“Tech:” The Curse and The Cure: Why and How Silicon Valley Should Support Economic SecurityShould Support Economic Security

Silicon Valley has become a looking glass into a possible tech-centric future. Some aspects are innovative and inspiring—watching cars drive themselves—while others seem rather dystopian—walking in curves to avoid the bodies of the majority Bay Area native1 homeless in downtown San Francisco. This Article first examines the “curse,” the traceable relationship between the Bay Area’s rapid innovation and the gentrification and helplessness that permeate it. The impact of economic growth in the tech sector on poverty and wealth inequality is explored in the frames of automation, innovation, and infrastructure. The latter part of this Article explores “cures,” starting with corporate philanthropy and ending with alternatives to the current tech infrastructure. What if the beneficiaries of technology could recognize their impact and address it directly? What if tech capital could be accessible to all? This section introduces a theoretical policy initiative inspired by universal basic income.