硅谷之外的思考：科技公司如何改变世界
编者按 ： 克莱尔·霍夫（Claire Hough）是 在线学习平台 Udemy 的工程副总裁。
本周早些时候，众多科技巨头做了一件意义非凡的事情——他们携起手来共建一个更加美好的社会。
作为奥巴马总统提出的 ConnectHome 倡议 的合作伙伴，一批互联网服务提供商、创业公司和科技行业非营利组织，会携手将宽带接入服务扩大至 27.5 万生活在公共住房的低收入群体。随着科技已经成为我们日常生活的一部分，ConnectHome 项目应该会时刻提醒科技公司，他们有责任让尽可能多的人用到他们的产品。
按需经济的诞生重新定义了我们之前所认为的便捷性。实际上，只要你轻轻点击一下手机屏幕，你所能想到的一切东西都可以被召唤到你的身边——无论是快餐、生活用品，还是工作助理、交通工具。虽然这些服务已经改善了我们许多人的生活，但只有那些有钱负担或有机会访问到它们的人，才能从中获利。
《纽约时报》科技专栏作家法尔哈德·曼约奥（Farhad Manjoo）会经常谈到一个主题，即最近这次科技繁荣始终专注于改善少数人的生活质量，比如，他在 最新的专栏文章 中就讨论了点对点解决方案的价值。曼约奥对科技企业扩大产品生产规模的使命——为了让它们更便宜、被更多人所使用——始终抱着质疑态度，这种态度突出了硅谷在道德层面面临的两难局面。
虽然无数的创业公司因为迎合了硅谷少数富有阶层的需求而得到了快速发展，但科技公司的机遇仍然在于他们如何回报之前成就了他们的社区。
即便是今天，美国仍有数千万人无法上网，而全世界更是有一半的人不能上网——知道这一事实，肯定让人觉得很沮丧。我们的政府 已经认识到 ，宽带接入对我们的生活，就同水和电一样的重要。
网络连接可以给那些拥有这种能力的人带来极大的便利，这一点不言而喻；因此，拥有网络连接的人和没有网络连接的人，他们之间存在很大的差异。Facebook 首席执行官马克·扎克伯格（Mark Zuckerberg）试图通过 Internet.org 将廉价的互联网服务推向全世界的人，这也是最引人注目的项目之一。
最好的解决办法其实就是确保一代人拥有公平的机会——这一代人越来越多地被打上了“日渐消失的中产阶级”的烙印。作为网络服务和第三方平台的受益者，科技企业应该携手努力，对各自的社区带来积极的影响，或是对整个世界带来更大的影响。
ConnectHome 项目也许就是“科技为社会谋福利”的最佳例证。这是一个公私合作项目，谷歌和 Cox 之类的互联网服务提供商均有参与，旨在将高速宽带接入提供给美国 27.5 万低收入群体。奥巴马总统在周三宣布推出了这个项目，因为他已经认识到那些无法访问互联网的人，在教育和就业方面所面临的诸多劣势。对于部分美国人来说，今后每个月的上网费用将只有 10 美元。ConnectHome 就是创业公司如何回馈社会的一个模板。
尽管如此，回馈社会并不限于政府项目。肖恩·帕克（Sean Parker）为他的同名基金会 自筹资金 6 亿美元 ，用以证明科技企业领导人可以给这个世界带来社会效益。由于对 Facebook 的投资，帕克已成为硅谷最富有、影响力最大的科技人士之一。帕克基金会不仅致力于解决像公民参与这样发生在我们身边的小事，而且还积极参与全球公共卫生和生物科技等重要课题。他希望充分利用自己在过去多年来形成的创业心态，对社会大规模变革带来积极贡献。
SurveyMonkey 之类的公司也在开发可以回报全社会的产品。SurveyMonkey Contribute 允许用户进行调查，然后获得慈善捐款以参与他们选择的慈善事业。到目前为止，SurveyMonkey Contribute 已经向无国界医生组织（Doctors Without Borders）、美国红十字会、美国人道协会（The Humane Society Of The United States）等慈善机构捐款 500 万美元。SurveyMonkey 的平台正系统性地向给予他们最大帮助的人以回报。
毫无疑问，我们正生活在一个创业的环境下——创业公司不应以服务于有活力的市场而感到羞耻。但这种经济上的刺激并不能免除他们让产品尽可能覆盖更多受众的责任。这些价值根本不必进行大范围宣扬，而是应该成为硅谷一种根深蒂固的文化。
我们在享受科技成果上具有优先权，但最终也迫使我们承担起更大的责任，而这种责任也伴随着我们每天享受到的优先权。
Think Outside The Valley: How Tech Companies Can Change The World
Claire Hough is a VP of Engineering at Udemy, an online learning marketplace.
A handful of tech heavyweights did something remarkable earlier this week — they came together for the betterment of society.
As partners on President Obama’s ConnectHome initiative, internet service providers, startups, and tech nonprofits will expand broadband access to around 275,000 people living in public housing. As technology has become a part of our daily lives, ConnectHome should remind tech companies of their responsibility to make their products as accessible as possible.
The birth of the on-demand economy has redefined convenience as we know it. Virtually anything you can think of — dinner, groceries, work assistance, transportation — can be summoned to you in a single tap. While these services have improved the lives of many, only those who can afford or access them reap the benefits.
That the most recent tech boom has focused on improving the lives of the few is not lost on The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo, who discussed the value of point-to-point solutions in a recent column. Manjoo’s skeptical take on tech companies’ mission to scale their products — making them cheaper and more accessible — underscores the moral dilemma Silicon Valley faces.
Although an endless number of startups has been enriched by catering to the Valley’s well-heeled residents, an opportunity remains for tech companies to give back to the community that made them.
Even today, it is disheartening to know tens of millions of people in the United States do not have access to the Internet, let alone over 50% of the world. Our government has recognized that broadband access is as vital to our lives as water or electricity.
It goes without saying online connectivity greatly advantages those who have it; hence, a wide disparity exists between those who have it and those who don’t. Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to bring affordable basic Internet service to the world through Internet.org have been one of the most notable initiatives.
It’s the best way to ensure equal opportunity for a generation increasingly defined by a disappearing middle class. As beneficiaries of online services and marketplaces, tech companies should work toward making a positive impact in their own communities or a greater impact in the world.
No program better exemplifies the “tech for good” mantra than , a public-private partnership with internet service providers like Cox and Google that will expand high-speed broadband access to 275,000 low-income Americans. President Obama announced the initiative on Wednesday, recognizing the disadvantages those without Internet access face when it comes to education and employment. For some Americans, broadband access will cost just $10 a month. ConnectHome is a model for how startups can give back.
Giving back isn’t limited to government initiatives, though. Sean Parker has self-funded his eponymous foundation to the tune of $600 million demonstrating the social good tech leaders can bring to the world. Parker, whose contributions to Facebook make him among Silicon Valley’s wealthiest, established the. Parker foundation to tackle not only nearby issues like civic engagement, but moonshots like global public health and biotech as well. He hopes to leverage the startup mentality he’s gained over the years to affect large-scale change.
Companies like SurveyMonkey are creating products designed to give back, too. SurveyMonkey Contribute lets users take surveys and be rewarded with a charitable donation to a participating charity of their choice. So far SurveyMonkey Contribute has raised over $5 million in donations to charities like Doctors Without Borders, American Red Cross, and The Humane Society Of The United States. SurveyMonkey’s platform is now organically giving back to those who need help the most.s
There’s no doubt that we’re living in an entrepreneurial environment — startups shouldn’t be shamed for serving viable markets. But that economic imperative doesn’t absolve them of their responsibility to make their products as accessible as possible. These values shouldn’t have to be preached; they should be engrained in Silicon Valley culture.
We are privileged to benefit from technology, and ultimately that obliges us to take on greater responsibility that comes with the privileges we enjoy every day.
来源：techcrunch
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