Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech
- Downloads：9118
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-11-01 12:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Brian Merchant
- ISBN：B09SBS22JM
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
John
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（3。5）Great subject and well-researched。 I’m totally onboard with the premise and will consider myself a modern Luddite。 I found myself checking out during some of the historical portions。 They scanned as dull， but I think it’s more a result of average writing than the stories themselves。 The content is solid， however。
Mark Penman
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Really loved this one。 It's premise of equating the changes the Luddites faced and fought against with contemporary situations for workers was really well executed。 The book spoke to my heart， lit a fire in my belly and had me reaching for the nearest hammer。 Really loved this one。 It's premise of equating the changes the Luddites faced and fought against with contemporary situations for workers was really well executed。 The book spoke to my heart， lit a fire in my belly and had me reaching for the nearest hammer。 。。。more
Emily
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Long but no unnecessary details。 Very well done
Mitchell Chatfield
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Most turbulent 5 star review so far。 The issues are not in the history but the type of politics they are extrapolated to in contemporary work culture。 *details to come*
Hugh
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This is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read。 It’s an impressive feat of research: Merchant writes about the beginning of the Industrial Revolution with incredible detail， balancing very dense storytelling with short， focused chapters to keep it from overwhelming。 The story itself is rich and almost impossible to believe: Lord Byron， Frankenstein， Walter Scott， the Bronte sisters， and a handful of other historical giants are here， woven in with Bezos， Zuckerberg， Kalanick and other modern This is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read。 It’s an impressive feat of research: Merchant writes about the beginning of the Industrial Revolution with incredible detail， balancing very dense storytelling with short， focused chapters to keep it from overwhelming。 The story itself is rich and almost impossible to believe: Lord Byron， Frankenstein， Walter Scott， the Bronte sisters， and a handful of other historical giants are here， woven in with Bezos， Zuckerberg， Kalanick and other modern ‘disrupters’。 Merchant does an incredible job of drawing parallels between the two eras， including deteriorating working conditions， capital’s influence on legislation， and the dishonest portrayal of acts of protest in the media。The last 50 pages alone are worth the price of admission， and techno-optimists would benefit from a read as well — Merchant breaks down the issues and concerns of modern labour in ways that business and government should address。Reading all of this just as the WGA achieved a decisive victory in their strike， addressing concerns about depreciating working conditions， authors working to keep their work from being used to train the LLMs that tech bros think will replace them， and A16z’s tone-deaf， boneheaded， cartoon villain-esque manifesto that declares "Social Responsibility" and "Tech Ethics" as The Enemy， and it seems like conditions are near ripe for another uprising。 This is an essential read right now。 。。。more
Dave
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Enjoyed learning about the Luddite movement in the early-1800’s。 90% of the book is focused on their story so those interested in history will likely appreciate that aspect。 Merchant spends the last 10% drawing more direct connections to our current day situation as it relates to the impact of new technology。 I found the most enlightening aspect of the Luddite’s， and the point that seems to have morphed throughout history， is the fact that they were very aware of the technology。 History attempts Enjoyed learning about the Luddite movement in the early-1800’s。 90% of the book is focused on their story so those interested in history will likely appreciate that aspect。 Merchant spends the last 10% drawing more direct connections to our current day situation as it relates to the impact of new technology。 I found the most enlightening aspect of the Luddite’s， and the point that seems to have morphed throughout history， is the fact that they were very aware of the technology。 History attempts to paint them as ignorant about the value and necessity of technology， but what they really fought for was a seat at the table to help integrate tech and not simply leave workers behind。 Seems we are still failing to heed that vital lesson。 。。。more
Tucker
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Explains how， 200 years ago， factory workers who sabotaged machinery were viewed as terrorists and often executed。 This book describes multiple hangings。 While mostly focused on the early 1800s， at the end it brings the lesson to the modern era。 “If the Luddites have taught us anything， it’s that robots aren’t taking our jobs。 Our bosses are。” The machines are not themselves evil。 They are tools。 And: “Some machines must be broken， so that they stop producing monsters。”
Lloyd Fassett
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10/1/23 Found it the Wall St。 Journal Weekend Review。
Morgan
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