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Silicon Valley's subsidised fortunes

Book review of THE CODE: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

Cover of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. Credits: Amazon.in
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Cover of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America. Credits: Amazon.in

Stephen Mihm | NYT
By the early 1970s, Don Hoefler, a writer for Electronic News, was spending after-hours at his “field office” — a faux-Western tavern known as Walker’s Wagon Wheel, in Mountain View, California. In a town with few nightspots, this was the bar of choice for engineers from the growing number of electronic and semiconductor chip firms clustered nearby.

Hoefler had a knack for slogans, having worked as a corporate publicist. In a piece published in 1971, he christened the region — better known for its prune orchards, bland buildings and cookie-cutter subdivisions — “Silicon Valley.” The name stuck, Hoefler became a legend