ABSTRACT
The conclusion summarizes my arguments and briefly discusses examples of resisting upgrade culture at industrial and organizational levels. At the industrial level, activists successfully lobbied for a provision in the 2009 Dodd-Frank Act that compelled corporations who did business in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to disclose the use of gold, tungsten, tantalum, and tin. Known as “Conflict Minerals,” they are essential raw materials in the fabrication of semiconductor microprocessor chips that comprise the primary processing power for digital devices. In the intervening decade, the increased transparency has begun, albeit slowly, to shift control of the mines away from the local warlords who controlled them. Such regulations over international trade are forcing the industry to confront some of the atrocities it enables. At an organizational level, Benefit Corporations, or B Corps are a legal tax designation distinct from C or S corps and commit companies to prioritize employee welfare, sustainable practices, and community engagement over short term profits. Regulatory and legal maneuvers such as these attempt to shift the conditions of possibility for “business as usual” corporate practices.
