Silicon Valley's boosters say it's an innovative, meritocratic wonderland that rewards brilliant visionaries and just might save the world. That's nonsense.
Capitalism is an effervescent elixir. People clamor to catch a lift upward on the latest bubble even though deep down, most know there is only air beneath them. Stocks, tech valuations, real-estate speculation — it’s not the stuff of the economy that really matters, but rather, the timely exit from each overvalued market. A few people win, most lose, and the victors tend to be those already advantaged by their class position. Nevertheless, we suppress that knowledge, because facing the truth is too painful. It’s nice to have something to hope, and to work, for.
In his new book, Live, Work, Work, Work, Die: A Journey into the Savage Heart of Silicon Valley, journalist and writer Corey Pein offers us a glimpse at the apotheosis of contemporary capitalism, Silicon Valley. The narrative cheekily casts Pein as a freshly unemployed prospector, going West to strike venture capital gold. The word is out that Silicon Valley is practically minting millionaires and billionaires — who’s to say he can’t be one of them?
Pein documents his Valley quest for tech-billionaire-dom, taking readers on a gonzo-lite tour of pitch meetings, recruitment fairs, Captain Morgan–soaked networking happy hours, and Airbnb flophouses. Wise to capitalism’s fizz, the book is an important exposé of the supposedly innovative, meritocratic tech industry — a refreshing antidote to the fawning encomiums the sector usually receives from the media and politicians.
https://jacobinmag.com/2018/11/live-work-die-silicon-valley-review-pein
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