Technology is one of the most powerful forces shaping our society and lives.
Properly wielded it is a true super power. But the technology industry hasn’t done enough to guard against its downsides, actually exacerbating some of society’s biggest problems, from income inequality, to the marginalization of people, to misinformation.
Technology will continue to advance at an accelerated rate and impact lives profoundly, for better or worse. Companies and technologies must have a DNA of responsibility. We have the power to shape standards for tomorrow's technologies — to have innovation truly serve the needs of the world.
That's the promise of Responsible Innovation.
“We shape our tools and, thereafter, our tools shape us,” wrote John Culkin.
We are building Responsible Innovation Labs because that has never been truer than it is now. Our attention, our health, our work, the shape of our governments, the fate of our planet, all are shaped by and dependent on our technology.
Humanity has only a small number of tools to shape the world.
Technological innovation—in most cases driven by ambitious technology companies—is among the most important. It is, if we dare say it, a high calling — for founders, investors, and everyone building it.
The innovation economy changes our world.
It attracts vast amounts of capital, drives the lion's share of growth, and, perhaps more importantly, houses many of the brightest minds in our society. Many care about their impact on the world. We're building tools and standards to help them.
Many of the best founders and investors understand why this matters.
They understand that what they build, the incentives they create, whose problems they solve—and which ones they ignore—all matter, not just to them, but to the world. Responsible innovation isn’t just an economic imperative, it’s a moral one.
Incorporating better, more sustainable practices into every level of your work is not only the right thing to do, but also helps you align your company with the concerns of your customers. That’s why we’re excited to see the creation of RIL and more focus on the mindset and methods of building responsible companies.
- First Name Last Name, Title, Company
Incorporating better, more sustainable practices into every level of your work is not only the right thing to do, but also helps you align your company with the concerns of your customers. That’s why we’re excited to see the creation of RIL and more focus on the mindset and methods of building responsible companies.
- First Name Last Name, Title, Company
We are a non-profit coalition of leaders working to fulfill the promise of Responsible Innovation.
We are believers in tech and in the power of the private market. We understand that the innovation economy must be transformed for the benefit of the world and that we can best transform it from the inside out. Together, we will write new standards for ethically deploying technology and building enduring companies.
Toyin Ajayi
Co-Founder and President, Cityblock Health
Neil Blumenthal
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Warby Parker
Jim Breyer
Founder and CEO, Breyer Capital
Melanie Perkins
Co-Founder and CEO, Canva
Rachel Carlson
Co-Founder and CEO, Guild Education
Ken Chenault
Chairman and Managing Director, General Catalyst
Ken Frazier
Chairman, Health Assurance Initiatives, General Catalyst; Executive Chairman, Merck
Jon Iwata
Executive Fellow, Yale School of Management
Maurice Jones
CEO, OneTen
Youngme Moon
Donald K. David Professor of Business, Harvard Business School; Board Member, Mastercard, Sweetgreen, Unilever, Warby Parker
Sam Palmisano
Chairman, Center for Global Enterprise; former Chairman and CEO, IBM
Josh Reeves
Co-Founder and CEO, Gusto
Glen Tullman
CEO, Transcarent
Elena Donio
Board Director, Twilio and Databricks; former Director and CEO, Axiom
Jon Zieger
Executive Director and Co-Founder, RILabs; Ex-General Counsel, Stripe
Hemant Taneja
Co-Founder, RILabs; Managing Partner, General Catalyst
Diede van Lamoen
Co-Founder, RILabs; Co-Founder, Commure
Jon Zieger
Co-Founder and Executive Director, RILabs; former General Counsel, Stripe
Diede van Lamoen
Co-Founder, RILabs; Co-Founder, Commure
Hemant Taneja
Co-Founder and Chairman, RILabs; Managing Partner, General Catalyst
Institutional partners:
Responsible Innovation Labs’ mission is to create standards of innovation to serve the needs of a global society, and build enduring companies that re-center technology as a force for good.
With innovation comes responsibility — to generate returns beyond profits and to make technology a force for good in the world. Companies can no longer be engineered solely for growth. They must embrace the right constraints, transparency and framework to engineer for growth and good. We must set clear and consistent standards for what defines a successful company in this next era.
Framework for Responsible Innovation
The best companies growing and scaling today care about their impact on the world. But there are inconsistencies in how this intent gets put into practice. That's why we need standards for Responsible Innovation. To be effective, these standards must be at the core of investment decisions, business models, brand visions, and company cultures from the outset —and then reinforced by private sector leaders, boards, and policymakers.
These standards must be built on the following core pillars of action:
Advance Economic Inclusion
Technology reshapes how we work and who gains in our economy. And we must ensure no one is left behind by what we create. This means investing in more evenly distributed prosperity through entrepreneurship, education, equity and access.
Build Sustainably
Responsible companies must commit to environmental sustainability from the outset. By design, our operations, products and footprints must be sustainable and in service of the wellbeing of the planet and its people.
Respect People
Human flourishing is the measure by which innovation should be judged. And every human being has autonomy, value and dignity. We must build business models and products that safeguard those values, including the privacy, security and safety of users.
Champion Diversity
Enduring businesses cannot be built without exceptional people. Only by building organizations that are diverse and inclusive will companies be capable of seeing—and addressing—the broadest spectrum of human needs.
Innovate Intentionally
Technology's world-changing power must be wielded with care. We have an obligation to consider the impacts our technologies will have on the world, and to build rigor into our operations and governance to minimize negative unintended consequences.
Strengthen Democracy
Innovation exists for the benefit of society. Our companies must help secure a more prosperous, peaceful and free world. Technology that undermines core institutions, including a free press, democratic governments, and the just rule of law, must be avoided.
To be meaningful, these standards must be broadly credible, living and reflective of the best thought from both inside and outside of industry.
It will take all of us working together.
Innovation is driven by an ecosystem. Much of the Labs' work to develop standards will initially focus on engaging founders and investors, who have a special responsibility for the companies they build and fund. But great companies are shaped not only by visionary founders and investors, but also by executives, employees, customers, policymakers and more. We will need all of them to help us develop standards and, as importantly, to hold companies accountable to them.
Today’s technology will have an outsized impact on the future of society. It can help solve our hardest problems or make them worse. Many--even most--companies want to do the right thing and improve life on this planet. But how? What are the best ideas and practices? That’s where RI Labs comes in.
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