A review by shelby1994
Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener

dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0



Less of a take-down of the newly minted 1%, and more of a deep-dive into the pitfalls of start-up culture, I have never been so thankful that I did not listen to my parents' advice and learn to code. 
Wiener takes us on a panoramic tour of the Bay-area, full of 20-somethings with their company-branded hoodies, basement bedrooms, and recreational drugs, obsessed with the idea that Silicon Valley isn't just "work." It's a calling. But then the NSA's wiretapping program comes to light at the same time as the "avoid him/don't stay after work with him/don't cry when he shoves his hands down your pants at the company offsite" grapevine between the very, very few female employees at the startups beings to spill over into the media. And Wiener and her coworkers have to think about who actually benefits from working within a start-up culture and who is just exploited. 
Read If:
1. You were jealous of college friends that moved out to the West coats with 6-figure starting salaries while you took another unpaid internship
2. You understand "seed funding"
3. You've been the only woman on your work team and took pride in it instead of questioning it. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings