Uncanny Valley: A Memoir

The book’s first part, “Incentives,” introduces the key conflict: Wiener, a 25-year-old Brooklyn native, desires “momentum” and fulfilment in her professional life but has tired of her job as an underpaid assistant at a Manhattan literary agency. After a brief stint at a New York e-book startup, she secures a customer support position at a mobile analytics company in San Francisco. She optimistically immerses herself in the workplace culture, shrugging off incidents of sexism, the company’s morally questionable data collection, and the cruel management style of the company’s CEO. While initially lonely, she meets and begins dating Ian, a robotics engineer who provides a grounded, clarifying presence in her life in contrast to the overstimulating world of tech. Eventually her work environment sours; she finds a new job at a beloved open-source software startup and leaves.

 “Scale,” the second part, charts Wiener’s disenchantment with the industry. As she acclimates, the company confronts issues of discrimination and struggles to control widespread abuse of its platform. Through social media she befriends a well-known CEO named Patrick, who acts as a foil and debate partner as she grapples with questions of the industry’s social responsibility and growing political power.