Uncanny Valley
Witty
Insightful
Vibrant

Uncanny Valley A Memoir

Anna Wiener2020
The prescient, page-turning account of a journey in Silicon Valley: a defining memoir of our digital age In her mid-twenties, at the height of tech industry idealism, Anna Wiener—stuck, broke, and looking for meaning in her work, like any good millennial—left a job in book publishing for the promise of the new digital economy. She moved from New York to San Francisco, where she landed at a big-data startup in the heart of the Silicon Valley bubble: a world of surreal extravagance, dubious success, and fresh-faced entrepreneurs hell-bent on domination, glory, and, of course, progress. Anna arrived during a massive cultural shift, as the tech industry rapidly transformed into a locus of wealth and power rivaling Wall Street. But amid the company ski vacations and in-office speakeasies, boyish camaraderie and ride-or-die corporate fealty, a new Silicon Valley began to emerge: one in far over its head, one that enriched itself at the expense of the idyllic future it claimed to be building. Part coming-of-age-story, part portrait of an already bygone era, Anna Wiener’s memoir, Uncanny 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. With wit, candor, and heart, 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.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Patrick Book
Patrick Book@patrickb
4 stars
Jul 5, 2024
Photo of Stas
Stas@stasreads333
1.75 stars
Jun 10, 2024
Photo of Patricia K
Patricia K@thepoemzone
Photo of Cody Degen
Cody Degen@codydegen
4 stars
Jan 12, 2024
Photo of Hannah Swithinbank
Hannah Swithinbank@hannahswiv
3 stars
Nov 27, 2023
Photo of Lamia Hajani
Lamia Hajani@lamafoyomama
3 stars
Aug 10, 2023
Photo of Ali Angco
Ali Angco@aliangco
3 stars
Mar 26, 2023
Photo of Bouke van der Bijl
Bouke van der Bijl@bouk
4 stars
Mar 1, 2023
Photo of Andrew Louis
Andrew Louis@hyfen
4 stars
Feb 6, 2023
Photo of Nick Gracilla
Nick Gracilla@ngracilla
2 stars
Jan 16, 2023
Photo of Amy Thibodeau
Amy Thibodeau@amythibodeau
2 stars
Dec 26, 2022
Photo of Alex Q
Alex Q@yourque
3 stars
Aug 2, 2022
Photo of Emma Friedheim
Emma Friedheim@emrosemary
5 stars
Jun 24, 2022
Photo of Fraser Simons
Fraser Simons@frasersimons
4 stars
Jun 9, 2022
Photo of elif sinem
elif sinem@prism
2 stars
May 23, 2022
Photo of Michelle Li
Michelle Li@michellybelly
3 stars
May 23, 2022
Photo of ben wolfson
ben wolfson@birdbrain10
5 stars
May 7, 2022
Photo of Alexia
Alexia@alexiatsn
5 stars
Dec 14, 2021
Photo of Luke Leighfield
Luke Leighfield@lukeleighfield
3 stars
Nov 18, 2021
Photo of Jeremy Anderberg
Jeremy Anderberg@jeremyanderberg
5 stars
Nov 18, 2021
Photo of Kylie Pace
Kylie Pace@kylie_the_second
5 stars
Nov 15, 2021
Photo of Bad Girl Bex
Bad Girl Bex@bad_girl_bex
2 stars
Oct 26, 2021
Photo of Cindy
Cindy@cindypepper
4 stars
Oct 20, 2021
Photo of Ana Couto
Ana Couto@inquisitivebookworm
4 stars
Aug 30, 2021

Highlights

Photo of Danny White
Danny White@danny