The power of software to improve our lives and our world is almost limitless. Consequently, those creating software are wielding a power that demands a new level of responsibility.
When I think about how fast the world is changing, I wonder how our ancestors must have felt at the dawn of past industrial revolutions. Everything changed — the way we made, shipped, and sold goods evolved, and daily schedules and lives changed as people moved to cities to escape subsistence farming and find work in factories and mills. All of this change was fueled by new technologies and innovations. While many of these changes were positive, there were risks and costs, such as increased injuries, rising wealth inequality, and, as urbanization took hold, an increased spread of disease. It became the responsibility of factory workers, and in some cases the government, to address these concerns in order for our economy and society to flourish and grow.