Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Facebook in 2015, was flying to the United Nations General Assembly with his speechwriter, Dex Hunter-Torricke. Surprisingly, Zuckerberg asked Hunter-Torricke what the UN was, despite being the leader of a company that was influencing global politics and societies with 1.5 billion users. This incident highlighted Zuckerberg’s lack of knowledge about key elements of the global order, which shocked his speechwriter. However, a spokesperson for Meta disputed this claim, stating that it was absurd to suggest that Zuckerberg did not know what the UN was.
Hunter-Torricke had a long career in communications, working with tech giants like Zuckerberg, Elon Musk at SpaceX, and Google’s DeepMind. Despite his role in spinning optimistic stories about how tech companies were leading the world towards a brighter future, he eventually came to believe that there was another side to these narratives. In late 2025, Hunter-Torricke announced his resignation from Google DeepMind to pursue a new career dedicated to reining in the tech industry he had previously promoted.
After leaving Big Tech, Hunter-Torricke leveled a sharp critique of his former employers and the world they have created in a series of interviews with TIME. He admitted that he had only told half the story during his time working for these companies, which he considered a personal failing. He now believes that the tech industry is driving the world towards a precipice, with the arrival of vastly more powerful AI systems on the horizon.
Hunter-Torricke’s decision to leave Google DeepMind and speak out against the tech industry reflects a shift in his perspective on the role of technology in society. Despite his previous work in crafting positive narratives about tech giants, he now sees a darker side to their influence and impact. By critiquing his former employers and acknowledging his own shortcomings in promoting their agendas, Hunter-Torricke is taking a stand against the direction in which the tech industry is heading.
His criticism of the tech industry’s trajectory and his decision to launch a new career dedicated to reining in tech companies suggest a growing awareness of the potential dangers of unchecked technological development. Hunter-Torricke’s experiences working with some of the biggest names in tech have given him insight into the inner workings of these companies and the narratives they promote. His perspective offers a cautionary tale about the power and influence of technology in shaping the world we live in.
