Snap chief says not all Big Tech is bad
Snap chief sex Evan Spiegal has said that Facebook has “a negative impact on society”, and tech companies need to think about the wider impact of their products.
In an interview with The Economic Times, Speigal denied that Facebook’s issues can be translated onto all social media platforms.
“I think the challenges that we’re seeing today are not necessarily problems faced by all of Big Tech. It is in particular, one large platform that has found out time and again that it has a negative impact on society that well-intentioned people inside their business have tried to make changes. That’s the problem that we’re really dealing with today. That business has really large influence and operates multiple very large platforms that reach billions of people”, Spiegal said.
Facebook attempted to acquire Snap back in 2013, but Spiegal refused the offer. This is something he completely stands by, especially in light of the Frances Haugen whistleblowing, and the ongoing scrutiny the Mark Zuckerberg’s company is facing for its internal politics.
Spiegal emphasises the importance that companies should place on their impact. He told The Economic Times: “I think what will be vitally important going forward is that all technology companies, anyone working on new technology products, think from the beginning about the impact on society and making sure they’re doing the right thing to serve not only the community of people using their products, but the broader world.”
He thinks platforms have a “moral responsibility” and is uncertain how impactful government regulation will be.