This book was really entertaining, though not spectacularly original. I do enjoy very much criticizing tech, so it was a very good read for me. There were some passages that felt difficult to appreciate, too intent on academia and mentioning names I had never heard of as if they were past acquaintances of mine. I loved very much the continuous reminders of sexism and classism in tech! I think it was very good for a superfluous reading, though I'd have liked to see more fresh ideas.

Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the ebook. This is a slim book that shows how Silicon Valley tends to pick and chose the philosophies that put them, and their companies, in the best light, all told by our sardonic narrator who has given such careful thought to these sometimes absurd and incomplete creation myths.

Review forthcoming through Shelf Awareness. Please see their newsletter for more information and feedback.

Great book, shows a plethora of insights on thinking in the tech industry, would highly recommend, Can't wait for more books from this author.

NOTE: Please disregard star rating. NetGalley insists there be one, but I consider the that unreasonable and will give everything a 3 star rating until the demand is abolished.

"What happened to the Californian ideology as a result of Section 230 is the focus of Adrian Daub’s What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry Into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley (FSG Originals). Daub, a professor of comparative literature and German studies at Stanford University, makes no reference to Barbrook and Cameron’s analysis from a quarter century ago, although he points out some of the same influences, especially Rand and McLuhan. (That the essay goes unmentioned is probably less an oversight by Daub than a consequence of Barbrook and Cameron’s insights long since passing into common currency.) ..."

With the advent of the computer, a whole new era evolved around information processing and electronic communications. A veritable cornucopia of devices had to be imagined, designed, engineered, and produced. New ways had to be found to control these devices, to enable them to communicate with each other, and to serve the needs of humans. Suddenly, applied mathematics and advanced electrical engineering departed from academia and were thrust relentlessly into the real world. Technological change took off at a staggering, accelerating rate.

A new community rapidly evolved, made up mostly of youngish people who somehow found ways to grasp a new body of concepts loosely grouped under the term, “technology,” commonly abbreviated as “tech.” That community took on the challenge of dreaming up and producing what we now refer to, simply, as “hardware” and “software.” At first, they built prototype devices, often single units, sometimes constructed in garages or home basements. Later, they built factories, huge international businesses, and giant industrial campuses.

The people involved represented a very odd collection, indeed. Scientists and engineers with advanced degrees would be seen collaborating with quirky home hobbyists and somehow rough “crackpot” ideas became reality. Another perhaps less technical personality type would watch, perhaps from the sidelines, and decide that somebody needed to figure out how to market and sell the result. Other practical folks had the often nearly impossible task of how to produce these contraptions and how to scale them out in a way that could actually generate a profit. The people inhabiting the corporate offices were often a diverse international mix. In some cases, they could be seen firing Nerf guns over the cubical walls at each other at the oddest times. In some companies, the best way to fail your job interview was to show up for it in a suit and tie.

It was a heady time and many instant millionaires were made. Silicon Valley became home to a great many such businesses.

In What Tech Calls Thinking, author Adrian Daub explores some of the psychological and philosophical underpinnings of the technology industry. His book takes a romp through the minds of many of the people who created the tech community, many who succeeded beyond their wildest imaginings, and many who ended up betrayed, bankrupt, and duty-bound to try again and again.

This is a thoughtful book, and I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Having lived through this period, actively embroiled in the depths of software development, some of Daub’s ideas rang true for me and I gained some worthwhile insights from reading it.

I commend his discussion of these timely subjects to your eyes.

Strongly recommended!

A very interesting and thought provoking book that challenge many of the ideas you heard when you're talking in high tech.
I helped to me to reflect of the reality of my work world and how easy the buzz can be a misunderstood concept.
It's well researched and well written, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A surprisingly astute essay about ideas that are so often mentioned in the tech world, but evidently so rarely understood. It brings to mind a series of very inspiring lectures, which is perfectly adequate since the author is a professor at Stanford University. As Silicon Valley has more and more influence on our daily lives, I think it should be relevant for everybody.

The book is a part of a very interesting series, FSG Original x Logic, which dissects the way technology functions in everyday lives.

Thanks to the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thanks to FSG and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

Of the four FSGxLogic titles dropping on 10/13, this was the one that jumped out to me most - a Stanford professor, looking at and dismantling the concept that Silicon Valley builds its philosophy on. If I had a physical copy of this, it'd be filled with underlined passages - there's some great breakdowns on how "dropping out" gets pushed as young entrepreneurs "learning enough" when often based on coursework they've only covered the basics, the notion of "disruption" as doing less actual breaking down of walls and more reconstruction of existing practices rather than building something new, and the way failure has turned into self-mythologization. The text itself feels like it's a smidge too far on the "academic" side of things (I would have preferred this to be a little more for the layman), but I love the way it shows how SV buzzwords (and things like Esalen, self-help, and other concepts get us to people like Peter Thiel who think money = genius) aren't all they're cracked up to be.