In the decades since the launch of the world wide web, a handful of digital platform companies—such as Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon—have come to dominate internet services and soar to the top of the list of the world’s most valuable companies. These companies, collectively known as Big Tech, have leapt from innovators’ ideas to marketplace dominance and great wealth.
Consumers have paid a price for this success, and a majority of Americans—of both political parties—feel that Big Tech has too much power and influence. Former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission Tom Wheeler argues that the time has come for a rebalancing.
Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age?
Techlash is out now! Hailed by Publishers Weekly as “a potent primer on the need to rein in Big Tech” and Kirkus Reviews as “a rock-solid plan for controlling the tech giants,” readers will be energized by Tom Wheeler’s vision of digital governance. Get your hands on this accessible and visionary book that connects the experiences of the late 19th century’s industrial Gilded Age with its echoes in the 21st century digital Gilded Age. Purchase the book.
Getting this moment of federal investment right.Xavier de Souza Briggs, Charisse Conanan Johnson, and Bruce Katz write that there’s an industrial revolution underway in the United States, and unless policymakers and the private sector act, it may make the racial wealth gap in America even worse.
Addressing high school dropout rates. Boston Public Schools’ door-knocking initiative helped the city reduce its high school dropout rate by more than half. Martha Ross and Emmanuel Allen highlight the benefits of high school reengagement programs for students and communities alike.
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