{"product_id":"the-know-it-alls-the-rise-of-silicon-valley-as-a-political-powerhouse-and-social-wrecking-ball-9781620972106","title":"The Know-It-Alls: The Rise of Silicon Valley as a Political Powerhouse and Social Wrecking Ball","description":"\u003cb\u003eIncluded in \u003ci\u003eBackchannel's\u003c\/i\u003e (WIRED.com) \"Top Tech Books of 2017\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn \"important\" book on the \"pervasive influence of Silicon Valley on our economy, culture and politics.\"\u003cbr\u003e--\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHow the titans of tech's embrace of economic disruption and a rampant libertarian ideology is fracturing America and making it a meaner place  \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Know-It-Alls\u003c\/em\u003e former \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e technology columnist Noam Cohen chronicles the rise of Silicon Valley as a political and intellectual force in American life. Beginning nearly a century ago and showcasing the role of Stanford University as the incubator of this new class of super geeks, Cohen shows how smart guys like Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg fell in love with a radically individualistic ideal and then mainstreamed it. With these very rich men leading the way, unions, libraries, public schools, common courtesy, and even government itself have been pushed aside to make way for supposedly efficient market-based encounters via the Internet. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDonald Trump's election victory was an inadvertent triumph of the \"disruption\" that Silicon Valley has been pushing: Facebook and Twitter, eager to entertain their users, turned a blind eye to the fake news and the hateful ideas proliferating there. The Rust Belt states that shifted to Trump are the ones being left behind by a \"meritocratic\" Silicon Valley ideology that promotes an economy where, in the words of LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, each of us is our own start-up. A society that belittles civility, empathy, and collaboration can easily be led astray. \u003cem\u003eThe Know-It-Alls\u003c\/em\u003e explains how these self-proclaimed geniuses failed this most important test of democracy. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Noam Cohen\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/07\/2017\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.80w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781620972106","brand":"New Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43232624246921,"sku":"9781620972106","price":25.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_b827ccb9-03ce-4fe2-91c7-e1617b548e98.jpg?v=1735034318","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-know-it-alls-the-rise-of-silicon-valley-as-a-political-powerhouse-and-social-wrecking-ball-9781620972106","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}