How Tech Leaders Use Language: An In-Depth Study

In the trenches of Silicon Valley, a different kind of coding is taking place—one that doesn't involve Python, Java, or Swift, but rather the English language itself.

When the big tech companies unveil their latest innovations and financial results to investors each quarter, they engage in a subtle yet powerful act of reality construction. Through carefully chosen words and metaphors, these companies are not just objectively talking about their company and describing their technology; they're shaping how we perceive, interact with, and ultimately accept technology's role in our lives.

This linguistic engineering is not just corporate jargon or marketing speak. It's a way to tap into our fundamental cognitive processes and frame our understanding of technology. For many, this goes unnoticed. That's why I spent the past week analyzing the language used in recent earnings calls from several large tech companies, including Meta (Facebook), Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, and NVIDIA. Through this, we can find a hidden architecture of meaning that's being built around our technological future.

Theoretical Background

To appreciate the power of this linguistic construction, it's helpful to have an understanding of the relevant academic theories from the fields of linguistics and communication studies. (I won't go into detail here, but feel free to go down these rabbit holes if you're inclined.)

Conceptual Metaphor Theory, developed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, states that metaphors are not just linguistic flourishes, but fundamental cognitive structures that shape how we understand abstract concepts. In the context of technology, this theory suggests that the metaphors used by tech companies aren't just explanatory tools—they're actively shaping how we conceptualize and interact with technology.

Robert Entman's work on Framing Theory illuminates how the presentation of information influences audience interpretation. This theory is particularly relevant when examining how tech companies present their innovations and strategies, guiding public understanding of complex technological concepts.

The Rhetoric of Technology, a field explored by scholars like Carolyn Miller, examines how language constructs the meaning of technology in society. This perspective helps us understand how tech companies' choice of words contributes to broader societal narratives about technology's role and impact.

Lastly, Walter Fisher's Narrative Paradigm suggests that all meaningful communication is a form of storytelling. This theory provides a lens through which we can view tech companies' communications as chapters in an ongoing narrative about the future of technology and society.

Analysis of Metaphors

Examining the recent earnings calls of major tech companies reveals several dominant metaphorical themes and linguistic strategies. For brevity, I'll keep the examples to a minimum. However, the following metaphors are present across multiple earnings transcripts.

Normalization of Rapid Change

Tech firms consistently use language that normalizes the idea of constant, rapid technological change. This creates an expectation that technological progress is inevitable and fast-paced. Sundar Pichai of Alphabet exemplifies this when he states, "We're seeing good momentum on the AI front, where we've accumulated a multi-billion dollar revenue run rate already." This framing suggests that AI advancement is not just occurring, but accelerating quickly, with tangible financial results already materializing.

Technology as a Force of Nature

Natural metaphors portray technology as an unstoppable force, potentially reducing critical scrutiny of its impacts. Mark Zuckerberg of Meta reinforces this idea when he says, "We're at the beginning of the AI wave." This metaphor implies that AI is a powerful, natural phenomenon that society must adapt to, rather than a human-driven process that can be shaped and directed.

Progress as a Journey

Journey metaphors frame technological development as a linear path forward, implying that all change is progress. Amazon's Andy Jassy employs this metaphor when he states, "We like the path we're on." This framing suggests a clear route towards technological advancement. It suggests there is an endpoint, which isn't specified. The metaphor pulls us in as passengers on a journey with an uncertain future, yet faith in the leader.

Technology as Construction

Building and construction metaphors present technology development as a deliberate, structured process, instilling confidence in these companies' ability to shape the future. NVIDIA's Jensen Huang utilizes this metaphor when he says, "We're building world-leading infrastructure for the AI era." This language portrays tech companies as master builders, crafting the future with precision and intent.

Ecosystem Interconnectedness

Ecosystem metaphors promote the idea that various technologies and services are interconnected, normalizing their integration into all aspects of life. Sundar Pichai demonstrates this when he says, "We continue to focus on advancing the Android and Chrome ecosystems." This framing presents Google's products not as isolated tools, but as interconnected, living systems essential to our digital lives.

Competitive Framing

Sports metaphors frame technological development as a competition, potentially justifying aggressive business practices and rapid innovation. This language portrays the tech industry as an arena or field, where companies must "win" to survive and thrive.

Sundar Pichai of Alphabet uses competitive language when discussing Google Cloud's position in the market: "Our Cloud business is now widely seen as the leader in cybersecurity." This framing positions Google not just as a participant in the cloud computing space, but as a frontrunner, implying a race or contest that Google is winning.

Mark Zuckerberg of Meta also employs competitive framing when discussing AI development: "I actually think we're in a place where we've shown that we can build leading models and be the leading AI company in the world." This statement frames AI development as a global competition, with Meta positioning itself as the potential victor.

Creation of Urgency

Terms like "acceleration" and "momentum" create a sense of urgency around adopting new technologies. Andy Jassy employs this tactic when he says, "We see considerable momentum on the AI front." This language can pressure society to embrace innovations rapidly, perhaps before fully understanding their implications.

Positive Framing

The language used by tech leaders is nearly always positive, focusing on opportunities and benefits. Tim Cook of Apple demonstrates this when he states, "We're very excited about the spatial computing opportunity in enterprise." This comment comes in the context of discussing Apple's Vision Pro.

A consistently optimistic framing can create an unbalanced narrative that emphasizes the potential benefits of new technologies while potentially overlooking or minimizing the discussion of challenges, limitations, or potential negative impacts.

Such framing is typical in these earnings calls, where leaders attempt to instill confidence in their company's direction and products. However, listeners and investors should maintain a balanced perspective, considering both the opportunities and the potential risks or challenges that may not be as prominently discussed in these presentations.

Implications

The use of these metaphors and framing devices has several significant implications:

Normalize rapid technological change
Present technology as an unstoppable, natural force
Frame all technological change as progress
Instill confidence in these companies' ability to shape the future
Justify aggressive innovation and business practices
Promote the integration of technology into all aspects of life
Position technology as the solution to various problems
Simplify complex technological concepts
Create urgency around technology adoption
Focus on the positive aspects of technological advancement

For instance, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta encapsulates many of these themes when he states:

"I think it's worth calling out that we've historically seen a lot of volatility in our stock during this phase of our product playbook – where we're investing in scaling a new product but aren't yet monetizing it. We saw this with Reels, Stories, as News Feed transitioned to mobile and more. And I also expect to see a multi-year investment cycle before we've fully scaled Meta AI, business AIs, and more into the profitable services I expect as well."

This statement normalizes rapid change, frames progress as a journey, creates a sense of urgency, and focuses on positive outcomes, all while abstracting the complexity of the underlying technologies.

Does It Really Matter?

You might think I'm overestimating the role of these tech leaders in society or the impact of what they say. However, I think there are several reasons why we shouldn't dismiss the importance of how they frame their narratives.

Scale of Influence: These companies are among the largest and most influential in the world. Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, and NVIDIA collectively touch billions of lives daily. Their words reach not just investors, but also policymakers, media, and the general public. Given their reach, even subtle linguistic choices can have outsized effects.
Shaping Public Discourse: The language used by these tech leaders often filters into broader public discourse. Journalists quote them, analysts repeat their phrases, and their metaphors can become commonplace in how we talk about technology.
Cognitive Science Backing: The importance of framing isn't just speculation. It's backed by decades of research in cognitive science and linguistics. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson's work on conceptual metaphors shows how the metaphors we use shape our understanding of abstract concepts. In the tech world, these metaphors shape how we understand complex technologies and their societal impacts.
Historical Precedent: We've seen the power of framing in technology before. The way personal computers were framed as "personal" and "user-friendly" in the 1980s shaped public perception and adoption. The framing of the internet as an "information superhighway" in the 1990s influenced how people conceptualized its potential.
Policy Implications: How technology is framed can influence policy decisions. If AI is consistently framed as an unstoppable force, it might lead to policies that prioritize adaptation over regulation. If tech progress is always framed as a "race," it could justify rushing products to market without full consideration of ethical implications.
Investment Decisions: For investors, the framing used by these companies can influence investment decisions. Optimistic framing might encourage investment while downplaying risks.

That said, it's also important not to overstate the case. The framing used by these companies is just one factor among many that shape public perception and technological development. Economic realities, actual product performance, regulatory environments, and individual user experiences all play critical roles.

The goal of this analysis isn't to claim some nefarious intent on the part of tech companies but to encourage more critical listening and reading. By being aware of these framing techniques, we can better evaluate the full picture of technological development, including both its potential and its possible downsides.

How Should We Respond?

As consumers, investors, and citizens, we face a choice in how to respond to the linguistic shaping of our technological reality by the dominant technology firms.

One approach is to accept and agree with these framings. After all, these companies are at the forefront of technological innovation, and their metaphors often capture genuine aspects of technological progress. The "wave" of AI, for instance, does feel like a powerful, transformative force in many ways.

However, uncritical acceptance of these narratives risks ceding too much control over our technological future to a handful of powerful companies. It may lead to a lack of scrutiny over the potential negative impacts of rapid technological change, or a failure to consider alternative paths of development.

An alternative approach is to disagree and reframe. This doesn't mean rejecting technology or progress, but rather developing a more nuanced, critical discourse around technology. We might, for instance:

Question the inevitability implied by natural force metaphors. Is AI really an unstoppable wave, or is it a human-driven process that we can shape and direct?
Challenge the linear progress implied by journey metaphors. Are we always moving forward, or are there times when we need to pause, reassess, or even step back?
Examine the implications of ecosystem metaphors. While interconnectedness can be beneficial, do we want every aspect of our lives integrated into commercialized technological ecosystems?
Develop alternative metaphors that capture different aspects of our relationship with technology. Could we, for instance, think of technology as a tool rather than a force, emphasizing human agency and responsibility?

Wrap Up

Our analysis of earnings calls from major tech companies reveals a consistent use of linguistic strategies that shape public perception of technology. These include journey and natural force metaphors, framing technology as solutions, emphasizing ecosystem interconnectedness, using competitive language, and maintaining positive narratives.

Viewed through theories like Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Framing Theory, these strategies construct a narrative of technological progress as an inevitable and positive force. While it may be inspiring, this framing can discourage critical examination of technology's broader implications.

We should develop a more balanced understanding of technological advancement. We do this by paying attention to these linguistic patterns. The language of tech leaders does more than report progress—it plays a role in shaping our technological future.