Reprogramming the American Dream

“I hope you, like me, appreciate that Kevin finds some balance between the poles of ‘the robots are coming for our jobs!’ and ‘AI is great, nothing to worry about!’ I suspect that, in the coming decades, we’ll increasingly recognize the wisdom of that view.” — J.D. Vance, New York Times bestselling author of Hillbilly ElegyAll good futures for our society and for humanity broadly require harnessing technology. Kevin has written a very important book here. He shows how and why to have optimism about artificial intelligence, harnessing the technology to restore the American Dream. What’s the future we should work towards? Kevin’s book shines the light forward. Highly recommended. — Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin and author of Blitzscaling”Kevin’s examination of AI and the future of rural communities like the one in which he grew up in rural Virginia provides an unusually personal and empathetic perspective on how we can, together, create opportunity for ourselves, our organizations, and our world.” — Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft”Scott’s version of our AI future is a refreshingly optimistic one, and it’s coming from someone who knows the technology very, very well.” — Fast Company

As executive vice president and chief technology officer of Microsoft, Kevin Scott’s 20-year career in technology spans both academia and industry as researcher, engineer and leader. Prior to joining Microsoft, Scott was senior vice president of engineering and operations at LinkedIn, where he helped build the technology and engineering team and led the company through an IPO and six years of rapid growth. Scott is the host of the podcast Behind the Tech, which features interviews with technology heroes who have helped create the tech industry of today. Scott holds an M.S. in computer science from Wake Forest University, a B.S. in computer science from Lynchburg College, and completed most of his Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Virginia.

J.D. Vance grew up in the Rust Belt city of Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian town of Jackson, Kentucky. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school and served in Iraq. A graduate of the Ohio State University and Yale Law School, he has contributed to the National Review and the New York Times, and works as an investor at a leading venture capital firm. Vance lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his family.