Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World

Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World

by Malcolm Harris
3.91 (2K)  •  2023

Related videos

12:31
Democracy Now video interview with author + relevant photos
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Feb, 2023
Spoiler: Author and Palo Alto native Malcolm Harris talks with Democracy Now about the “dark side” of his hometown and Silicon Valley. The author discusses suicides among his high school classmates, suicides among Apple employees, the roots of eugenics at Stanford, and calls for the university to return appropriated land to the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, the original occupants. He asserts that waves of tech layoffs are simply a “cosmetic offering to the financial markets” that disproportionately affect the relevant companies’ stock prices.
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The Majority Report in-depth interview with author via video
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Spoiler: Author Malcolm Harris, chatting by video with journalist Emma Vigeland, describes “the Palo Alto system,” invented by Leland Stanford. Stanford concocted a new and faster way of producing trotting horses, at that time essential for agriculture and transportation. Of course horses would soon be taken over by rail, but the tradition of scaling, heavy investment in experimental models, and innovative thinking had been established. Harris also discusses the dark side of Palo Alto, his hometown, and calls for more ethical approaches to technology.

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