Technology’s Role in Shaping the Impact of Covid-19

Three weeks ago I wrote a column about how the Covid-19 crisis was likely to affect the future of tech companies and technology policy. Since then, I have spent more time considering the inverse question: How is the state of technology in 2020 playing a role in shaping our experience of, and response to, the Covid-19 pandemic?

Put differently, had the current Covid-19 incident occurred a few decades in the past or the future, how would our response to the pandemic be different? And how would its ultimate impact differ from how it is playing out today?