The great contradiction at the heart of the Silicon Valley’s self-image is that it helps the world while becoming fabulously rich. The record, to say the least, is mixed.
Facebook, Google, and Apple undoubtedly benefit millions of peoples’ lives while generating enormous, unprecedented wealth (for some). Yet the human toll—lost jobs, exploited contractors, massive concentration of wealth at the expense of the lower and middle class, and shuttered newspapers and small companies—are just as real.
