Why We Need to Talk about the Values of Code
By Christoph Bornschein and Thorsten Schroeder
Two days packed with debates about solutions for the big challenges of the digital age- naturally, TLGG Consulting was part of this year’s #GlobalSolutions in Berlin, where thought leaders and decision- makers from across politicial, business and civil communities came together to provide policy recommendations on major G20 issues.
When it comes to platforms and the gig-economy, it’s not enough to rely on outside regulation to shape how they are built and used. We need to take a closer look at the inherent values of our code to build the tools we deserve.
As the „practitioner“ in a round of scholars, as one panelist put it, Christoph argued for built-in values in software platforms in order to ensure decent working conditions in today’s gig economy at this year’s Global Solution Summit in Berlin. Users, he argued, will always opt for convenience over values, so we can’t expect the changes happening through consumer choices on a large scale. „Values have to be encoded in the platforms“, he said.
We can’t make the mistake and look only at platforms for the low-end labor market when it comes to incorporating those values, however. Even platforms like GitHub today are massively important and play a central role in software development as well as hiring. When we talk about platforms, Christoph says, Github and other high-end knowledge platforms are „widely underdiscussed“. „We need to talk about workers who both sit above the code and beyond“.
As an example for the skeptics in the room, Christoph referred to Uber and Facebook as platforms that are built on the values that are dominant in their home country. „In the US, it’s considered free speech to show a Swastika, while nipples are being censored“, he put it. And while it is ok to take a cut of 30 percent out of every ride in California, Uber’s home, the rules in Germany are much tougher, which is why MyTaxi is positioning itself as a platform within the existing ecosystem of cab drivers rather than disrupting it in an Uber-way.
Either way, everyone at GSS2019 agreed that platforms won’t go away. While they offer a chance for basic employment in underdeveloped countries, they will also play a major role in countries like Germany. „We have 400.000 jobs that can’t be filled because we lack the talent“, Christoph says. Platforms offer one way to match these positions with high-skilled workers.
Christoph Bornschein is the CEO and Founder of TLGG Consulting.
