Big Technology Podcast Communal Living, Sex, And Silicon Valley's Groupthink Problem — With Ellen Huet
41 snips
Nov 26, 2025 
Ellen Huet, a Bloomberg features writer and author of Empire of Orgasm, dives into the intriguing dynamics of Silicon Valley's groupthink. She discusses how communal living among tech founders fosters shared ideologies and leads to startup collaborations. Ellen explores the allure of self-help programs and the 'high agency' mindset that shapes the tech culture. She reveals the dark side of such dynamics through One Taste's journey, examining how its practices mirrored cult behavior and how this parallels current trends in AI. A fresh perspective on innovation and blind spots!
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Group Houses Seed Startup Ideology
- Silicon Valley group houses and co-living create tight bonds that often seed startups and shared ideology.
- Those communal ties amplify belief adoption and accelerate company formation among residents.
Personal-Development Fuels Tech Ambition
- Ambitious, change-seeking people gravitate to Silicon Valley and its personal-development scene.
- Intensive self-help programs and 'agency' rhetoric furnish psychological tools that align with startup culture.
One Taste’s Rise And Legal Fall
- One Taste taught a practice called orgasmic meditation involving a prescribed partnered clitoral stroking for 15 minutes.
- The company grew widely in the 2010s, won celebrity endorsements, and later faced cult allegations and criminal charges.
