of tech startups in the United States
and Europe--from Amazon, Google, and Facebook to Twitter, Airbnb, and
Uber (to name a few)--Trampled by Unicorns argues that the causes and
consequences of Big Tech's failures originate from four main sources:
the Valley's cultural insularity, the hyper-growth business model, the
sector's stunning lack of diversity, and a dangerous self-sustaining
ecosystem. However, the book is not just an account of how an industry
came off the rails, but also a passionate call to action on how to get
it back on track.
Gavet, a leading technology executive and former CEO of Ozon, an
executive vice president at Priceline Group, and chief operating officer
of Compass, formulates a clear call to action for industry leaders,
board members, employees, and consumers/users to drive the change
necessary to create better, more sustainable businesses--and the steps
Western governments are likely to take should tech leaders fail to do
so. Steps that include reformed tax codes, reclassification of platforms
as information companies, new labor laws, and algorithmic transparency
and oversight.
Trampled by Unicorns' exploration of the promise and dangers of
technology is perfect for anyone with an interest in entrepreneurship,
tech, and global commerce, and a hope of technology's all-empowering
prospect. An illuminating book full of insights, Trampled by Unicorns
describes a realistic path forward, even as it uncovers and explains the
errors of the past. As Gavet puts it, "we don't need less tech, we need
more empathetic tech." And how that crucial distinction can be achieved
by the tech companies themselves, driving change as governments actively
pave the road ahead.
