The Tech That Comes Next

Chapter TwoWhere Are We Going?

We are writing this book while the COVID‐19 global pandemic rages on, while protests and legislation related to racial equity continue in the streets and in city halls—and every aspect of our lives grows more dependent on technology every day. Living within these realities, what do we see?

Technology companies have pledged to diversify their staff amid various campaigns calling for them to disclose the racial makeup of their management and leadership teams. During the first few months of the pandemic in 2020, many of those same companies offered their products at free or newly discounted options to nonprofits or even individuals. Of course, most had fine print specifying these offers weren't permanent.

The philanthropic sector is full of pledges and commitment statements about everything from addressing racial inequity to making their grantmaking more accessible and less onerous. Such assistance is indeed helpful to social impact organizations, local mutual aid efforts, and every kind of community institution, all of whom have struggled to address skyrocketing needs for critical services and programs with greatly depleted human and financial resources. In the summer of 2020, Deloitte's Monitor Institute reported an estimated 10–40% contraction in the US nonprofit sector with one out of every three organizations already closed or at risk of doing so.¹

Such pledges and commitments by technology providers and philanthropy are important in many ways, ...