Ethics in a New World of Abundance: An Integral Evolution
We need to start asking “Should we build this?”
As we stand on the brink of a world where creating nearly anything comes at almost zero cost, a fundamental question must be asked: Should we build this?
The ability to create on demand—at scale, at speed, and with minimal friction—reshapes the very purpose of product development. What was once gated by feasibility is now primarily constrained by values. And yet, most creators still take their cues from demand alone. If people want it, we build it. But what happens when people want something that harms them—or others?
This question isn’t just technological. It’s ethical, psychological, systemic, and deeply human.
Watch a video of this essay.
From Desire to Discernment
In a world of abundance, desire alone is a dangerous compass. Read this recent interview a fentanyl producer, and they’ll say, “People want it.” Talk to those who create exploitative or violent media, and they echo the same justification. For much of my early product career, I operated on this premise: discover what people want, and build it. Success was defined by metrics—engagement, revenue, retention—not by the ethical impact of the product.
But as I matured as a product leader, I began asking different questions: What is the deeper need beneath the desire? What would it mean to build something that helps a person evolve? What’s the ripple effect of this product on the health of the person, the planet, and the system as a whole?
Ripple effects
Five Emerging Ethical Insights for the Abundant Era
Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should
Abundance shifts the responsibility of innovation from feasibility to foresight. We must ask not just “Can we build this?” but “Should we?” Ethical product creation means considering long-term consequences before short-term wins.Desire Is Not a Mandate
The market’s desires are often misaligned with human flourishing. Addiction, distraction, exploitation—these all have markets. But ethical creators design for elevation, not compulsion. We must ask: does this product make people better, or just busier?Externalities Become Exponential
When scale is effortless, harm can spread with equal ease. A poorly thought-out feature can now affect millions instantly. Product managers must adopt systemic thinking—mapping out potential unintended consequences across ecosystems.AI as a Moral Amplifier
AI accelerates creation, but also moral risk. Tools that generate code, images, or language can be used to heal or to harm. Ethical frameworks must be embedded into design choices. The prompt isn’t just "What will this do?" but "What could this become in the wrong hands?"From Compliance to Conscience
Regulations lag behind innovation. Ethical leaders can't wait for laws to catch up. We need a proactive moral compass—shaped by interdisciplinary dialogue, community input, and the courage to say no to profitable but harmful ventures.
We must ask: does this product make people better, or just busier?
A Personal Turning Point
During my time at GE Digital, I led the development of the Product to analyze data. Every decision was guided by customer requirements, use cases, and KPIs. We were responsive, fast, and exacting. But something was missing. As I reflected on the potential of data to either exploit workers or empower them, I began to rethink the role of product management itself.
What if our job wasn’t just to deliver what customers asked for, but to help them become more ethical, sustainable, and conscious in their own evolution?
Integral Theory and the Evolution of Creation
Ken Wilber’s AQAL model gives us a useful map for understanding this shift:
Ken Wilber’s AQAL model
Upper Left (Individual Interior): Consciousness evolves. Higher values emerge. People shift from seeking comfort to seeking meaning.
Upper Right (Individual Exterior): Behaviors change. Health, sustainability, and long-term thinking become priorities.
Lower Left (Collective Interior): Cultures evolve. Norms shift away from exploitation toward shared ethics.
Lower Right (Collective Exterior): Systems adapt. Supply chains, technologies, and economies transform in response to more evolved collective behavior.
When product leaders integrate these quadrants, they stop chasing desires and start shaping evolution.
Levels of Product Management: From Execution to Ethics
Just as human consciousness evolves, so does the practice of product leadership:
Levels of Product Management” Stair-Step Diagram
Task-Oriented – Fulfilling feature requests. Reactive. Metric-driven.
Customer-Centric – Solving real user problems. Empathetic but still market-bound.
Strategic – Aligning with business goals and trends. Visionary, but may miss ethical nuance.
Systemic-Ethical – Designing for societal, planetary, and future generations. Proactive, principled, and grounded in multi-perspective awareness.
Conclusion: A Call to Integral Product Stewardship
Capitalism has helped humanity grow through creativity, competition, and abundance. But it’s time for the next layer—conscious capitalism guided by ethical creation. As builders, we must become stewards of the future, not just servants of demand.
The question is no longer What do people want? but What kind of world do we want to live in—and how can our products help build it?
