Coders

The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World

By: Clive Thompson

Narrated by: René Ruiz

Hello, world.

Facebook's algorithms shaping the news. Self-driving cars roaming the streets. Revolution on Twitter and romance on Tinder. We live in a world constructed of code - and coders are the ones who built it for us. From acclaimed tech writer Clive Thompson comes a brilliant anthropological reckoning with the most powerful tribe in the world today, computer programmers, in a book that interrogates who they are, how they think, what qualifies as greatness in their world, and what should give us pause. They are the most quietly influential people on the planet, and Coders shines a light on their culture.

In pop culture and media, the people who create the code that rules our world are regularly portrayed in hackneyed, simplified terms, as ciphers in hoodies. Thompson goes far deeper, dramatizing the psychology of the invisible architects of the culture, exploring their passions and their values, as well as their messy history. In nuanced portraits, Coders takes us close to some of the great programmers of our time, including the creators of Facebook's News Feed, Instagram, Google's cutting-edge AI, and more. Speaking to everyone from revered "10X" elites to neophytes, back-end engineers, and front-end designers, Thompson explores the distinctive psychology of this vocation - which combines a love of logic, an obsession with efficiency, the joy of puzzle-solving, and a superhuman tolerance for mind-bending frustration.

Along the way, Coders thoughtfully ponders the morality and politics of code, including its implications for civic life and the economy. Programmers shape our everyday behavior: When they make something easy to do, we do more of it. When they make it hard or impossible, we do less of it. Thompson wrestles with the major controversies of our era, from the "disruption" fetish of Silicon Valley to the struggle for inclusion by marginalized groups.

In his accessible, erudite style, Thompson unpacks the surprising history of the field, beginning with the first coders - brilliant and pioneering women, who, despite crafting some of the earliest personal computers and programming languages, were later written out of history. Coders introduces modern crypto-hackers fighting for your privacy, AI engineers building eerie new forms of machine cognition, teenage girls losing sleep at 24/7 hackathons, and unemployed Kentucky coal-miners learning a new career.

At the same time, the book deftly illustrates how programming has become a marvelous new art form - a source of delight and creativity, not merely danger. To get as close to his subject as possible, Thompson picks up the thread of his own long-abandoned coding skills as he reckons with what superb programming looks like.

To understand the world today, we need to understand code and its consequences. With Coders, Thompson gives a definitive look into the heart of the machine.

©2019 Clive Thompson (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“In this revealing exploration of programming, programmers, and their far-reaching influence, Wired columnist Thompson opens up an insular world and explores its design philosophy’s consequences, some of them unintended. Through interviews and anecdotes, Thompson expertly plumbs the temperament and motivations of programmers.... [Coders] contains possibly the best argument yet for how social media maneuvers users into more extreme political positions..... Impressive in its clarity and thoroughness, Thompson’s survey shines a much-needed light on a group of people who have exerted a powerful effect on almost every aspect of the modern world.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Fascinating. Thompson is an excellent writer and his subjects are themselves gripping.... [W]hat Thompson does differently is to get really close to the people he writes about: it’s the narrative equivalent of Technicolor, 3D and the microscope.... People who interact with coders routinely, as colleagues, friends or family, could benefit tremendously from these insights.” (Nature)

“With an anthropologist’s eye, [Thompson] outlines [coders’] different personality traits, their history and cultural touchstones. He explores how they live, what motivates them and what they fight about. By breaking down what the actual world of coding looks like...he removes the mystery and brings it into the legible world for the rest of us to debate. Human beings and their foibles are the reason the internet is how it is - for better and often, as this book shows, for worse.” (The New York Times Book Review)

really interesting engaging content

every chapter was full of interesting stories about the culture and history of programming. I loved it. one of my favorite books.

Really enjoyed this

Interesting information and background from a less technical more just entertaining place. I really enjoyed it.

Accurate account of the people that write software

As a 33 year old software engineer living in Silicon Valley, I can honestly say that this is one of the few accurate descriptions of who coders are.

Excellent, well-researched information

This is a great listen for both coders and non-coders alike. I was impressed with the extensive research and interviews done for this book. The author does a good job of getting multiple perspectives on a wide range of topics related to coding. As a coder myself, much of this book was already familiar to me. But I still learned new things, and was able to see myself and my industry through a more objective lens.

great introduction to coding world

good for those considering the world of coding for themselves or their children, sharing prospects, insights into work environments, personality fits, and resources.

As a non techie I learned a lot

As a non-techie I learned quite a bit about the industry through this book. Now that I'm in software it's been very interesting to get to know the types of people that have thrived in this environment. I must say that reading it doesn't necessarily give me a ton of Hope for the world, but at least I know what I'm up against.

Great story - well researched!

I thought the writer covered the topic in depth- I will be listening to this one again someday I’m sure!

Some interesting material

The book contains some interesting material, but wastes too much time on political correctness. Yes, talk about women who excel in coding, but don't spend half of the book lamenting that the percentage of women coders doesn't perfectly match that of the overall population.

Disappointing

Author interjects his leftist political views at every opportunity. Unfortunately it takes the reader out of the story. Why does everything have to be political nowadays?

For every Coder

Fascinating insights into the psychology, history and future of what being a computer programmer is all about.