The Braze For Impact Podcast #3: Pump The Tax Breaks

What responsibility do tech companies have to the world around them? This is the question at the heart of this episode of Braze For Impact, our weekly roundup of the tech industry. We sat down with Braze Product Manager Boris Revechkis and Account Executive Ryan Doyle to talk through some recent civic-minded topics, including:

Is Amazon interested in making the world a better place?

New York Times columnist Kara Swisher doesn’t seem to think so. We use this article as a jumping off point for a larger discussion about Amazon’s brief foray with New York City life—including the sizable tax breaks that attracted the retail (and everything else!) giant to Long Island City and the public backlash that eventually sent them packing. The whole Amazon HQ2 fiasco presents a tough question: What do you do when the incentives that drive progress from a business perspective cause undesirable outcomes for the surrounding community? It’s a question that’s leading to soul-searching throughout the tech industry and our guests have some thoughts.

What’s the state of the business world as Davos rolls around?

We discuss Tim Leberecht’s new article “Purpose Washing, Hustle Culture, and Automation: Business at a Crossroads”, which explores the sticky contradictions today’s businesses are dealing with. For many, it’s a daily battle between short term profit versus long term impact. CEOs are faced with a double agenda where they must please shareholders while also staying aware of how their company affects the world at large. How can businesses make less of a carbon footprint? How can they treat users’ data responsibly? How can they stand in the way of growing income equality? These are questions on the minds of people across the tech industry.

Sure, we dive into some heavy, important questions on this episode of Braze For Impact. But don’t worry: We still find time to shame Ryan for never watching Game of Thrones. In short, there’s something for everyone! Get the full episode right here.