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vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

Tweets

Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

This is my conversational account. For my work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

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    Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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    A thought that’s been at the back of my mind: technology specifically designed with the poor in mind (as opposed to stuff just getting cheaper as it rides cost curves to commoditization) inevitably ends up being technology designed to keep them poor.

    7:26 PM - 7 Sep 2019
    • 6 Retweets
    • 53 Likes
    • nick ketan_rathod Andrew Nadia Maxim Leyzerovich forvrin has his masters Somatic Historian ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Hannah) Meaning conference
    14 replies 6 retweets 53 likes
      1. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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        This is a hypothesis. I don’t know if it’s true or how to rest it.

        3 replies 0 retweets 9 likes
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      2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @Aelkus

        Not trickle-down, cost-down. Entirely different economic dynamics that don’t rely on good intentions.

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      2. Charles Neill  🥴‏ @ccneill 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @vgr

        Not saying it's necessarily an example of successful tech, but what about stuff like OLPC? Might break down along "people need this to live, so exploit their need & claim to benefit them" and "this is actually meant to benefit them" products What examples do you have in mind?

        1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
      3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @ccneill

        That’s actually the example I had in mind. Patronizing tech basically.

        1 reply 1 retweet 3 likes
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      2. N.S.  🧪‏ @noahsussman 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @vgr

        Almost as if the people funding the tech VC firms don't want to help poor people at all 🤔

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @noahsussman

        Most tech “designed for the poor” tends to be by well-intentioned nonprofit or public sector efforts. The private sector stuff tends to be either outright predatory like payday loans, or high-grading driven. VC money rarely directly targets low-income markets.

        3 replies 2 retweets 6 likes
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      2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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        Clever line 🙂 Yeah something like that. Essentializimg effects.

        0 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
      3. End of conversation
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      2. Micah Redding  🧬 ⚙️ 🔥 🗽‏ @micahtredding 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @vgr

        What’s the dynamic that “keeps them poor”? For OLPC, is it training on the wrong software ecosystem? Or taking the place of some other kind of product? Something else?

        3 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 7 Sep 2019
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        Replying to @micahtredding

        I don’t have a theory or argument yet. That’s why it’s just a hypothesis.

        2 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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