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Acknowledgments

This book is the culmination of a progression in thought I have made over the past decade. It’s been a journey through which I’ve gained the privileges of becoming both independent and knowledgeable about the tensions between commerce and consumers that have become so central to the digital economy. That progression is one that has been propelled by countless friends, who along the way have taught me new things and helped me see things in new ways. I am indebted to all of you.

Terms of Disservice came to be because of my tireless and benevolent editor, Bill Finan. He gave me an incredible opportunity. Handing an author a limitless pen with complete intellectual independence is not easy. I owe Bill profuse gratitude for seeing a glimmer of something in my arguments and affording me the chance to share my perspective. The Brookings Institution Press team has been truly generous in making this happen. I owe endless thanks to Cecilia González for her sharp edits, Elliott Beard for his imaginative artwork, and Robert Wicks and Steven Roman for their incredible support.

My perspectives on technology have been heavily influenced by countless friends and colleagues. I owe deep gratitude to my colleagues from the Obama years. R. David Edelman, my most influential mentor from that period, helped shape my understanding of government service and the subtle force of bureaucracy. David’s brilliance as a policymaker, thinker, and writer transformed my views of the world and inspired me to serve the Obama administration in the best way I could. Kumar Garg’s unbelievable kindness in teaching me so much about the art of doing policy—quite often very late into the night at his office at the White House—was a genuine gift, with no return expectations and for which I will always be deeply grateful. His brilliance in generating truly novel ideas and making them happen time and again was a joy to watch.

Tom Power has a knack for bringing people together toward a consensus policy idea—and he possesses the brilliance to back up and enforce that consensus. I have learned so much from him. DJ Patil, Nicole Wong, and Tom Kalil gave me insight into how new technologies were shaping the world, and what the policy world could do to unlock even greater potential. Todd Park, Megan Smith, Alex Macgillivray, and John Holdren gave me the opportunity to pursue my work in government. I will always be grateful to them.

I also wish to thank John Podesta for his incredible leadership. Without him, none of our work to advance internet consumer interests in government—which shaped my perspectives on the nature of the national economy—could have happened. What I am continually struck by is his keen sense of morality in the scope of policymaking. Unerringly he thinks first of the little guy’s circumstances in determining the impact of any policy. Simply put, that’s just the way it should be.

A deep thanks to my many friends at Facebook, particularly the brilliant Steve Satterfield, Brian Rice, and Rob Sherman, who gave me a chance to see the world’s most incredible internet company from up close. I learned so much during my time there. Kevin Martin, Will Castleberry, Erin Egan, and Joel Kaplan were all generous mentors whose leadership I deeply admire. Dan Sachs is a great friend and the most effective political and policy expert I know in the industry. The way he brings together his tremendous legal expertise with his eye toward getting things done is remarkable to watch. My deepest thanks also to Norberto Andrade, Ben Bartlett, James Hairston, and Andy O’Connell for your collaboration and friendship.

My colleagues at New America have left a deep impact on me. Bobby McKenzie and Josh Geltzer, thank you for your friendship first and your partnership in so many things. It has been a pleasure to tackle some very difficult policy issues with you. Thank you also to Viv Graubard, whose work has been an inspiration and whose support has always been incredibly thoughtful and thorough. I greatly appreciate the opportunities Kevin Bankston and Sarah Morris gave me at the Open Technology Institute, and am truly thankful for the guidance and support of Anne-Marie Slaughter, Cecilia Muñoz, and Peter Bergen.

Ben Scott, a special thanks to you. I deeply admire your ability to close political divides, develop truly brilliant policy ideas, and bring them to life. Our partnership in many endeavors—and your mentorship throughout—has helped me to achieve a clarity of mind and realize the path I should take.

Thank you also to James Timbie of Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Sam Sadden of Competition Policy International, whose invitation to write papers and editing guidance is much appreciated. Some of that work is published in this book.

My foray into technology policy began with my doctoral adviser professor Stephen Wicker, the brilliant computer scientist and information theorist. His powerful impact in many academic fields is undeniable. But it was his expertise in privacy that drew me to join his research lab and study the technical mechanisms by which the corporate sector should address privacy. The academic mentorship of professors Dawn Schrader, Lawrence Blume, Timothy Mount, Lang Tong, and William Schulze at Cornell University and professors Deirdre Mulligan and Shankar Sastry at Berkeley has too been deeply impactful on me. Professor Peter Luh at the University of Connecticut gave me research opportunities that I will never forget, and I owe him my deepest gratitude. I also wish to thank professors Krishna Pattipati, Ali Gokirmak, Helena Silva, Rajiv Bansal, Faquir Jain, and the late Marty Fox. Faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, particularly professors Dean Eckles and Gary Gensler, have helped me understand a great deal more about the world.

There are many more friends from professional and social circles whom I wish to thank: Randolph Adams, Babatunde Ayeni, Paul Barrett, Amit Chandra, Amitava Chatterjee, Colleen Chien, J. Michael Daniel, Monica Desai, David Eaves, Layth Elhassani, Nathaniel Gleicher, Lindsay Gorman, Chris Herndon, Payton Iheme, Vijeth Iyengar, Will Johnson, Sina Lashgari, Jacob Leibenluft, David Litt, Nate Loewentheil, Laura Manley, Hannah Merves, Robby Mook, Greg Nelson, Catlin O’Neill, Patrick Parodi, Hetul Patel, Matt Perault, Mathias Risse, Larry Rohrbaugh, Alec Ross, Gail Roy, Ari Schwartz, Anthony Tre Silva, Nick Sinai, Jonathan Spalter, Prerna Tomar, Chris Weasler, Nancy Weiss, Darrell West, Secretary Ash Carter, and Secretary Cameron Kerry. Thank you all for your support of my work. I wish to especially thank Tara Kheradpir for her thoughts on the cover design and Jacob Beizer for his smart portraiture. Countless friends, particularly from the Sloan School of Management and Kennedy School communities, have supported me throughout as I have worked on this book. There are too many to name here, but you know who you are.

My incredible partners in crime at the Digital Platforms & Democracy Project—Tom Wheeler, Phil Verveer, and Gene Kimmelman—have been absolutely integral in my understanding of the modern technology economy. They have taught me so much through our innumerable conversations about policy, politics, and the regulation of new media. I am very lucky to be in their company. They have encouraged me at every stage of this work and have influenced my thinking about what is possible through the practice of developing internet policy. Here’s to the four horsemen!

Meanwhile, our project at Harvard would not exist without the deep insight and thoughtful guidance of our bosses, Nancy Gibbs and Setti Warren, who have shared so generously with us. Their leadership of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School has made our work possible. My deep gratitude also goes to Nicco Mele, former director of the Center, who at every level has gone out of his way to support me. I am indebted to him as I am to Nancy and Setti, particularly for creating the space for my colleagues and I to be truly independent. I am equally indebted to professors Jonathan Zittrain and Urs Gasser of Harvard Law School for their generous support of my work and many other initiatives I have sought to undertake with their thoughtful guidance.

My mother and father have given me everything I have, and have both dealt with two unruly kids and treated us with equal love and respect. I don’t have words to convey my appreciation. My grandfather, Nityagopal Ghosh, has been an indelible positive force in my life. His nature was irreproachable; as far as I could observe, he was well-intentioned in everything he did and every philosophy he espoused. Though he passed at ninety-eight last year and did not quite become the centenarian he always wished he would become, I hope that he will see that his good nature and positive spirit are contained in every breath of this book. A most special thanks goes to my brother, Debraj. He will be unaware of it, but I constantly look to his example for inspiration in my life. His genuine support, sharp wit, critical eye, and fighting spirit have been extraordinarily helpful to me through the years.

And of course, I had to save the most important for last: Loullyana Saney, you have given me everything in countless ways. I could never have gotten through these past few years—and written this book—without your endless support. I love you—and I am forever grateful to you!