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Don't Be Evil
Don't Be Evil
Oct 9, 2024 6:19 AM

Author:Rana Foroohar

Don't Be Evil

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

Reviews

A masterful critique of the tech giants that now dominate our world . . . The great thing about her book is that it breaks the mesmerising spell that the tech giants seem to have cast upon governments, mass media and users everywhere

—— John Naughton , Observer, 'Book of the Week'

Frightening . . . a readable and well-marshalled indictment of the sins of these new corporate empires.

—— James Marriott , The Times

Powerful

—— Best Business Books of the Year , Sunday Times

An insightful and powerfully argued investigation into the murky world of 'Big Tech' and its impact on our lives.

—— Daily Mail

Rana Foroohar is a savvy and wise commentator and a keen observer of the global economy. This book goes beyond the economic problems and examines the broader implications for society of the untrammeled and under regulated Silicon Valley companies. She demonstrates that while the creed 'don't be evil' may have initially inspired the Silicon Valley giants, its principle has long been left behind

—— Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics

We are most fortunate to have Foroohar's laser vision and trenchant business analysis turned on the tech giants and the gluttonous anti-democratic surveillance capitalism that is their most far-reaching innovation. A crucial contribution to the growing debate.

—— Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Professor Emerita, Harvard Business School

Rana Foroohar's urgent message: 'Yes, we really are living in the Matrix,' and it's time to rise up and resist our algorithmic overlords. This book shows us how.

—— Cathy O’Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction and CEO of ORCAA

A thought provoking and practical guide to the ever evolving world of work, Care Sevilla's words feel particularly comforting and clarifying during these uncertain times

—— Yomi Adegoke, co-author of the bestselling Slay in your Lane

Oh, how I wish I'd had this book 10 years ago! Cate gives both the sympathetic hug and the firm shake by the shoulders that so many of us need to navigate the world of work right now. It's hilarious and helpful with so many on-point insights that you'll wonder if she's been reading your Slack messages (she hasn't)

—— Lauren Bravo, author of How To break Up With Fast Fashion

Fearless and funny! If you feel like work is getting or letting you down Cate is here to give you a hug and offer you practical advice. All of our careers are now full of change and uncertainty and Cate's book will help you to take control and look after rather than lose your mind!

—— Sarah Ellis, author of the Sunday Times bestselling book The Squiggly Career

This is a useful, smart, thoughtful and beautifully written exploration of a subject that affects us all, but we know so little about... I do not use this word lightly but Cate's brilliant book is GENUINELY EMPOWERING!

—— Daisy Buchanan, author of How to be an Adult and Sisterhood

I wish I'd read it before ever entering an office and I 100% hope anyone who ever has to manage me reads it

—— Flo Perry, author of How to Have Feminist Sex

Cate Sevilla is well placed to give advice on how to survive the ups and downs in any workplace

—— The Irish Post

Does well to remind readers of the action that can be taken to reduce stress and be happier in our jobs

—— Financial Times book of the month

Instagram has reshaped how we eat, shop, talk and present ourselves. In No Filter . . . Sarah Frier offers a rare glimpse into how the company came to be a formidable force in the tech industry.

—— BEST TECH BOOKS OF 2020 , MASHABLE

A lively and revealing account of how the world came to see itself through [Instagram founder] Mr Systrom's lens . . . The tale of nerds who struck gold offers glimpses of Silicon Valley's weirdness.

—— THE ECONOMIST

No Filter offers an engaging account of how tech founders' ideals inevitably have to be squared with making profits.

—— WALL STREET JOURNAL

A fascinating business story - but also much more than that . . . Frier is a skilled reporter and an astute and sensitive cultural observer. No Filter is a vital read for anyone seeking to understand the incredible power Silicon Valley executives exercise over us, and the opaque, unpredictable and undemocratic mechanisms by which they do so.

—— New Statesman

A vivid portrait of clashing Silicon Valley egos

—— Best Books of the Year: Business , Financial Times

Officially, this is the tale of the photo-sharing app Instagram, but it's also a wider story of Silicon Valley - the fragile egos, the feuds, the deals done around fire pits . . . Mark Zuckerberg is the book's sometimes cartoonish villain, ending staff meeting with the cry: "Domination!"

—— Business Books of the Year , SUNDAY TIMES

No Filter is a topical and well-reported account of the rise of Instagram and its takeover by Facebook. But it also tackles two vital issues of our age: how Big Tech treats smaller rivals and how social media companies are shaping the lives of a new generation.

—— Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FINANCIAL TIMES

Bloomberg reporter Sarah Frier chronicles the rise of photo-sharing social network Instagram, from when it was still a location-based app named "Burbn" to the ad-driven juggernaut it is today . . . Frier deftly streamlines from multiple interviews with some of the most high-profile executives, venture capitalists, and most-followed celebrities on Instagram

—— The 10 Best Business Books of 2020 , Fortune

Congressional documents may have told us why Mark Zuckerberg thought he needed to buy Instagram, but No Filter is the inside story of the company that Facebook actually bought. Sarah Frier's book is the definitive account that bridges the gaps between the company Instagram was born as, the company that eventually sold to Facebook for $1 billion, and the company we know today. The intrigue of this origin story will only grow as the status of Instagram - as a brand within Facebook and a player in our daily lives - is sure to change in the decade ahead.

—— Favourite Business Books of 2020 , YAHOO FINANCE

Utterly brilliant . . . It is so fascinating because it works at two levels: there's the personal story of these two founders making it up as they go along . . . and then there's the bigger story of Silicon Valley itself, and the unstoppable pressure to grow and go viral . . . [Frier] explores how Instagram changed society in terms of influencers, and also in terms of what it does to us, when we see these heavily filtered images of perfection in other people's lives - and this is really worth thinking about.

—— Extraordinary Business Book Club

Examines the all-pervasive impact of Instagram and what it says about today's society.

—— Independent.ie
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