Tristan Harris

Tristan Harris is a computer scientist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, dedicated to realigning technology with human well-being. After his startup Apture was acquired by Google in 2011, Tristan Harris went on to make a significant impact within the tech giant, notably authoring the influential 141-slide presentation, ‘A Call to Minimize Distraction & Respect Users’ Attention,’ in February 2013. This internal document, widely viewed across Google, highlighted concerns about technology’s impact on human attention and urged major tech companies to take responsibility for user well-being, initiating discussions that extended long after his tenure. Prior to Google, Harris launched Apture in 2007, leveraging his background in computer science, and upon its acquisition, he contributed to the Google Inbox project.

In 2021, Harris delivered further testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, underscoring his ongoing commitment to legislative reform. He also played a pivotal role in coining the phrase ‘human downgrading’ in 2019, a term that has since become central to discussions around technology’s impact. Most recently, in 2022, Harris joined the Council for Responsible Social Media project, continuing to lead efforts at the Center for Humane Technology in its mission to foster a more humane and ethical technological landscape.