We don’t need to rely on the big boys of tech anymore
There’s 2 things I hate equally. Company websites that are exclusively on Facebook. And blog posts that only link to Amazon when they recommend products. Those are two things I hate because it reinforces the reliance we have on these companies, and the dominance and influence they hold over us. It’s particularly frustrating in today’s world because a website costs almost nothing to set up and maintain, and the tools to build one are so intuitive that anyone can do it. We don’t need to rely on a free link from Facebook. Similarly, Amazon is no longer the only option. Other sites exist, plus, most retailers now offer free shipping on items over a certain dollar amount. And if it isn’t delivered same day or next day, does that really matter? I guess I should also note that I don’t have a Facebook account, and therefore can’t see Facebook websites, nor do I subscribe to Prime, so knowing it’s on Amazon (everything is on Amazon) isn’t that helpful to me. But I guess that’s kind of the point.
In exchange for a free website, cheaper prices, and faster shipping we’ve handed over the power to decide who’s in and who’s. In exchange for free cheap shit, we’ve handed over enormous influence and wealth. It’s a bad trade that’s not improving our lives.
It’s similar to what we did with Instagram, X, BlueSky, TikTok. In exchange for instant access to free information we’ve handed them the power to monopolize our time and decide what information we see. In exchange for free low grade information, we’ve handed over enormous influence and wealth.
But, with the advancements in AI I see a massive opportunity for this to change, and so I keep writing about it (here and here), hoping that it catches on. The big tech companies are simply too big to change and innovate, leaving the door open to outsiders. Even if they wanted to pivot to a kinder model, they couldn’t without destroying their stock price. Their business model is too heavily dependent on the current system. They’re too entrenched. They’d collapse. Their inability to change is laying fertile ground for real disruption.
AI has created this huge opportunity for anyone to take a chance on their ideas, and disrupt the companies that were once the disruptors. I don’t know if any of these companies sees it coming, but I hope they don’t. Our world runs on technology, and AI is placing the power in our hands to chart a different course forward. AI is making it possible for anyone, anywhere, to build out anything, for close to free. Making it possible to accomplish a total disruption of the tech industry, using the tool that the industry built. Paving the way for a different ending to the story than previously anticipated.