Trampled by Unicorns

Epilogue: A Manifesto for Change

In the second half of this book I've set out my suggestions about what the tech industry's various stakeholders need to do to stem the crisis and neutralize the toxic impacts the largest companies have on the wider world. To leave the apocalyptic scenarios I described in Chapter 8 where they belong—in the realm of classic dystopian fiction—everyone must play their part, starting with legislators. While I am unapologetic about my opinion that revamped government regulation is both vital and long overdue (I wrote my first article calling for regulation in Wired in early 2015),¹ I'm also very much hoping that Big Tech firms will bring about most of the required changes themselves, thereby eliminating the need for externally imposed draconian controls. Having seen firsthand the impact of top-down regulatory overreach, I have no doubt that lighter-touch rules are better for all concerned.

As this book is first and foremost a call to action for people—whether industry leaders, board members, employees, government officials, journalists, or consumers/users—to drive change, I'm going to finish with a summary of the five most important actions (drawn from the many I've detailed in these pages) that Big Tech can take to beat the authorities to the punch. Alongside these, I have described the steps I believe Western governments are likely to take should tech leaders fail to change their behaviors and practices. My sincere hope is that as tech implements ...