Community Spotlight: Steven Liu
Tech workers from across the Bay Area have joined TechEquity’s network and are giving their time, skills, and financial support to make their communities more equitable. We’re proud of our growing community full of smart, passionate, engaged citizens and we want to show them off!
Meet Steven
Steven is transitioning to Duo Security after working in customer success at an early stage startup for the past 3 years. His entire professional career, Steven has been in some kind of customer-facing capacity so he’s always enjoyed trying to understand other people’s problems and helping to solve them. He spent most of his life on the East Coast, so he’s still getting to know all of the Bay Area and what it has to offer. He’s a proud Boston College alum who enjoys sports, traveling, and trying out new foods.
What is your professional passion these days?
I’m very much interested in understanding and building strong team culture, as well as how that culture scales as an organization grows. Hint: it doesn’t involve buying more ping-pong tables. From my own work experience (and from watching too much sports) I’ve seen how an open, inclusive, and innovative culture can maximize the capabilities of a team to overachieve, while a weak culture can squander the talents of a group of all-stars. The hard part is learning how to put that positive culture into action in my own life.
What does it mean to you to be a responsible citizen while working in tech?
I think there’s a global and local level to being a responsible citizen. Globally, it’s important to consider the impact of our products and services, especially unintended consequences which may end up creating bigger problems than the ones we’re trying to solve. Locally, it’s all about connecting and giving back to the communities that we live and work in. It’s very easy, especially in the Bay Area I’ve noticed, to retreat into your own bubble and lose touch with people outside of your day-to-day circles.
How has TechEquity impacted civic participation?
TechEquity has helped make me more aware of both the root causes of the inequality issues plaguing the Bay Area (e.g., Prop 13), as well as current legislative efforts to improve the situation. The events I’ve been to are non-partisan and educational, so I don’t feel judged for not being as deep in my understanding of policy. As a result, I’m probably better informed on local and state issues now than I ever was before, which is especially important with an election coming up next year.
Why is it important for the tech community to become more civically engaged?
We need to play a larger role in positively shaping the places we live in. Most of us are incredibly privileged to live and work in the Bay Area but we see that this region could be so much more if we could address some of the systemic challenges holding it back. I think most tech workers want to do the right thing, but I’ve learned through the years that technology by itself is not enough to solve problems. It’s time for us to make our voices heard offline as well.
Join members like Steven
We are organizing the tech community to advocate for a tech-driven economy in the Bay Area that works for everyone. We believe the tech industry can and should generate widespread opportunity instead of inequality and displacement. Join our growing community today!
