--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For Silicon Valley and its idols…" description: "\"For Silicon Valley and its idols, innovation is the new selfishness.\" — Evgeny Morozov" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png" --- # For Silicon Valley and its idols, innovation is the new… ![“For Silicon Valley and its idols, innovation is the new selfishness.” quote by Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png) > “For Silicon Valley and its idols, innovation is the new selfishness.” [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Innovation is framed as a moral imperative, turning self-interest into a societal expectation. **In simple terms:** Innovation becomes a new form of selfishness. Key Takeaway Question the motives behind innovation. Themes technology ethics selfishness societal pressure Mood critical analytical Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - startup culture - policy making - personal career decisions Key Concepts sociology philosophy economics Questions to Reflect On - What drives your innovative pursuits? - Can innovation be altruistic? A Different Perspective Innovation can also serve collective good. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idols/) [Idols Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idols-innovation-3179417/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [New Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-selfishness-3179416/) [Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfishness/) [Silicon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon/) [Silicon valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon-valley/) [Valleys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valleys/) ## Related quotes > [The director of the FBI has been visiting Silicon Valley companies asking them to build back doors so that it can spy on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/the-director-of-the-fbi-has-been-visiting-silicon-valley-companies/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Jean-Paul Sartre, the existentialist philosopher who celebrated the anguish of decision as a hallmark of responsibility, has no place in Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/jean-paul-sartre-the-existentialist-philosopher-who-celebrated-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Introverts listen better, they assess risks more carefully, they can be wiser managers. It's not for nothing that the Silicon Valley billionaires are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/introverts-listen-better-they-assess-risks-more-carefully-they-can-be/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [If I were starting now I would do things very differently. I didn't know anything. In Silicon Valley, you get this feeling that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/if-i-were-starting-now-i-would-do-things-very-differently-i-didn-t/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [You want failures to be small and informational. Silicon Valley does very well. It knows how to use failure as a tool for improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-want-failures-to-be-small-and-informational-silicon-valley-does/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If valleys are the dimples on the face of the earth, as Steven King once said, then Silicon Valley is the deepest, most sparkling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-dravis/if-valleys-are-the-dimples-on-the-face-of-the-earth-as-steven-king/) [Betty Dravis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-dravis/) > [The romance of Silicon Valley was about money - excuse me, about changing the world, one million dollars at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-gassee/the-romance-of-silicon-valley-was-about-money-excuse-me-about/) [Jean-Louis Gassee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-gassee/) > [Silicon Valley, "the largest legal creation of wealth in history," was built largely by unprofessional amateurs using math, sand, and the institutions of freedom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strong/silicon-valley-the-largest-legal-creation-of-wealth-in-history-was/) [Michael Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strong/) > [Over the next 10 years, I expect many more industries to be disrupted by software, with new world-beating Silicon Valley companies doing the disruption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/over-the-next-10-years-i-expect-many-more-industries-to-be-disrupted/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [The Kindle is the most successful electronic book-reading tablet so far, but that's not saying much; Silicon Valley is littered with the corpses of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-pogue/the-kindle-is-the-most-successful-electronic-book-reading-tablet-so/) [David Pogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-pogue/) > [China is to stock fraud as Silicon Valley is to technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/china-is-to-stock-fraud-as-silicon-valley-is-to-technology/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [You look around the world at geniuses, and they don't appear randomly, they appear in genius clusters. Athens in 50 BC, Florence 1500, Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/you-look-around-the-world-at-geniuses-and-they-don-t-appear-randomly/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [I think there are four or five interesting pockets where a lot of cool technology companies are getting started. Chicago is one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lefkofsky/i-think-there-are-four-or-five-interesting-pockets-where-a-lot-of/) [Eric Lefkofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lefkofsky/) > [Autism is a big continuum, going from someone who remains nonverbal, all the way up to geniuses on Silicon Valley. And some kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/autism-is-a-big-continuum-going-from-someone-who-remains-nonverbal/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## More by Evgeny Morozov > [“If Amazon’s dream of a world without gatekeepers becomes reality, then the company itself will become a powerful gatekeeper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/if-amazon-s-dream-of-a-world-without-gatekeepers-becomes-reality-then/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [For many oppositional movements, the Internet, while providing the opportunity to distribute information more quickly and cheaper, may have actually made their struggle more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-many-oppositional-movements-the-internet-while-providing-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [To fully absorb the lessons of the Internet, urge the Internet-centrists, we need to reshape our political and social institutions in its image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/to-fully-absorb-the-lessons-of-the-internet-urge-the-internet/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [As Barbara Streisand discovered, adopting a militaristic posture against a tech-savvy mob of civil libertarians is not going to be of much help: Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/as-barbara-streisand-discovered-adopting-a-militaristic-posture/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [The Egyptian experience suggests that social media can greatly accelerate the death of already dying authoritarian regimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/the-egyptian-experience-suggests-that-social-media-can-greatly/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [In business, standards establish the rules of the game, creating path dependencies as investments are made and corresponding designs are set in stone and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/in-business-standards-establish-the-rules-of-the-game-creating-path/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Military commanders do not want to be tried for war crimes, even if those crimes are committed online.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/military-commanders-do-not-want-to-be-tried-for-war-crimes-even-if/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [When we get the remote Russian village online, what will get people to the Internet is not going to be reports from Human Rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/when-we-get-the-remote-russian-village-online-what-will-get-people-to/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [ “To reject solutionism is to transcend the narrow-minded rationalistic mindset that recasts every instance of an efficiency deficit \[...\] as an obstacle that needs… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/to-reject-solutionism-is-to-transcend-the-narrow-minded-rationalistic/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Information technology has been one of the leading drivers of globalization, and it may also become one of its major victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/information-technology-has-been-one-of-the-leading-drivers-of/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Universities ought to be aware of the degree they would want to accept funding from governments like China to work on, say, face recognition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/universities-ought-to-be-aware-of-the-degree-they-would-want-to/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [“Thomas Friedman, the New York Times foreign affairs columnist, in his typical fashion, trivialized—and did much to popularize—the “dictator’s dilemma” fallacy by coining a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/thomas-friedman-the-new-york-times-foreign-affairs-columnist-in-his/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [If WikiLeaks were a for-profit company, determining its real value would be a nearly impossible task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/if-wikileaks-were-a-for-profit-company-determining-its-real-value/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [The implications are clear: Facebook wants to build an Internet where watching films, listening to music, reading books and even browsing is done not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/the-implications-are-clear-facebook-wants-to-build-an-internet-where/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) [Explore all 143 Evgeny Morozov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) ## More Idols quotes > [That's one of my idols, I really look up to Pacquiao. This guy is everything I would want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-garcia/that-s-one-of-my-idols-i-really-look-up-to-pacquiao-this-guy-is/) [Ryan Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-garcia/) > [Tis easy to break an idol, very easy: to regard the self as easy to subdue is folly, folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/tis-easy-to-break-an-idol-very-easy-to-regard-the-self-as-easy-to/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [ The fact that an Englishman has an Argentinian as an idol is very rare. I keep watching my \[title-winning\] goal against QPR and every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aguero/the-fact-that-an-englishman-has-an-argentinian-as-an-idol-is-very/) [Sergio Aguero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aguero/) > [Proof is an idol before which the mathematician tortures himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/proof-is-an-idol-before-which-the-mathematician-tortures-himself/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [“‎A careful reading of the Old and New Testaments shows that idolatry is nothing like the crude picture that springs to mind of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-keyes/a-careful-reading-of-the-old-and-new-testaments-shows-that-idolatry/) [Richard Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-keyes/) > [I'm cute - and God I hate that. Because that's not cool. I'm like your niece, and nobody wants to date their niece. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-clarkson/i-m-cute-and-god-i-hate-that-because-that-s-not-cool-i-m-like-your/) [Kelly Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-clarkson/) > [The idols of one's adolescence tend to endure - you never forget how you worshipped them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-idols-of-one-s-adolescence-tend-to-endure-you-never-forget-how/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [“We must not touch our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/we-must-not-touch-our-idols-the-gilt-sticks-to-our-fingers/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [My idol was Sandino, and also Christ. I was brought up a Christian, but I regarded Christ as a rebel, a revolutionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ortega/my-idol-was-sandino-and-also-christ-i-was-brought-up-a-christian-but/) [Daniel Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ortega/) > [My idols have always stuck to their guns and said what they want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/my-idols-have-always-stuck-to-their-guns-and-said-what-they-want-to-do/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [A lot of the former Idols were voting for me, and that makes me feel really good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-porsha-renae/a-lot-of-the-former-idols-were-voting-for-me-and-that-makes-me-feel/) [La'Porsha Renae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-porsha-renae/) > [And one fine day the goddess of the wind kisses the foot of man, that mistreated, scorned foot, and from that kiss the soccer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/and-one-fine-day-the-goddess-of-the-wind-kisses-the-foot-of-man-that/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [First Moloch, horrid king, besmirched in blood, Of Human sacrifice, and parent's tears, Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, Their childrens'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/first-moloch-horrid-king-besmirched-in-blood-of-human-sacrifice-and/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [You're killing yourself with cynicism. Your idols got taken away from you one by one and now you have nothing to give your love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-re-killing-yourself-with-cynicism-your-idols-got-taken-away-from/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the case. The greater the good, the more likely we are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/we-think-that-idols-are-bad-things-but-that-is-almost-never-the-case/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) [Browse all 856 Idols quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idols/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For Silicon Valley and its idols, innovation is the new selfishness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evgeny Morozov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovation-is-the-new-selfishness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idols" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovation-is-the-new-selfishness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16a/evgeny-morozov-2995_idols_for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovat_1140869.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For Silicon Valley and its idols, innovation is the new selfishness.” — Evgeny Morozov", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Evgeny Morozov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For Silicon Valley and its idols,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovation-is-the-new-selfishness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-silicon-valley-and-its-idols-innovation-is-the-new-selfishness/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```