Why Tech Giants Should Invest in a Chief Philosophy Officer

The world is a complex place. Most of the time we don’t understand it, and. even when we think we do, we are usually too busy with picking up our kids from school or reaching our quarterly goals.

But the world is immensely complex. And whether we like it or not, every action has an effect. Even if it is just something small such as saying hi to your neighbour in the elevator (I know what you’re thinking, but in Sweden, we often don’t speak with our neighbours) you have performed an action which has caused an effect. You have changed the social dynamics between you and your neighbour. Whatever your neighbour decides to do after that, will likewise impact the dynamics between the two of you next time you meet in the elevator.

Now imagine you are creating a technology service or product which is used by the whole wide world. Every decision you make while designing this technology will create effects, side-effects and even side-effects on the side-effects to an extent that you are not even remotely close to being able to grasp.

Sean Parker, the co-founder of Facebook, is said to have stated in the early phase of Facebook when objecting monetize too early “we don’t know what Facebook can be”. I don’t think he realised back then how true that statement truly was.

I wonder if Zuckerberg would still have founded Facebook knowing what a beast he’d be putting on his shoulders. A beautiful vision of connecting the world, promoting free speech and liberalism across the world has been used by forces who promote the exact opposite. Cambridge Analytica and Brexit are just a few examples. This is something I have elaborated earlier on in my article “If You’re in Tech, You’re in Politics Too. Do You Own That Responsibility”. It’s a bold statement, however, every action does have an effect. It’s just as inevitable in society as it is in physics. Adding on top of that the fastest communication technology in human history, a small mistake can now become a disaster in a matter of seconds if you don’t understand the ecosystem of cause and effect you are operating within.

The Business Reasons Behind Caring For the Better Good
Now, why should Tech Executives care about all this? Set aside the intrinsic motivation to create something that has a positive impact on the world (my eternal optimistic belief is that at the core bottom, most people want to do good if they do have a choice) there are also many commercial reasons to think once again about the ecosystem your company is operating within — and what effect your actions have on society.

Facebook themselves say that the main reason they didn’t react earlier on the warning signals was that they were running so fast that they didn’t have the time to stop and digest what was actually going on in their platform.

“We were too slow” they repeat 47 times in the 748-page response to the US House members. Just like any other corporation, they were busy chasing their KPIs and revolutionising their industry.

That lack of time, and tunnel vision chasing their KPIs, made them lose sight of the bigger picture and understand what they were about to become. The lack of time has cost them — set aside bad conscience — irreplaceable corporate costs. Some of the costs include, but not limited to:

1. Bad Publicity
   In the case of Facebook, this is an obvious one. Endless criticism about data privacy, extremely well-produced documentaries about the effects of Facebook — including the genocide in Myanmar — creates a public image of a company that is bad for the world. Which is quite the opposite to what they set out to achieve in the first place, to create a better and more liberal world by connecting people. The focus of the media is now on how they connect bad people in the world. Even though the barriers to exit Facebook as a consumer are extremely high, the long term effect of bad publicity can very much, in the end, make consumers leave the company. And there is no reason for the new generation to sign up on Facebook as they can choose other platforms to build their social network on — so the departure of users should come naturally anyway.
2. Large Fines
   Facebook has been forced to pay billions of dollars in fines. Perhaps the fines are not big enough to stop the business operations, but if the fines do not create the effect that the legislation is trying to achieve it is very much likely that the fines will increase to the point where it makes a meaningful difference to the business.
3. Government Intervention
   This is the most pressing concern that Tech Executives should truly care about, and the most evident one where long term planning helps to avoid. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerburg, has had to face American court whilst the whole wide world was watching. Set aside most likely being the worst situation he has had to face in his entire life, governments are really the only ones that have the power to completely stop your operations from one day to another. After Trump decided to ban Huawei the company’s international sales have dropped at least 40%. Governments can truly pull the plug, and government interventions are the Achilles heel of modern tech giants.

Now how can you avoid the above? Democratic and predictable governments — at least in theory — would not attack your company for no reason. If they do, it is because of what you have become or what they see that you are about to become. If they see that you are about to become a threat to them and their country, that is when they will intervene. Again, understanding these dynamics and the ecosystem in which you are operating within, can help you understand what you are about to become before you have already become.

Wouldn’t you want to know what you are creating whilst you are creating in, rather than after?

Understanding “what you can be” I believe is going to be a key concern for Tech Executives in an exponentially complex world.

Why Tech Giants Should Consider Investing in Hiring a Chief Philosophy Officer
Philosophy is on the rise. With artificial intelligence automating our work, the need for philosophers who understand it and can teach it morals and ethics has increased — and will continue to increase. In times of political and societal uncertainties, we turn to philosophers again. During the current corona crisis, doctors and politicians turn to philosophers for guidance on how to prioritise when faced with difficult decisions. When our world is shaking, we need some kind of guiding principle to support us in our decision-making process. That’s when scientists turn to moral philosophy.

How about we start looking around us before the crisis is a fact? How about we hire someone who is an expert at understanding the ecosystem and the world we operate within? Someone whose only job is to ask the leadership team the uncomfortable questions they might have to face in the future? Someone who is not caught up in the day-to-day operations and has the skill-set required to focus on understanding what role the company plays in the bigger ecosystem?

Someone who can help us understand what we are about to become before we have already become?

During times of corona and lockdowns, it’s never been more clear that the world is a complex place. During times of corona, it is crystal clear that every action has an effect. Our world post corona will not be the same. Things we’ve taken for granted can easily be turned upside down from one day to another. Philosophers already understand this. It is in their core nature to question everything.

Because of all this, let me propose the bold statement that tech giants should invest in a Chief Philosophy Officer. Not only is it good for humanity, but it is also good for business.

And I am not talking about just hiring philosophers, because philosophers already do work within tech. Especially within artificial intelligence. What I am proposing is elevating philosophy into C-level. Just like when Apple stressed the importance of design by promoting their very first Chief Design Officer. Promoting a function into C-level sends an important message to the company and to the market, but most importantly it invites the philosopher to participate in important discussions at leadership meetings.

If you don’t know what you are about to become, why risk it? Tech giants can afford it. In fact, they cannot afford not to.

I look forward to seeing the first Chief Philosophy Officer on the board.