What I'm reading: June 2022

I’m a voracious reader, especially of news about technology, business, and politics. I like to keep my ear to the ground on behalf of my clients – but I’m also just insatiably curious about where the world is going, and where there may be opportunities to point it in the right direction.

This month, I’m coming off the heels of two back-to-back conferences: TWIN Impact and Social Innovation Summit. At both, people were excited about ESG’s ability to be both a call to action and an accountability driver for corporate social good; and Web3’s potential for creating value at new frontiers of the internet. (At one dinner I attended, a Web3 enthusiast said it would single-handedly save the oceans.)

As technology and corporate responsibility collide, I definitely think there’ll be unintended consequences – and unintended benefits. But today, I’m more optimistic about where we’re headed after being in rooms full of changemakers for two weeks.

Here are some other things I’m keeping my eye on:

• CORPORATE HOUSING – What’s old is new again, as companies compete for talent by building affordable housing – which has echoes of the company towns of the late 19th century, and the creepy corporate paternalism of the recent Apple TV+ show “Severance.” But hey, a place to live is a place to live.
• LOCATION TRACKERS – As the Supreme Court decision nears that could overturn Roe v. Wade, many have been raising red flags about data collection by apps that support women’s health care, like period trackers. Now Democrats in Congress are urging Google to stop collecting data that could be used to track those seeking abortions.
• TELEPORTING DATA – In maybe the most consequential but underreported story, scientists recently made a leap forward in ‘quantum teleportation’ – which could one day underpin a computer network infinitely more powerful than what we have today. The stuff of science fiction – including incredibly powerful A.I. – is not as far off as we think.
• CONTENT VETOES – In what could be a harbinger of things to come, India is considering an appeals panel with the ability to overturn content moderation decisions by the major social media platforms. I’ve written about how the war in Ukraine and the pandemic accelerated a global trend toward nationalism and economic isolation. What happens when each country starts writing its own rules regarding global town squares – much like China and Russia already do?
• CHILLING EFFECTS – The Depp-Heard verdict was … not great. Advocates fear it will prevent other women from coming forward with abuse claims. Is this the conclusion to the backlash following #MeToo, or just another example of the personal consequences of internet gaslighting in the disinformation era?
• ROBOT HOUSEKEEPERS – Will the future be filled with robots capable of helping with mundane household chores? That’s what Dyson is counting on. Let it be known this is one future I fully support, and the sooner I can Prime a robot to my house that will clean that pile of dishes I’m staring at, the sooner I will open my wallet.

What have you been reading lately that has your attention?