Take these examples: Space is quickly becoming thenext battleground for geopolitics and private companies are nowdominatingcosmic exploration.
Military conflicts are beingdefinedby cutting-edge technologies that bring down costs and increase manufacturing capabilities.
Geoengineeringwill probably try and reverse human-caused environmental degradation (solar shieldsare just one example).
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So how do founders figure out the lines in the sand in a sector they themselves are carving out?
When government expediency and sometimes lethargy mean the rules are still unwritten?
Its as much a personal ethical question as it is a societal and political one.
Hopefully this can serve as a starting place.
As the company comes up against ethical questions, the answers should never come from one person.
Pick competent, experienced people to share your control and decision making powers with.
Separate the roles of chairman and the CEO.
Set up a multidisciplinary board of directors and a separate advisory board.
Vet all members, especially focusing on times theyve had to decide on ethical questions.
Choosing an odd number of people for the boards will hopefully lead to more fair debate.
Of course, this structure has to accommodate a startups need to be agile and quick.
Regulations for AI were never developed because society wasnt optimistic enough to see it coming.
Work on yourself
On a personal level,foundersshould seek to be truly interdisciplinary.
Or you may be operating in a country where the politics turns against your values.
Long term, walking away from these red lines will often be the wisest business decision too.
Semyon Dukachis Founding Partner ofOne Way Ventures, a VC firm funding exceptional immigrant founders.
A Ukrainian-American, he came to the US as a child refugee in 1979.
A Ukrainian-American, he came to the US as a child refugee in 1979.
