BIT FLIP DISCUSSION GUIDE

 Is your book group reading Bit Flip? Here’s a handy discussion guide to get the conversation started.

  1. Sam goes on a truth-saying, on-stage rant at the end of Chapter 1 (p. 15). Why do you think Sam chose this moment to share this perspective? Given Sam’s subsequent decisions, how sincere is he here? Is this truly what he believes, or is it what he tells himself? Why did this rant result Sam getting fired?

  2. In several scenes, the wealth disparity and homelessness problem of San Francisco is highlighted, notably in Chapter 8 (p. 73). For residents or visitors to San Francisco, how has the city changed? What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the city, and how can we address them? How can we reconcile the economic growth that the tech industry brings with gentrification that it causes?

  3. At the winery with his friends in Chapter 15 (p. 144), Sam laments, “Where did our Silicon Valley idealism go?” Why was the counter-culture ethos to “make the world a better place” so influential in the tech industry’s early days? Does the tech industry still have that mindset and values? Do you think Silicon Valley has lost its sense of mission or purpose? Is the famous Google motto, “Don't be evil,” now hopelessly naïve?

  4. Sam visits his hometown of Lima, Ohio in Chapters 9-11, featuring three significant conversations with his brother, mother, and father (p. 110). How important are Sam’s Midwestern roots to his identity? How does his upbringing inform his drive, self-esteem, and sense of purpose? How do Sam’s feelings about his family influence his subsequent decision making?

  5. In their moment of intimacy at the charity auction in Chapter 12, Sam and Heather seem to reconcile after his firing and her frustration at Sam’s self-pity and disinterest in finding another job. How did Sam and Heather interpret this moment in their relationship differently? To what extent are Sam’s subsequent decisions motivated by a desire to preserve their marriage? How did this scene foreshadow the ultimate ending of the book?

  6. The sexual assault of Sam’s co-worker, Amanda, (and revelation of an unknown previous assault against Heather) force Sam to face how far he will go to get the deal done to sell Ainetu. How did Sam justify this betrayal to himself? How does Amanda justify her silence? What can the industry do to make tech a more inclusive environment for women and other under-represented groups?

  7. The CEO of potential acquirer Prism Systems tells Sam about his investment strategy to obviate the need for millions of workers in Chapter 24 (p. 214). How concerned are you by the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) taking over such service-sector jobs? Can such tech-enabled efficiency improve our overall living standards, or is it a recipe for mass unemployment and wealth aggregation?

  8. Tech founders often put a very positive spin on their companies to win investors and customers. In some cases, notably Theranos, that behavior crossed over into fraud. Do you see a danger in the “fake it till you make it” mindset at tech start-ups? How can companies and individuals working in the tech industry counterbalance the “win-at-all-costs” ethos to ensure they behave ethically?