Canaries in the code mine : precarity and the future of tech work / Max Papadantonakis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Papadantonakis, Max, 1989- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

High technology industries--Employees--Supply and demand--United States.

High technology industries.

High technology industries--Employees--Effect of technological innovations on--United States.

Computer industry--Employees--Supply and demand--United States.

Computer industry.

Computer industry--Employees--Effect of technological innovations on--United States.

Discrimination in employment--United States.

Discrimination in employment.

Physical Description:

xiv, 136 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Temple University Press, 2025.

Summary:

"The idea that the tech industry is a secure field with jobs and opportunities for growth is a myth. There is widespread precarity among software developers, who experience uncertainty, anxiety, and imposter syndrome as technological advancements threaten job security. Max Papadantonakis investigates this phenomenon in his revealing study, Canaries in the Code Mine. He indicates that precarity is not just about the risk of losing one's job; it is about living in a career where basic needs and rights are not guaranteed. Interviewing 120 software developers from leading tech firms, Papadantonakis shows how temporary contracts, project cancellations, and company downsizing undermine the security of even highly skilled professionals. He also highlights the systemic inequalities that shape the tech industry, showing how age, race, and gender often dictate the opportunities and responsibilities software developers have - or are denied. Canaries in the Code Mine highlights a disturbing reality of privilege and vulnerability within the tech industry. Papadantonakis engages in a critical discourse on the evolving nature of work in the digital era, emphasizing the need to shape an equitable future in the rapidly evolving landscape." -- Publisher's description

Contents:

Introduction

Tech talent and the ideal worker

Digital elites

Pretty colors and cleaning up

" Excuse me! Do you work here?"

"Too old" to code

Tech workers unite!

Conclusion

Methodological appendix.

Notes:

Header misprint on index pages 134 and 136.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 121-131) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Papadantonakis, Max, 1989- Canaries in the code mine.

ISBN:

9781439925775

1439925771

9781439925782

143992578X

OCLC:

1464590286

Publisher Number:

90104680266

CIPO000222205