Fatal Abstraction

A tech insider explains how capitalism and software development make for such a dangerous mix.

Digital technology was supposed to change the world for the better, but it has left us miserable, divided and misinformed—when it hasn’t posed a direct threat to our physical safety. As acclaimed writer Darryl Campbell explains, the problem isn’t just greedy CEOs promising to “change the world” as they seek ever more eyeballs and app downloads. It’s that the tech industry struggles to understand what its products actually do and how they might fail. The reason is twofold: an unshakeable faith in managerialism—the notion that every business can be reduced to a spreadsheet overseen by MBAs—and an equally strong belief in software as the solution to all problems. From aeroplane disasters to PowerPoint propaganda to the perils of generative AI, Campbell uncovers a pattern of recklessness and overconfidence in the managerial class—and ultimately argues that developers themselves must intervene to curb corporate power.