Focus on Mindset and Mechanisms

Referring to his Harvard Business Review article “The Era of ‘Move Fast and Break Things’ is Over,” General Catalyst managing director Hemant Taneja argues that the vast majority of founders don’t intend to cause social harms. Because most negative consequences of new technologies are unintentional, he emphasizes, it’s extremely important for entrepreneurs to develop a mindset focused on understanding the second- and third-order effects of their businesses. With that intention in mind, he continues, founders should carefully monitor the consequences of the technologies they are developing, and seek alignments between their short-term business goals and long-term benefits to society.