Are there any well funded tech startups / companies tackling major societal problems?
Any of these fair game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_global_issues
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I don't see or hear of any and want to know if this is just my bias or if there really is a shortage of resources in tech being allocated to solving the worlds most important problems. I'm sure I'm not the only engineer that's looking out for companies like this.
Ran into this previous Ask HN (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24168902) that asked a similar question. However, here I wanna focus on the better funded efforts (not side projects, philanthropy etc).
One example I've heard so far is Tesla. Any others?
The biggest impacts can often be made in areas that are most neglected and have high negative or positive outcomes. At the very least it will help you form a mental model of how to spend your time and the types of problems to focus on.
Loon uses standard 3GPP (LTE) protocols, so devices are available at low cost and even lower in used markets.
I don't work for Loon or Google, just interested in HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo Satellites) to provide low cost connectivity.
[1] https://loon.com/
[2] https://medium.com/loon-for-all/loon-is-live-in-kenya-259d81...
Edit: fixed references
Starlink could also be used to provide backhaul to cell towers which work with standard 3GPP protocol and provide the same service as terrestrial networks.
HAPS Mobile has got a good video (< 5 min) on what it is and their vision [2]
[1] https://www.hapsmobile.com/en/
[2] https://youtu.be/zxWODb6Uqgs
Edit: I've no affiliation with HAPS Mobile, Softbank, Google :)
I also think that fast(er) internet without relying on governments could be interesting for many people in presumably developed countries like France and Germany and make living outside of large cities much more attractive to many.
Not all these companies will make it. There's a risk associated with working on these problems that is not always countered by the rapid revenue growth associated with a well-funded tech company. Having worked at a company that was briefly situated at Greentown, I will say there is an energy associated with working there. It made my optimistic that people are actually working hard on these problems, and we have a chance at solving some of them within my lifetime.
I'm sure things are a bit more difficult with the current pandemic considering their buildings' layouts (like most open workplaces), but I'd wholeheartedly recommend people interested to taking a serious look.
In particular, Otherlab companies: https://www.otherlab.com/
Most (not all) of the people (engineers, founders, leaders, etc) I talk to want to work on these problems. Google and Facebook are both driven by missions to do this. They get a lot of things right. They also get a lot of things wrong. So does Microsoft. But take a look at the mission and impact of both the Gates Foundation and the Zuckerberg-Chan foundation and I think you'll see that the founders care deeply about the impact that they are having. Execution on that impact is another matter.
The best companies focus on a specific well defined problem. When looking at companies, ask what problem they are trying to solve. Is this a mission that you can get excited about?
Next, is the company approaching this problem from a direction that resonates with you? Is there approach likely to work? What are the risks and potential side effects?
Facebook has done a lot of amazing and wonderful things. It's also created some problems. You have to balance that tension. All well-intentioned efforts come with risks regardless of whether those efforts originate from government, non-profit or business activities.
I'd encourage you not to slip to far into a cynical view of the world. Yes, there are lots of problems. Fantastic. Focus on what you can change and go find solutions.
> One example I've heard so far is Tesla. Any others?
Lol, Tesla is not an example. They are a carmaker. Nothing Tesla does will change the world for the better. In fact investing in automobiles in any form is counter-productive when we should be reverting post-war city design mistakes. The best thing for the world would be to live in walkable communities with inter-city trains taking care of long-distance travel.
Tesla is a great example of the flaw in your question: looking toward a highly-funded company out to change the world is an impossibility. Highly funded companies are expected to produce revenue growth. That’s it. There’s no such thing as a for-profit company out to solve world problems unless solving those problems involves increasing profit.
So, like I said, what you’re looking for is probably a non-profit, a government agency, or research institution.
And don’t expect to get highly competitive salary to do work that helps people.
Yup, this is exactly what I was hoping wasn't true: That it's impossible to be both well funded, high revenue growth AND do so while tackling a meaningful problem. ---
Don't want to make this thread about all the ways in which Tesla is a bad example (just first one that came to mind).
Interested in improving the state of the art in detecting cancer - paigeai is building automated pathology tools.
A somewhat USA specific one, but goodrx is helping folks afford medications.
Quite a few of those "issues" in your link get you way past traditional Tech company turf, but all will need software engineers! There are a lot of cool biotech companies out there who would need software engineers!