Can plebeians— namely common people—- contribute to the civic good in an era where tech is taking over the consumer, corporate, and government experience? Palantir, Nvidia, OpenAI, the FAANG oligopoly, and twenty or so financial firms have figured out this thing. A bunch of upstart AI and Crypto companies with weird names complement this tech takeover of the world’s economy.
The path to winning in this new economy is unclear. What about those who don’t have this knowledge? The average citizen is doomscrolling their way into Idiocracy — a movie that’s become much scarier than funny. How does one stay ‘good’ in a soul-crushing world? Grassroots technology activism is not intended to uproot the wave of brilliance building technologies. It’s a game of catch up. How do cities like Oakland and Austin keep up with this wave without private sector R&D budgets or tech talent? Cities can be made much more efficient with the latest technologies.
Onboarding ramps like CityCamp help residents co-create using the latest technologies. Cities have to partner with the tech industry to ramp up skills and bridge the digital divide. It’s already happening in education, but city activists have to push for more partnership and accountability in struggling city halls.
When I lived in Northern California, Oakland was the yang to San Francisco’s yin. The less bougie part of Silicon Valley stood for the working class and human rights while offering a more affordable lifestyle. The A’s and Raiders entertained, but rarely accomplished the feats of the Giants and 49ers. When Oakland lost the Warriors NBA team to San Francisco, the game ended. Oakland went into a slump, losing its sports teams and then a good chunk of its bougie population as the economy cracked. COVID accelerated Oakland’s struggles.
I once supported the nonprofit OpenOakland which offered tech solutions to the community. OpenOakland hosted ‘unconferences’, hackathons, and tech talks about solving community problems. A who’s who of ‘do gooders’ trickled into Oakland to participate. Craig Newmark (Craigslist founder), venture capitalist Mitch Kapor, execs from Google.org, and Jennifer Pahlka (Code for America) joined me and other techies trying to connect the dots. A life beyond rapacious greed seemed possible.
Google once had a slogan “Don’t be evil.” That slogan has been removed from its branding worldwide. Unfortunately, corporate culture at the top mirrors America’s politics.
The good news is that OpenOakland is hosting again. The timing works out this time as I’ll be in NorCal in September where the weather is forecasted to be 30 degrees cooler than Texas. The best and brightest get to tackle real problems away from the sports arenas.
Looking forward to this event. It will be interesting to see how Oakland is doing. The good ol’ days are returning to parts of Silicon Valley. Oakland will need the all the help it can get.
customersuccessforgood.com 