“Fake it ‘til you make it”: The designer playground for crafting prototypes, orchestrating frauds and pushing the ecological transition

In the past thirty years, there has been a radical change in almost every business sector: companies nowadays offer increasingly complete packages or “bundles,” i.e-, combinations of goods, services, assistance, self-service and customer-focused knowledge. But it is services that have the lion’s share. In this context, those involved in the servitization process, such as designers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, seem to focus more and more on the customer experience than on enabling technology. This has led to the birth of many successful new companies as well as to financial scandals. The aim of this article is to understand how the “fake ’til you make it” approach in design and business has found a key ally in the media. Furthermore, in view of the unprecedented opportunities offered by ICT and artificial intelligence, and in light of the challenges of the green transition, we discuss its ethical and pedagogical implications for the entire field of design.