The Responsibility Revolution

The Tipping Point

September 3, 2020 by Justin Morante

When we look back on 2020, we may very well view it as the year of the "tipping point." Certainly from a political and cultural standpoint, we are seeing the result of several years, perhaps decades of building tension. The same can be argued in the tech world. The story behind Epic's lawsuit against tech giants Apple and Google for example, was not written overnight. But regardless of how or why it originated, a tipping point has indeed been reached, and Malcolm Gladwell is looking more and more insightful by the day.

A Crucial Time

The Epic case is only part of a larger discussion in the tech world regarding regulation and corporate responsibility. Many feel that the tech giants have run amok in recent years, and it is becoming hard to argue otherwise. In addition to the Oligopolistic hold which Apple and Google have on the App market, many feel that the social media giants have long been disregarding First Amendment rights with overt forms of censorship. These are just two examples of areas where new regulation seems to be warranted.

The truth is that we often don't view businesses the way we view government. For example, we understand almost instinctively that government needs a system of check and balances to keep it from becoming tyrannical. On the other hand, we usually think of companies - even tech giants - as private companies, free to do as they please. But, at what point do we acknowledge that corporations too can become tyrannical? Anyone who once doubted this need look no further than the Epic case. How it plays out may be pivotal in determining a standard for future regulation of tech companies in general. For more on this topic, check out episode 11 of The While Loop entitled, "Is Michael Fassbender too nice? Should you watch Lincoln? Isn't this a tech Podcast?"