Author Archives: Christopher Hall

Christopher Hall

Opinion: Tech should disrupt markets, not destroy values

By Christopher Hall | Fri 6th February 2015 - 3:00 pm

TAXI SPOTTech should disrupt markets, not destroy values: taxis should be seen as a testbed for the future of digital regulation.

Tech companies can be categorised in two ways. There are those whose principle objectives are based on finance and market share. While they may be selling technology developed in the 21st Century, their ideological heritage is rooted in the 1980s – more Gordon Gekko than Jimmy Wales. These companies don’t take no for an answer, even from politicians. Silicon Valley can be so macho, right?

The second group is more big society, than big business. These companies are driven as much by a desire to make things better, as they are to make more money. And they understand that social returns and financial returns don’t have to be exclusive.

In reality, there are many companies in between. But for those interested in policymaking, this distinction has become more important over the last year, as European regulators sought to push back against many famous names from Silicon Valley.

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