I chose to join my current startup precisely because of the moral implications. It's a "change the world" (i.e, the real world) kind of an idea, the linchpin of which is technology-based. I wish I say more about it than that, but we're hush-hush about it for the time being.
It's interesting that I'm not alone here, that other founders here (YC-funded or otherwise -- we're not) also aim to improve the world somehow with their companies.
I saw an article recently in the WSJ [1] about how young people now are more philanthropic than previous generations. Whereas in the past, philanthropy was the domain of the rich (think Andrew Carnegie), the Internet now allows individuals, even children, to each contribute effectively in small ways. Combined together in large numbers, these small contributions can be significant.
Of course, I'm not only talking about money here. By "contribute", I also mean knowledge (e.g, Wikipedia), resources (e.g, OLPC "buy one get one"), and so on. The "new philanthropy" is all about the sum of small, individual contributions. I think this trend in the startups around here are part of this.
It's interesting that I'm not alone here, that other founders here (YC-funded or otherwise -- we're not) also aim to improve the world somehow with their companies.
I saw an article recently in the WSJ [1] about how young people now are more philanthropic than previous generations. Whereas in the past, philanthropy was the domain of the rich (think Andrew Carnegie), the Internet now allows individuals, even children, to each contribute effectively in small ways. Combined together in large numbers, these small contributions can be significant.
Of course, I'm not only talking about money here. By "contribute", I also mean knowledge (e.g, Wikipedia), resources (e.g, OLPC "buy one get one"), and so on. The "new philanthropy" is all about the sum of small, individual contributions. I think this trend in the startups around here are part of this.
[1]: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118765256378003494.html?mod=...