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Burn Book
Book

Burn Book

A Tech Love Story

Kara Swisher
Simon & Schuster, 2024
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Editorial Rating

9

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Recommendation

Technology companies and their leaders promise to help change the world. However, some of the most powerful names in tech tend to act like “adult toddlers,” writes renowned tech journalist Kara Swisher, while others simply lack empathy for their users. Part memoir, part exposé, Swisher’s eye-opening, decades-spanning account offers a nuanced picture of Silicon Valley’s history and how its innovations have reshaped society — for better and for worse. Boldly holding a mirror up to power, Swisher deftly balances insider anecdotes with a serious call for tech leaders to focus on the public good.

Summary

Silicon Valley leaders have transformed the world — but not always in the ways they promised. 

Silicon Valley leaders often win over consumers with world-changing promises. In 2000, Google adopted the motto “Don’t be evil,” while Tesla’s Elon Musk vowed to reduce mass-market dependence on fossil fuels through electric vehicles. But while many leading tech companies have changed the world, it’s often for the worse. Many people today are addicted to digital devices and more isolated from other humans; fake news and disinformation abound; and social media platforms have eroded civic discourse. 

In a 2018 New York Times column, the author characterized Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter as the “digital arms dealers of the modern age.” She explained that these companies have weaponized free speech and political discourse, exacerbating polarization and fueling conflict to trigger engagement. Silicon Valley dismisses the adverse effects of the technologies they’ve profited from as “unintended consequences.” But just because Big Tech didn’t aim to do harm doesn’t mean they...

About the Author

Kara Swisher is an American journalist, host of the New York Magazine podcast On with Kara Swisher, and a cohost of its Pivot podcast. She cofounded Vox Media’s Recode, was a contributing opinion writer and podcast host for The New York Times, and has worked for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.

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