The History and Future of Silicon Valley

Episode 8 of the Confluence podcast, hosted by Consulate General of Canada in San Francisco, titled "The History and Future of Silicon Valley" was published on November 18, 2021 and runs 44 minutes.

November 18, 2021 ·44m · Confluence

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Summary

In order to understand what’s happening in Silicon Valley today, we look back at the history of the world’s most famous innovation hub. On this week’s episode of Confluence, host Rana Sarkar speaks with Margaret O’Mara, Professor in the Department of History at the University of Washington and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. Her book traces the region’s lineage back to its humble beginnings as the agricultural, “prune capital” of the world. It describes the unique set of circumstances and environmental factors which made Silicon Valley a global research hub before today’s leading tech companies had even been conceived. Rana then connects with Jennifer Stojkovic, Executive Director of sf.citi, an organization that represents and advocates for tech with the City of San Francisco. Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, sf.citi has been researching and reporting on demographic changes in the city—mapping the so-called “techxodus.” Growing costs of living in the city have led to a real housing crisis, which leaves the road ahead for Silicon Valley somewhat uncertain. As global communications technologies make remote work easier than ever before, will Silicon Valley remain in the San Francisco Bay area? Could there be a “Silicon Valley” somewhere else in the world, or in other words, is Silicon Valley a place, or an idea? Tune in this week for sharp discussion on the past and future of Silicon Valley. LINKS: Margaret O’Mara Website Margaret O’Mara Twitter Margaret O’Mara LinkedIn Margaret O’Mara Wikipedia Margaret O’Mara New York Times The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America at Penguin Random House Jen Stojkovic Twitter Jen Stojkovic LinkedIn Jen Stojkovic Wikipedia Sf.citi Website Vegan Women’s Summit Rolling Stone Culture Council See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Episode Description

In order to understand what’s happening in Silicon Valley today, we look back at the history of the world’s most famous innovation hub. On this week’s episode of Confluence, host Rana Sarkar speaks with Margaret O’Mara, Professor in the Department of History at the University of Washington and author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. Her book traces the region’s lineage back to its humble beginnings as the agricultural, “prune capital” of the world. It describes the unique set of circumstances and environmental factors which made Silicon Valley a global research hub before today’s leading tech companies had even been conceived. Rana then connects with Jennifer Stojkovic, Executive Director of sf.citi, an organization that represents and advocates for tech with the City of San Francisco. Since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, sf.citi has been researching and reporting on demographic changes in the city—mapping the so-called “techxodus.” Growing costs of living in the city have led to a real housing crisis, which leaves the road ahead for Silicon Valley somewhat uncertain. As global communications technologies make remote work easier than ever before, will Silicon Valley remain in the San Francisco Bay area? Could there be a “Silicon Valley” somewhere else in the world, or in other words, is Silicon Valley a place, or an idea? Tune in this week for sharp discussion on the past and future of Silicon Valley.

LINKS:

Margaret O’Mara Website

Margaret O’Mara Twitter

Margaret O’Mara LinkedIn

Margaret O’Mara Wikipedia

Margaret O’Mara New York Times

The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America at Penguin Random House

Jen Stojkovic Twitter

Jen Stojkovic LinkedIn

Jen Stojkovic Wikipedia

Sf.citi Website

Vegan Women’s Summit