Open MIC produces reports for investors and business audiences who seek to prioritize social responsibility in decision-making. Please feel free to use and share the reports we have prepared, and reach out to us with all questions at media@openmic.org.
May 2026
With its proposed multi-class share structure, the SpaceX IPO signals a broader shift toward concentrating control of transformative technologies in the hands of a small group of insiders, often without meaningful oversight. This approach is not only problematic for investors, but can also undermine long-term company performance and damage the wider economy. Lessons from social media companies show how shielding founders from accountability can lead to unchecked decision-making, real-world harms, and persistent underperformance. As artificial intelligence emerges as a similarly consequential technology, the risks are even higher—placing immense influence in the hands of a few “founder kings” with limited accountability to investors or the public. The time to establish appropriate guardrails is now, while IPO structures and governance terms are still being defined and investor leverage remains strong.
January 2026
As companies across all sectors rush to integrate AI across their organizations, oversight of its many risks is an afterthought. AI security incidents have more than doubled since 2024. Of the organizations breached in 2025, 63% had no AI governance mechanisms and 97% lacked basic access controls. At the same time, companies are collecting and aggregating more sensitive personal data than ever before. The combination of these two trends represents an unprecedented risk to privacy and security. Investors can encourage companies to mitigate this risk before a breach occurs. This starts, above all, with strong AI and cybersecurity governance practices.
Open MIC and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) recently collaborated to release “Dehumanization, Discrimination and Deskilling: The Impact of Digital Tech on Low-Wage Workers.” The investor brief explores how surveillance tech, algorithmic management systems, displacement by AI and automated hiring tools contribute to increased workplace discrimination, diminished autonomy, and reduced job quality.
In April 2022, NetGain Partnership commissioned Open MIC and Whistle Stop Capital to produce a series of reports that addressed those issues. These four reports are the result of Open MIC’s substantial research and interviews with more than 40 practitioners, analysts and observers of shareholder engagement and finance-focused strategies in the global technology sector.
January 2019
This paper, co-authored by Hannah Lucal, Associate Director of Open MIC, examines racial inequities in domestic SRI mutual funds, provides data and charts for racial representation at the board level, money management level, and staff level. The paper concludes with a specific request to all SRI firms, and a selection of resources for people ready to learn more.
September 2018
This report focuses on China’s Cybersecurity Law but raises questions regarding data privacy beyond China. It aims to highlight the tensions — and critical risks — that companies confront as they weigh the dueling challenges of protecting user privacy while adhering to the laws of the countries where they do business.
April 2018
Investors can be key players in encouraging companies to assess and address the potential impacts of algorithms before they are deployed. The purpose of this report is to highlight the critical issues and challenges posed by the race to score gains in the marketplace through the unseen hands of algorithms and AI.
May 2017
This report examined early evidence of the threats posed by deceptive content and hate speech on social media platforms, offering analysis of the legal, reputational and financial risks to companies as well as recommendations for developing greater corporate accountability and transparency regarding these ongoing challenges.
February 2017
In addition to underlining the already well-founded business case for racial diversity, this report reviews the systemic problem of racial bias in tech; the failure of existing efforts to effectively address the problem; and the powerful role of investors in holding tech companies accountable for real change.
