Can democracy survive Big Tech? (with Nobel laureate Maria Ressa) | Masters of Scale Summit 2026
Nobel laureate Maria Ressa talks with Reid Hoffman and Arya Finger about how Big Tech, from social media to AI, threatens democracy, and what ordinary people and Silicon Valley can do to fight back.
The gist
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Ressa's first step is checking how much time you spend on screens, then considering deleting whichever app makes you angriest.
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She says zero-click search cut news referral traffic 85% in the Philippines, and AI scrapers drive up Rappler's server costs.
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Ahead of the US midterms, Ressa urges forming civic circles of 8 to 15 people, becoming poll watchers, and running for office.
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Ressa calls for public interest tech, like Rappler's Matrix protocol chat app, now used by 65 Filipino news groups.
"The first step you should do, as soon as you leave, tomorrow, just take a look. How much time do you spend on screens? And then when you have that, the second step is: which app makes you angriest? Consider deleting it. I mean, these are easy steps."
▶ Play at 10:15"Civic circles. Start with the civic circle. Eight to 15 people. And when I write this, I write this from someone who's had to do drills for the worst-case scenarios. What's your civic circle? How will you guys work together?"
▶ Play at 21:06What they recommend · 2 picks
"The first step you should do, as soon as you leave, tomorrow, just take a look. How much time do you spend on screens? And then when you have that, the second step is: which app..."
"Civic circles. Start with the civic circle. Eight to 15 people. And when I write this, I write this from someone who's had to do drills for the worst-case scenarios. What's your..."
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