Education + Research
Why education + research?
Since 2016, TechEquity has been working to answer a simple but ambitious question: what would it take for the growth of the tech industry to benefit everyone?
We believe tech can foster prosperity, not exacerbate inequity. We investigate emerging areas at the intersection of tech and economic equity, illuminating systems that cause people harm so we can shift them to benefit people instead. We specifically explore where tech intersects with the most consequential areas of the economy for everyday people: where they live (housing) and the conditions under which they work (labor).
Using research informed by real-life experiences, we raise public awareness about how the tech industry deepens economic inequity for workers and renters and recommend solutions so that tech creates opportunity. These stories help us make a case to policymakers, the industry, and the public that intervention is needed to address these inequities and make tech a force for good. Read more about the stories behind our work.
We raise awareness, often in collaboration with partner organizations, through public education, including online and in-person events. We also actively reach out to the media to ensure the voices of impacted communities are included in their coverage of the tech industry.
In short: we’re changing the public conversation to pave the way for equitable tech policy.
Research in action
- In 2018, Google hit a milestone in which contract workers outnumbered direct employees for the first time in the company’s 20-year history, and it’s predicted that within a decade, contract workers and freelancers could make up half of the American workforce
- Contract workers are paid less, receive fewer benefits, and are disproportionately women, non-binary, and people of color
- Generative AI developers have hidden armies of contract workers training language models and moderating content— sometimes for less than $2 per hour
- In the face of an inaccessible housing market, an estimated 36 million buyers have purchased homes with alternative financing, like “rent-to-own,” that echo discriminatory and predatory practices of the past
- Algorithms used to determine who gets housing are opaque, predictive, and frequently based on inaccurate data—and the data behind these models is rarely made available to either the tenant or the landlord
- Because of a lack of transparency in the market, we don’t have a clear understanding of the demographics of Proptech companies’ target markets—but we do know that they heavily concentrate in lower-middle-class neighborhoods and communities of color
Read our latest research
Education in action: AI + Equity Education Series
The buzz around generative AI and its impact on our economy has caused policymakers, advocates, and technologists to adapt their thinking about what’s possible. Establishing guardrails is critical so this technology can enable human flourishing, rather than undermine it.
To better understand the impact of this technology, and the potential harms it can create, TechEquity launched the AI + Equity Education Series in the spring of 2024. The series brings together experts, advocates, and policymakers to better understand how AI will impact all aspects of daily life, including housing, hiring, and voting. Learn more about the AI + Education Event Series.