The Problem
We’ve been handed sorcerer-level powers with apprentice-level wisdom.
AI systems can write, create, persuade, and reason. Digital platforms shape the beliefs and behaviors of billions. We can build almost anything now. The question is whether we have the capacity to build wisely.
Most tech development optimizes for engagement, growth, and profit — metrics that ignore deeper human needs and long-term consequences. The result: technology that’s technically impressive and humanly corrosive. More connection, more loneliness. More information, more confusion. More power, less wisdom.
The problem isn’t technology itself. It’s how we build it — and who we become while building it.
The Intersection
There are people working on responsible AI. People rethinking ownership structures. People developing wiser leaders. These conversations rarely meet.
We think they need to.
Good Tech Collective exists at the intersection — where responsible technology, regenerative business models, and embodied leadership converge. We believe that’s where the real leverage is. Not in any single domain, but in the space where they connect.
Here’s how we see it:
1. Responsible Technology
Good tech requires more than good intentions. It requires rigor.
- AI systems designed for human agency and wellbeing, not manipulation
- Products built for genuine flourishing, not addictive engagement
- Development processes that account for effects on mental health, democracy, and the planet
- Teams that model healthy relationships with technology themselves
This isn’t anti-innovation. It’s pointing our technical capabilities toward outcomes that actually serve humanity.
What this looks like in practice:
- AI ethics audits and bias reviews
- Responsible AI strategy for product teams
- Human-centered metrics design (beyond engagement and growth)
- “Dark pattern detox” for existing products
2. Structures That Support Good Decisions
How we structure ownership and incentives shapes what we build.
When ownership is narrow and incentives focus only on growth, leaders get pushed toward short-term thinking. They optimize for metrics that don’t reflect real value. They build toward enshittification — that predictable moment when growth requires making the product worse.
Most founders start with good intentions. The structures they operate within often don’t support those intentions.
To build good tech, we need to rethink the structures:
- Ownership models that distribute power and accountability
- Incentive systems that reward long-term value over short-term extraction
- Governance that considers society, democracy, and ecology — not just shareholders
What this looks like in practice:
- Alternative ownership exploration (steward ownership, cooperatives, purpose trusts)
- Incentive structure redesign
- Stakeholder mapping and accountability frameworks
- Board education on long-term trade-offs
3. Leaders With the Capacity to Choose Wisely
Structures matter. Principles matter. But in the moment of decision — under pressure, with incomplete information, when the investor is pushing and the competitor is moving faster — what determines the choice?
The leader’s capacity.
Most ethics frameworks assume a calm, rational actor weighing options. Real decisions happen in bodies, under stress, with emotions and egos in play. The leader who can stay grounded, think clearly, and hold complexity under pressure will make different choices than the one who’s reactive, anxious, or disconnected from their values.
This isn’t mystical. It’s practical. It can be developed.
Embodied leadership means building the inner capacity to:
- Make decisions from clarity rather than reactivity
- Hold multiple stakeholders and time horizons simultaneously
- Stay aligned with values when it’s costly to do so
- Lead with both strategic intelligence and human wisdom
What this looks like in practice:
- Executive coaching integrating somatic and contemplative practices
- Leadership development for founders navigating high-stakes decisions
- “Pressure-testing your values” workshops
- Sustainable leadership programs (avoiding burnout while building responsibly)
The Collective
We’re not a consultancy. We’re a community of practitioners — consultants, coaches, founders, and organizations — who share these commitments.
Some of us focus on responsible AI. Some on ownership structures. Some on leadership development. What connects us is the belief that these domains need each other. That responsible technology isn’t just a technical problem or a policy problem or a leadership problem — it’s all three, intertwined.
We’re early. We’re building this in the open, learning as we go, and looking for others who see it the same way.
Join Us
If this resonates, we’d like to hear from you.
- Practitioners and consultants working in responsible tech, alternative ownership, or leadership development
- Founders and executives trying to build differently and looking for support
- Organizations aligned with these values who want to be part of the network
We’re not asking you to buy anything. We’re asking if you want to be part of the conversation.
[Join the Slack] | [Reach out directly: email]
About
Good Tech Collective was founded by Iris van de Kieft.
After years in the tech industry, my perspective shifted from “tech is awesome” to “wait, we have a lot of responsibility to build tech well” — I became convinced that responsible technology requires more than better principles. It requires a different kind of capacity. And it requires structures that support good decisions rather than undermining them.
I started this collective to find others who see it the same way — and to figure out, together, what it looks like to build technology worthy of the power we now hold.