
… So as we leave here tonight, let’s stop designing the technologies envisioned in dystopian novels. We need to heed the warnings of artists, not race head-on into their nightmares. Let’s focus on hearing the voices and experiences of those who have been harmed because of the technologies that made this industry so powerful. And let’s collaborate with and design alongside those communities to fix these wrongs, to build just and empowering technologies rather than those that reify the status quo.
…ow can you personally stand up to injustice so that structural inequities aren’t further calcified? The goal shouldn’t be to avoid being evil; it should be to actively do good. But it’s not enough to say that we’re going to do good; we need to collectively define — and hold each other to — shared values and standards.
The enthusiasm and positivity that got you in the founder seat can be hurting you. When you’re really focused on your goals, your default reaction to everything else should be “no.” The world needs to work really hard to convince you of something outside your goals. Say “no” and smile. Take pride in it. It took me 10 years to realize that saying “no” and letting opportunities pass ca…