Technology Giveth—and Technology Taketh Away
Twenty-five years ago, a young man graduated from high school and began working in the forest industry. It was honest, physically demanding work that seemed capable of providing him with a secure future. Then an injury made it impossible for him to continue. At almost any other point in history, that injury might have permanently narrowed his prospects. But this was the beginning of the Internet age. Governments were investing in technology training to prepare people for what was being called the new economy. He enrolled in a basic programming course and discovered an extraordinary aptitude for technology. Soon afterward, he joined a small software startup. It was the sort of company where everyone did more than their job description. There were systems to design, problems to solve and applications to build—often with limited resources and no roadmap. He became one of the company’s most valuable contributors. He was not
