How To Academy Podcast Novelist and Activist Cory Doctorow - Fear and Loathing in Silicon Valley
18 snips
Jan 28, 2025 
Cory Doctorow, an award-winning novelist and activist, dives into the murky waters of Silicon Valley's corruption and technological exploitation. He introduces the concept of 'inshittification,' highlighting how tech platforms sacrifice user satisfaction for profit. Doctorow discusses his latest noirish thriller, 'Picks and Shovels,' revealing the real-life misdeeds that inspired it. With a keen eye on algorithmic wage discrimination and societal issues, he critiques the dark side of modern tech and urges for more integrity in industries plagued by greedy practices.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Public Note-Taking
- Cory Doctorow uses his blog as a public commonplace book, enhancing rigor and idea generation.
- This method, inspired by Vannevar Bush's "memex," fuels his writing, including nine books during lockdown.
The Art of Exposition
- Exposition in fiction, when done well, is a powerful tool for conveying complex ideas.
- Doctorow views successful art as the transfer of numinous ideas from artist to audience.
Radicalized and Reality
- Doctorow's story "Radicalized" explored spree violence against healthcare executives, not to condone it, but to question its absence.
- The real-life assassination of Brian Thompson, a healthcare executive, tragically echoed the story's theme.
