Don't Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech

Rana Foroohar

Nov 2019 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

A TIMES BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS BOOK OF THE YEAR

The award-winning Financial Times columnist exposes the threat that Big Tech poses to our democracies, our economies and ourselves

'Powerful' Sunday Times

Google and Facebook receive 90% of the world's news advertising spend. Amazon takes half of all e-commerce in the US. Google and Apple operating systems run on all but 1% of cell phones globally. And 80% of corporate wealth is now held by 10% of companies - the digital titans. How did these once-idealistic and innovative companies come to manipulate elections, violate our privacy and pose a threat to the fabric of our democracy?

Through her skilled reporting and unparalleled access, Rana Foroohar reveals the true extent to which the 'FAANG's (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google) crush or absorb competitors, hijack our personal data and mental space and offshore their exorbitant profits. What's more, she shows how these threats to our democracies, livelihoods and minds are all intertwined. Yet Foroohar also lays out a plan for how we can resist, creating a framework that fosters innovation while protecting us from the dark side of digital technology.

'A masterful critique' Observer
'Insightful and powerfully argued' Daily Mail
'Essential reading ... whip-smart' Niall Ferguson
'Laser vision and trenchant business analysis' Shoshana Zuboff

About the author

Rana Foroohar is global business columnist and associate editor for the Financial Times. She is also CNN's global economic analyst. Previously, Foroohar was the assistant managing editor in charge of business and economics at Time, as well as the magazine's economic columnist. She also spent 13 years at Newsweek, as an economic and foreign affairs editor and a foreign correspondent covering Europe and the Middle East. In 2019 she was awarded the 'Best in Business' prize for top commentary writing on tech and policy, by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. She has also received awards and fellowships from institutions such as the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the East-West Center. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.