Peter Diamandis, Xprize Foundation founder, says humans behave better when being watched. He advocates for a future with constant surveillance and calls it “Radical transparency”. Diamandis suggests that people will be more honest if they’re constantly recorded, but doesn’t address how this would work in practice or who defines what is considered “good” behavior.
Diamandis’ views on surveillance come as some tech companies are already implementing monitoring systems. Oracle founder Larry Ellison has made similar claims in the past. Diamandis hosted a podcast interview with Will Marshall, CEO of Planet, which further emphasizes his stance on surveillance. While this technology is increasingly available, many people are resisting it due to concerns about privacy.
Some cities have taken action against Flock’s surveillance cameras, and public pushback has led to Meta canceling its partnership with Ring. Meta is also dealing with complaints over its camera glasses. Diamandis’ advice for entrepreneurs and executives on living in a world with no privacy boils down to being a “good person”, but doesn’t address the issue of who decides what behavior is considered “good”. He argues that transparency only builds trust when it points both ways, but this balance seems challenging given the control of surveillance technology by powerful tech companies.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/26/xprize-founder-says-humans-behave-better-when-theyre-being-watched