Who is Audrey Tang?

A child prodigy who left school at 15 to pursue programming full time, Tang went on to became Taiwan's youngest cabinet member at 35 and turned radical transparency from a buzzword into a blueprint.

She didn’t just modernise Taiwan’s government, she reimagined what a truly participatory democracy could look like. As Digital Minister, Tang championed “digital democracy”: using tech as a bridge between citizens and government, not a barrier.

When the Uber debate hit Taiwan in 2015, most governments would have regulated from the top down. Tang did the opposite, creating a pro-social social network designed to surface shared values and unite people, rather than dividing.

One key design choice? No reply button.

Participants submit ideas and could agree or disagree with statements but not argue with each other. This removed trolling, prevented performative clashes, and made it easier to spot shared ground. Instead of rewarding the loudest voices, the platform surfaced ideas with the broadest support. In three weeks, previously polarised groups began to find common ground.

“My existence is not to become a minister for a certain group, nor to broadcast government propaganda. Instead, it is to become a ‘channel' to allow greater combinations of intelligence and strength to come together." The results speak for themselves: trust in Taiwan's government rose from just 9% in 2014 to over 70% by 2020. It's 'not an accident, but the result of consistently involving citizens in bridging attempts,' says Tang.

Tang’s work shows what’s possible when technology is designed to build trust, not extract attention. In an era where digital tools often amplify conflict, Taiwan’s approach is a radical, and hopeful, alternative.

How might we use Tang’s radical transparency approach to reshape the financial technology we depend on every day?