“There is no free lunch!” ~ Emmanuel Macron

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President Emmanuel Macron welcomed global tech giants to the inaugural “VivaTech: Tech for Good” conference yesterday in Paris, where he succinctly said what has been on many mindful minds.

The 40-year-old leader has his finger firmly on the technology pulse, and he is not afraid to influence it. Big players like Uber, Microsoft, IBM, and Facebook were all addressed.

His universal message was shared—bilingually and clearly—in just under 40 minutes:

“Technology really is for the greater good.”

“When you think about innovation, when you think about digital, it’s about providing services for people, to learn, to be educated, to work.” 

“Big tech companies need to be responsible to humankind. They must innovate for the common good.”

“There should be no ‘free riding’ without taking into account the common good, like with ‘social situations, inequalities, climate change.'”

“We must build a common framework of regulation.”

From his aggressive new “European Data Protection Law” that has just begun in France, to his call for everyone around the world to do the same, he believes this is the key to digital sustainability and helping build trust in technology once more.

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The full speech is posted on his Facebook page (don’t forget to turn your subtitles on): 

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The aides to President Macron were asked to speak anonymously about the speech, in order to maintain a non-partisan front.

One stated a mindful overview of the event:

“These are companies with a weight that you can’t ignore. While they can be ‘predators,’ we have to treat them like a foreign country: be tough when you need, but not declare war.”

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“A Wonderful World” by Playing for Change

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“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” ~ Albert Einstein

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Relephant:

Social Media is Evil—use it for Good.

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Author: Kate Fleming
Image: courtesy of Toby Israel
Editor: Yoli Ramazzina
Copy Editor: Lindsey Block