Voices from the Valley: Tech Workers Talk About What They Do—And How They Do It

Logic magazine cofounders Tarnoff (The Bohemians) and Weigel (Labor of Love) present insider perspectives on Silicon Valley in this eye-opening interview collection. Their interviewees, all of whom remain anonymous, include a technical writer who discusses the pay and power imbalances she has experienced as a woman in tech and recalls being fired from a job shortly after informing her boss she was pregnant. A cook who grew up in Oakland, Calif., explains how blue-collar workers often have two or three jobs and must commute from far outside the metro area because they’ve been priced out of local real estate. An engineer recalls how his company was acquired by Google, and how the corporate culture became more rigid and hierarchical after Larry Page took over as CEO in 2011. A data scientist, meanwhile, paints a dystopian portrait of automation and the future of artificial intelligence. Through these conversations, Tarnoff and Weigel circumvent the “wall of the NDA” that tech companies use to protect themselves; tackle labor issues including fair pay, reasonable work hours, and the proliferation of contract work; and raise important questions about protecting personal data and the impact of gentrification. This insightful account does much to illuminate an industry often shrouded in secrecy. (Oct.)