Hailed by Ken Burns as one of the foremost "explainers" of technology and its effect throughout history, Tom Wheeler now turns his gaze to the public impact of entrepreneurial innovation. In Techlash, he connects the experiences of the late 19th century's industrial Gilded Age with its echoes in the 21st century digital Gilded Age. In both cases, technology innovation and the great wealth that it created ran up against the public interest and the rights of others. As with the industrial revolution and the Gilded Age that it created, new digital technology has changed commerce and culture, creating great wealth in the process, all while being essentially unsupervised. Warning that today is not the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" some envision, Wheeler calls for a new era of public interest oversight that leaves behind industrial era regulatory ideas to embrace a new process of agile, supervised and enforced code setting that protects consumers and competition while encouraging continued innovation. Wheeler combines insights from his experience at the highest echelons of business and government to create a compelling portrait of the need to balance entrepreneurial innovation with the public good.
Businessman, venture capitalist, and former chairman of the Federal Communication Corporation during the Obama administration, Tom Wheeler is the author of several books including, most recently, From Gutenberg to Google: The History of Our Future (Brookings, 2019). He resides in Washington, DC.
In graceful and concise language, Tom Wheeler brings his entrepreneurial and regulatory experience to explain and demystify the impact of digital technology on our economy and society and how government must come off the sidelines to protect the public interest. Wheeler calls for government oversight with a new, flexible regulatory framework fit for the speed of technology that would protect the public while encouraging innovation. Techlash is an outstanding and necessary read for all who want to understand the impact of our digital economy and how to curb its excesses without curbing its benefits.--Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) Tom Wheeler's TECHLASH is an urgent and timely work of public service. For too long, the American people have been left to defend themselves against powerful tech companies that erode their privacy, addict their kids, and undermine our democracy. Wheeler's lucid and historically grounded book describes the utter inadequacy of our existing regulatory structure to defend the American people against technologies moving at the speed of light, and he makes a compelling case to stand up a new federal body to oversee digital platforms and defend the public interest -- just as we did for radio, air travel, and pharmaceuticals at previous moments in our history. If we choose to meet our moment, TECHLASH shows us the way.--Senator Michael Bennet Tom Wheeler brings an invaluable mix of insight, experience and historical knowledge to this critical challenge for our age: how do we protect innovation and the fruits of the digital revolution while also protecting individual rights and the broader public interest? At a moment when "technology is policy" and the coders hold the keys, the need for wise and nimble regulation grows more apparent by the day. Wheeler is uniquely positioned to sort through the challenges, choices, and competing values and this book will be essential reading for all those invested in platform accountability and the health of our information ecosystem.--Nancy Gibbs, Director Shorenstein Center for Media and Policy, Harvard Kennedy School, former managing editor TIME Once again, Tom Wheeler makes sense out of the dizzying technological changes that often seem to initially befuddle and beset us before they come into sharper focus, a focus he brings to each page and each new idea. Wheeler understands in his bones that "what is past is prologue," and so he correctly anchors the new in the context of what has taken place before. Ecclesiastes is always right: "There's nothing new under the sun," but it sometimes takes an original thinker to make clearer the "mess" in front of us. Bravo!--Ken Burns The clarion call by Tom Wheeler for a new model of governance in the Internet age demands our attention. Wheeler's thoughtful case for agile oversight is grounded in history and should be read by all who care about public policy.--Phil Weiser, Attorney General of Colorado In this tour de force, Tom Wheeler not only unpacks the challenges that the new gilded age poses to consumer privacy, competition, truth, and trust but also highlights ways to safeguard them and us. An eye-opening guide to a more hopeful future!--Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania Tom Wheeler is one of the major global players on Technology and Media regulation in the 21st century. Techlash is a powerful book that speaks to some of the most important issues facing our society. Wheeler's expertise as both a business leader and America's top media regulator offers a unique and trenchant perspective that makes this a must read for anyone concerned about technology's impact on our lives... and on our children's lives.--James P. Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, Stanford Professor and bestselling author
