Theo Baker’s debut book is a film-worthy investigation of Stanford’s culture of fraud. But his disdain for the tech bros keeps him from understanding them.
Big Tech
Posted inBooks
Cory Doctorow Is Making Peace with AI
The tech maven is hip to the manic circular financing behind AI but isn’t freaked out about it being an existential threat.
Posted inBooks
Fear and Loathing in Palo Alto
Theo Baker’s debut book is a film-worthy investigation of Stanford’s culture of fraud. But his disdain for the tech bros keeps him from understanding them.
Posted inNovember/December 2025
Draining the Online Swamp
Instead of accepting the existing digital political battlefield as inevitable, Democrats should challenge it as a root cause of our dysfunctional politics, and vow to be the party that cleans it up.
Posted inMagazine
Monopoly Men
Big Tech platforms and the Gilded Age trusts have something in common: a stifling grip on the fundamentals of commerce.
Posted inBooks
The Cory Doctorow Doctrine
Why are big tech products getting worse and worse? The critic has some answers about the origins of “enshittification.”
Posted inBooks
How the Digital Age Changed Us
Two new books on high tech and social media examine the toll of relentless shopping, engagement, and the tyranny of the “like” button.
Posted inPolitics
Trump Is Steamrolling Corporate America. Democrats Are Taking Notes
Historically, Democrats have curbed their attacks on powerful interests for fear that it would cause a backlash. The president’s actions suggest they could stand to be more muscular.
Posted inEconomy
The OpenAI CEO is Out, But the Real Story is the Need for Regulation
Sam Altman aside, artificial intelligence is wonderful but threatening. It demands a robust government response, and that’s coming too slowly.
Posted inSeptember/October 2023
Google’s Participation Trophies
Big Tech promised that online career certificates would replace the college degree. They have so far proved to be, at best, a supplement.
