Tech Ethicists & Critics
Against Tech Oligarchy: Worker Resistance in the World's Most Powerful Industry
Clarissa Redwine & JS Tan · 2026 · Haymarket Books
An account of the tech worker movement since 2016 — walkouts, protests over military contracts, union drives — and the backlash from tech executives that followed.
Summary
This book examines the origins and trajectory of the tech worker movement. It details how, after Donald Trump's 2016 election, tech workers began organizing against their employers' perceived betrayal of progressive values, including protests against military contracts and union drives. The authors describe how this movement subsequently faced a backlash from tech executives who, embracing Trumpism, fired organizers and replaced favorable working conditions with layoffs and grind culture. The book thus covers both the workers' resistance and the industry's shift towards hostile labor politics.
Summary based on the publisher's page ↗
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About the authors
Clarissa Redwine
Clarissa Redwine helped establish the Kickstarter union and has since focused on organizing within the tech industry. She also cofounded and directs the annual tech organizing conference, Circuit Breakers.
Source: Publisher page ↗
JS Tan
JS Tan is a PhD candidate at MIT who previously worked in the tech sector, where he organized across the industry for several years. His writings have appeared in various publications such as The New York Times and MIT Technology Review.
Source: Publisher page ↗