Suggestions?
It seems to me that "lost" effort is a very normal state of things. Even if we picked a worthy cause and worked cleverly and tirelessly for it, the our successors could easily come in and trash our work.
It also seems to me that the real "change the world" technologies don't solve problems but change our day-to-day lives: the printing press, cars, PCs, radio, television, consumer-focused logistics (Wal-Mart, Amazon delivery), vaccines, sanitation, running water, electricity, etc. Not all of these things are good. Not all are bad. But when Silicon Valley people say "change the world", they don't usually mean "work for (the next) Ford" or "work for (the next) AT&T".
- printing press solved the problem of mass distribution of written knowledge and propaganda (By the way, invented by Chinese not Gutenberg but got lost in political turmoil), also paper money
- cars solved a problem of slow transport and having to care for fussy animals
- radio solved the problem of long range communication
- vaccines solved the problem of certain recurring plagues
- likewise sanitation
- running water solved a problem of having to walk long distances especially to irrigate crops (aqueducts, Babylonian invention)
- electricity solved a problem of cheap transport of energy (as opposed to coal for steam boilers)
Consumer focused logistics is much older than both Wal-Mart and Amazon. And does not really solve a problem in as much as is an optimization over older delivery methods.
So, the question is: do you really want to work for Facebook (et al.) and get the technology patent-locked to be used for reading of, influencing of, and advertising to people? Or do you want to change the world for the common good?
It is worrying that so much talent gets 'lost' [1] to spying/advertising companies because universities and non-profits cannot match or come close to the (personal) benefits of working at such companies.
[1] I am not denying that the big tech companies have provided a lot of progress.