Uncanny Valley

Data & Society welcomes writer Anna Wiener to discuss her debut book, Uncanny Valley, and experiences navigating the new digital economy. Part coming-of-age-story, part portrait of an already-bygone era, Anna Wiener’s memoir of working in Silicon Valley is a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune, and accelerating political power. Anna deftly charts the tech industry’s shift from self-appointed world savior to democracy-endangering liability, alongside a personal narrative of aspiration, ambivalence, and disillusionment. Unsparing and incisive, Uncanny Valley is a cautionary tale, and a revelatory interrogation of a world reckoning with consequences its unwitting designers are only beginning to understand. This event is moderated by Data & Society’s Director of Creative Strategy, Sam Hinds. It was recorded at Data & Society on January 22, 2020.