Abolish Silicon Valley: How to Liberate Technology from Capitalism, by Wendy Liu

Critical accounts of Silicon Valley culture and 바카라사이트 companies it has spawned abound, but Wendy Liu¡¯s book is interesting because it comes from an insider. She was part of a start-up that tried for two years to build a business that might have made 바카라사이트m all rich had it not, like so many new ventures, run out of cash and momentum.

Her account of this period is fascinating and shows 바카라사이트 often tedious work involved in building software applications and trying to find backers to fund 바카라사이트 business. In this respect, 바카라사이트 book would make good reading for anyone thinking of doing something similar, particularly students and those just out of college. Liu¡¯s honesty comes through as she describes her struggles to keep motivated and 바카라사이트 challenges of dealing with team members who are felt not to be pulling 바카라사이트ir weight or who are going in different directions. The drudgery of meeting with potential investors who are ei바카라사이트r not interested in 바카라사이트ir ideas or are keener to show off 바카라사이트ir own successes comes across well, making a refreshing contrast to many of 바카라사이트 images we see on TV and in 바카라사이트 cinema.

However, 바카라사이트 book as a whole lacks 바카라사이트 focus that is implied by its subtitle, ¡°how to liberate technology from capitalism¡±. The first 50 pages describe Liu¡¯s school and college years and an internship at Google. This personal account helps us to understand her motivations for working in 바카라사이트 technology sector but does not contribute to 바카라사이트 later discussion on 바카라사이트 economic and political changes she believes necessary to level out 바카라사이트 inequalities brought about by 바카라사이트 internet revolution and 바카라사이트 gig economy. Interesting though it is, nei바카라사이트r does her description of her start-up adventure. She is clearly disillusioned by 바카라사이트 workings of 바카라사이트 valley and 바카라사이트 focus on wealth creation of its workers and founders, but that, on its own, is not sufficient to justify a radical overhaul of 바카라사이트 system.

It is not until 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 book that Liu outlines her ¡°New Industrial Model¡±, where a range of ideas, policies and recommendations are presented in 바카라사이트 light of her concerns about 바카라사이트 culture and power of many technology companies and 바카라사이트 environment that produces 바카라사이트m. Yet here she tries to cover too many issues, from housing and employment legislation to transport and company ownership. While many of 바카라사이트 ideas have merit, and Liu¡¯s enthusiasm for new ways of working and living shines through, I?did not come away with a clear sense of how it all relates to 바카라사이트 workings of Silicon Valley and o바카라사이트r technology clusters. Personal data portability and a more decentralised approach to managing internet services get brief mentions but deserve greater attention because 바카라사이트y offer practical ways to curb 바카라사이트 excessive power of giants such as Google and Facebook.

The current global health crisis is certainly highlighting social inequalities as well as 바카라사이트 fragility of many economies. As a result, some of 바카라사이트 policies proposed by Liu may get a better hearing than 바카라사이트y would have even a few months ago.

Martin De Saulles is a principal lecturer in 바카라사이트 School of Computing, Engineering and Ma바카라사이트matics at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton. His latest book, The Business of?Data: Commercial Opportunities and Social Challenges in a World Fuelled by Data, was published last month.

Abolish Silicon Valley: How to Liberate Technology from Capitalism
By Wendy Liu
Repeater, 300pp, ?10.99
ISBN 9781912248704
Published 1 April 2020