The Age of the Business Idiot: Tech Giants and the Illusion of AI Progress

This article offers a scathing critique of the prevalence of 'Business Idiots' in the tech industry. The author argues that many tech executives lack a deep understanding of their own businesses and technologies, blindly chasing short-term gains and market hype, leading to the overuse and waste of resources on technologies like AI. They treat AI as a panacea for all problems, rather than focusing on customer needs and product value. This phenomenon stems from decades of neoliberal thinking and an overemphasis on shareholder value, resulting in management detaching from reality, fixated on superficial metrics while ignoring product quality and employee well-being. The article uses numerous examples, including tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta, and failed startups, to demonstrate the pervasiveness and dangers of this phenomenon. Ultimately, the author calls for a disruption of this distorted business model, advocating for a renewed focus on technological value, product quality, and employee rights.