Tech, Politics, and the Birth of Silicon Valley

Historian Margaret O'Mara talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her latest book, The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. She explains how the government catalyzed the digital revolution starting in the 1960s, the reasons tech power coalesced in suburban California, and why tech history must be considered a part of political history — even though the industry has tried in recent decades to distance itself from government. O'Mara also talks about the origins of sexism in the tech industry and how women were not given the same opportunities to break in as men, and the threats to Silicon Valley's current culture, including government regulation, overly strict immigration laws, and the rise of China.

Read a full transcript of this interview here.

Featuring:

Margaret O'Mara (@MargaretOMara), author, The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

Hosts:

Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Recode co-founder and editor-at-large

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