Tech employees think big tech is too powerful

Tech workers think big tech is too powerful and that heavier regulations should be placed on artificial intelligence (AI).

Those are the main findings of a new Protocol survey. The company surveyed employees from large tech firms nationwide, and those surveyed ranged from IT associates to C-suite executives. Nearly 40% of the respondents worked at companies with more than 1,000 employees and over $500 million in annual revenue.

Protocol asked the workers about many burning issues facing the tech industry, and the findings were eye-opening.

Big tech is too powerful

Tech workers think Big Tech is too powerful. In fact, 78% of them said so, and just 11% disagree.

The survey found the same results for the quartet of Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, and Apple. More than 77% of tech workers said those companies have too much power, and only 8% disagreed.

However, none of that translates into remedies.

On the other hand, nearly 70% of workers wanted a big tech player to partner with or acquire their companies, and three-quarters said big tech companies should be allowed to acquire other firms.

Only 40% think Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet, and Apple should be broken up.

Big tech shouldn’t work with law enforcement

After last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, tech giants, such as IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft, announced they were cutting ties or suspending work with police departments. They also halted police use of facial recognition technology.

Now, over 40% of tech employees think big tech should stop working with law enforcement altogether.

However, it’s worth noting that a sizable minority — just under 34% — disagrees with this notion.

Big tech should work more closely with Chinese tech companies

Of those surveyed, 60% said US-based big tech companies should work more closely with Chinese tech companies. Also, 56% agreed that US restrictions on Chinese tech companies had gone too far — 28% were neutral on this topic.

However, 46% of tech workers think the US should ban the Chinese telecom giant Huawei from doing business in the US

The government should regulate AI

Interestingly 73% of tech workers surveyed think the government should regulate AI. Only 9% disagreed, and 18% were neutral on the question.