Emily Chang's debut book is an excellent discussion of the barriers women face to careers in technology in particular, and the workforce in general. I was impressed by the depth and breadth of her research for the subject and particularly by the massive number of personal interviews she conducted for the book. These interviews included often poignant, often disturbing anecdotes about the outsized role men play in Silicon Valley.
The book begins with some historical context, explaining the key role of women in the early days of computer science and the rise of our increasingly technocentric society. Chang runs through the list of usual suspects, including Margaret Hamilton and Grace Hopper, and discusses the odd fact that female representation in technology declined in the latter half of the 20th century.
Chang then moves on to discuss, in nearly autopsic detail, the many issues that beset the modern woman embarking on a career in technology. First, there are issues of bias that exist before women ever arrive at the workplace, during education and the interview process. Programs for tech training and education are often geared toward men, leading to the “pipeline” issues so often discussed, which can be broadened to all STEM fields. Then there are issues in interviewing and hiring standards, including the expectations that technical hires be “rockstars”, “aggressive” and many other terms that are likely to exclude women. Once women make it past these hurdles and land a role, their troubles don't end. Many women endure harassment or microaggressive behaviors from men in their workplaces, and such issues are often inadequately handled by corporate HR departments. Women face an expectation to mix and mingle with their male counterparts, often in venues and situations that are singularly uncomfortable to women, such as strip clubs, mixed-gender hot tubs, and drug-laden parties. Women who do engage in the Silicon Valley dating and hookup culture face a damned if you do, damned if you don't attitude that slut-shames them for participating, and excludes them if they don't. And women frequently face questions or outright hostility surrounding their potential to bear children.
Reading the book from a socialist or communist perspective, a few sections are of particular interest. At the beginning of chapter 7, Chang discusses the decisions of Apple and a few other key tech firms to cover the costs of egg freezing. Chang contrasts this with the nearly complete lack of childcare facilities on the campuses of many tech firms and the inadequate maternity and paternity leave policies that many firms have. I find the entire discussion quite chilling. We're so deep in late capitalism that the major tech firms have decided that it's in their best interests to incentivize women to put their plans for a family on literal ice rather than start families. While it's great that companies offer this service for women who don't want to start a family right away, when compared to their otherwise lacking family policies it seems positively dystopian.
Another discussion is the oft-remarked-upon policies at many tech corporations that incentivize their workers to remain at the workplace as long as possible. That includes the much-touted massages and gyms, free meals, and nearly ubiquitous ping-pong and foosball tables. In late capitalism, it's no longer enough that single employees can produce profits orders of magnitude greater than their wages. They must conform to a corporate culture that demands greater and greater devotion and slavish working hours from them. At the dawn of modern capitalism, a typical factory worker might work long hours but would produce a relative pittance of profit for the capitalist that employed him or her, necessitating their hiring in droves. Now a single worker can write code that millions of people interact with, have a billion-dollar idea, or spark company changes that increase profits substantially. And it isn't enough. It's never enough.
On a personal note, the book has distilled and intensified my already formidable loathing for Peter Thiel, which could be a blog post all its own. Before reading this book, I was well aware of Thiel's political views and conservative activism. However, I was unaware of his founding and editing of a student newspaper while at Stanford that served as the vehicle for reactionary vitriol, and his recent equivocating about the fact. I have particular reasons for a strong animus against him. As a philosophy graduate myself, I can't stand his pretensions to philosophical enlightenment. While he may hold a degree in philosophy, he has more in common with Sam Harris than with any true lover of knowledge. And besides Paypal, probably Thiel's most well-known investment is in Palantir Technologies and associated businesses Mithril Capital and Valar Ventures. Firstly, all of those business names are references to JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series, a series I loved as a kid. Thiel's apparent affinity for them upsets me. Additionally, Palantir is a very interesting topic to discuss. Named after the seeing stones from LOTR, Palantir's primary product is analytics and web-habit tracking software. Some years ago, the story broke that Palantir had been involved in the development of surveillance and analytics platforms for the Department of Defense. It strikes me as deeply hypocritical that a person like Thiel, who is so vocal about his professed libertarian, small-government beliefs, should found a company involved in the sale of surveillance tools to the US government. He stands for nothing.
Overall, I think this is a book that many, many people should read. It's particularly important for people in hiring positions, company founders, and men in danger of perpetuating some of the negative behaviors Chang discusses. Men should be advocates for women in the workplace, speaking up for women when they request it, and being quiet and letting women speak when they need it. I'm resolved to be more aware of what I say in the workplace and to empower the women I work with, thanks in part to this book.