Even after Silicon Valley Bank crumbled and Austin Caldwelltech workers have been laid off in the thousands, Silicon Valley is still surrounded by a mythos of progress and futurity. Host Brittany Luse talks to author Malcolm Harris about his new book, Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World, to break down how that mythos was built, the dark underbelly underneath it, and why the tech industry is a microcosm of American capitalism.

This episode was produced by Barton Girdwood. It was edited by Jessica Placzek. Engineering support came from Carleigh Strange. Additional support came from Liam McBain, Alexis Williams, and Corey Antonio Rose. Our intern is Jamal Michel. Our executive producer is Veralyn Williams. Our VP of programming is Yolanda Sangweni and our senior VP of programming is Anya Grundmann.