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Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech Hardcover – September 26, 2023

by Brian Merchant (Author)

4.2 117 ratings

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"The most important book to read about the AI boom" (Wired): The "gripping" (New Yorker) true story of the first time machines came for human jobs—and how the Luddite uprising explains the power, threat, and toll of big tech and AI today

Named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker, Wired, and the Financial Times • A Next Big Idea Book Club "Must-Read"

The most urgent story in modern tech begins not in Silicon Valley but two hundred years ago in rural England, when workers known as the Luddites rose up rather than starve at the hands of factory owners who were using automated machines to erase their livelihoods.

The Luddites organized guerrilla raids to smash those machines—on punishment of death—and won the support of Lord Byron, enraged the Prince Regent, and inspired the birth of science fiction. This all-but-forgotten class struggle brought nineteenth-century England to its knees.

Today, technology imperils millions of jobs, robots are crowding factory floors, and artificial intelligence will soon pervade every aspect of our economy. How will this change the way we live? And what can we do about it?

The answers lie in Blood in the Machine. Brian Merchant intertwines a lucid examination of our current age with the story of the Luddites, showing how automation changed our world—and is shaping our future.

Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Little, Brown and Company
Publication date

September 26, 2023
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.56 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0316487740
ISBN-13

978-0316487740
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From the Publisher

This its the true story of the first time that machines came for our jobs

Editorial Reviews

Review

“I’ve thrown around the word ‘Luddite’ often in my work, mainly as a cheap insult, so Brian Merchant’s rich and absorbing history of the movement was, for me, both a revelation and an embarrassment. The embarrassment is at how little I’d known about them, and how the lessons I’d taken from their effort were based on a silly caricature. The revelation, in Brian’s deft telling, is that technology never has to be inevitable, that we humans have agency over how we live with the machines, and that perhaps the best way to figure out what to do about the future is to look to the past.”―Farhad Manjoo, New York Times Opinion columnist

“A rich and gripping account of a chronically misunderstood historical chapter, one with urgent relevance to our own time, as we once again pit humans against machines.”―Naomi Klein, New York Times Bestselling author of This Changes Everything

"A thrilling history and a stirring manifesto for seizing the means of production, or smashing it, when necessary. Automation has always been about turning people into machines: brainless and disposable. To be a Luddite is to demand a say in the future. It's not enough to ask what a machine does - we have to ask who it does it for and who it does it to."―Cory Doctorow, New York Times bestselling author of Little Brother and The Internet Con

“This is an absolutely indispensable, shocking, and fascinating tale by one of today’s most important technology writers. This riveting book is as much a work of history as it is an urgent examination of our ability to resist the overwhelming changes technology is wreaking on our lives. The Luddites knew that automation, job loss and the consolidation of wealth aren’t inevitable. We can shape these forces if we’re willing to break a loom or two.”―Christopher Leonard, New York Times bestselling author of Kochland and The Lords of Easy Money

“Forget everything you know about the Luddites. After Blood in the Machine you’ll never look at your computer screen – or a hammer – the same way again.”―Malcolm Harris, bestselling author of Palo Alto

"An immersive, propulsive tale...an eye-opening history delivering powerful lessons for our high-tech present."―Margaret O'Mara, author of The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America

“Brian Merchant has pulled off a kind of temporal magic trick: He's told a two-century-old story with such resonant themes about technology, labor and human exploitation—and done it with such gripping, visceral detail and empathy—that it feels like it's about our future.”―Andy Greenberg, author of Sandworm and Tracers in the Dark

“A riveting look into the past, and a cautionary tale for our rapidly approaching future…. Fast paced, engagingly written, and exhaustively researched, this work of history could not feel more relevant to the current moment. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.”
―Kim Kelly, author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold Story of American Labor

"Engrossing and exhaustively researched"―The Culture Journalist

"A well-argued linkage of early industrial and postindustrial struggles for workers' rights."―Kirkus

"Brian Merchant’s new book...is phenomenal. It is both a rousing, meticulously-researched history and an insightful, timely argument about the present state of technology. It’s one of those books that sticks with you...You should buy it. You should read it."―"The Future, Now and Then" Newsletter

“Stirring...This is a significant contribution to the history of the Industrial Revolution and a strong warning against complacency in the face of technological change.”―Publishers Weekly

“This book is a welcome parable of worker solidarity and resistance.”―Booklist

“Blood in the Machine compares the labor struggles of the Industrial Revolution to today’s abusive gig economy.... Derived from an immense trove of archival materials and secondary historical sources, [Merchant] brings a journalist's touch to the Luddites' travails, drawing connections between the conflicts and indignities of their epoch and our own.”―Gavin Mueller, New York Times Book Review

"Merchant's retelling of the Luddite cause is a gripping and detailed romp."―Wired

"An eye-opening read... Merchant unspools a myth-busting historical tale interwoven with pointed comparisons to how modern tech giants are eroding workers’ collective rights."―New Scientist

“An excellent book that everyone should read.”―DailyKos

“A historical tour de force.”―CyberNews

About the Author

Brian Merchant is the technology columnist for the Los Angeles Times and the author of the national bestseller The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone. He’s the co-founder of Terraform, Vice’s science fiction outlet, and the founder of Gizmodo’s Automaton project examining AI and the future of work. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wired, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, Fast Company, and beyond. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown and Company (September 26, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316487740
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316487740
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.56 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #33,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14 in England History
- #14 in History of Technology
- #39 in Economic History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 117 ratings

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Brian Merchant

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Brian Merchant is the tech columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He's the bestselling author of ‘The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone’ (Little, Brown, 2017), the co-founder of Terraform, Vice Media's speculative fiction project, and the author of the forthcoming 'Blood in the Machine,' also from Little, Brown. His work has appeared in the New York Times, WIRED, the Atlantic, Harper's, Slate, the Guardian, and beyond.

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TwistedSage

I had no idea

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024

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The Luddite movement are as relevant today than hundreds of years ago. A must read to understand the consequences of disruptive progress and see there is another way for progress and workers to live in harmony.

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Brian Lewis

History, Great/Contemporary Analysis, Meh

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2023

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This is really two books. One, a brilliant recounting of the Luddites and their machine wrecking rebellion in the early 1800s, mostly in England and two, a far less successful view of contemporary, job killing technologies.

And it is about as long as two books. I had a strong sense that the book was ending in the 400 page range, as the author was summing up the Luddite rebellion. But the book continues on for another 200 plus pages, where the author's speculation, though containing many good points, was, nonetheless, speculation.

I will say I very much enjoyed the book and learned a lot about the Luddites, including that I have been laboring under a false impression about them for years. Their efforts were far more consequential and direct than I had thought. I never fell for the idea that they were just stupid about technology. But I did think that their resistance consisted largely of slow walking the job, what we might call "quiet quitting" when the machines were in use. In point of fact, this book shows it to be very active, direct resistance, including the wholesale destruction of the machines that threatened their jobs.

The story, on its own merits, is compelling. Although the author often presents things in a rather condescending tone, explaining the obvious implications of the historical story and how it relates to contemporary times. It was like having a stand up comedian stopping after every joke to say "Did you get it?" and then explain.

And the comparisons he makes to contemporary business practices of companies like Uber, Apple, and another that perhaps I should leave unnamed, or their bots will get me, strike me as valid. These come to play more in the last third of the book than elsewhere, and to be honest, I found myself skimming as the book wound down to a close.

I will say the book has much to recommend it and I learned a great deal about a topic where I thought I was fairly well informed. Just go in with your eyes wide open.

16 people found this helpful

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pen name

Buy it, read it, and consider our future

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024

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Brian Merchant has written a wonderful book with "Blood in the Machine".

Using a timeline to structure the book, he effortlessly flows through each chapter and connects its events to other relevant periods, including most importantly our own. I found this structure to work very well, and I would have welcomed a longer book if the author could continue in the same vein. It is, without question, centered on the most important topic of our Age of AI: what will be the role of humans in a fully automated future?

If Nick Bostrom's worst fears eventuate (Bostrom is the author of the outstanding book "Superintelligence") and we do create superintelligence, where would humanity fit in that most alien world? Merchant raises these questions using the light of history; like all of us, he has no definitive answers.

2 people found this helpful

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Mark Twain

Solid research. Excellent narrative. Weak analysis.

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2023

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I liked the book and learned a lot about the Luddites. Merchant writes very well and brings together a lot of material in an accessible and often fun way. Just correcting the widespread misconception of Luddites as reactionary is an important contribution.

But the framing of the book is a mess. This is not the origins of the rebellion against big tech, as he concedes in the conclusion. Indeed the rebellion was not against tech at all, but rather against the thoughtless displacement of skilled workers. Which folks who hate tech often imagine is happening now, but isn't.

There are problems with tech related to privacy, misinformation, and unfair competitive practices. But automation is not throwing people out of work wholesale the way it did in 18th century England and the attempt to force a narrative into that premise is a hot mess.

Finally, Merchant pretty clearly dislikes authority. Fine. Lots of people do. But you cannot let this color your analysis of history at every turn -- and he does.

15 people found this helpful

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tex841

Uses the past to predict the future

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024

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Well written explanation demonstrating how the past can be used to predict the future. Makes a case for learning from the past to help us shape the future we want rather than letting it happen and then going, "How did that happen????"

One person found this helpful

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Scott

A very compelling book, couldn't put it down!

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2023

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I found this to be a fascinating look at a period in history with so many parallels to both our current society and that of so many others over time. There are so many intriguing characters, and it was very interesting to read about how names like Lord Byron, Mary Godwin (Shelley), & Charlotte Brontë crossed paths with the Luddites and lesser known heroes of the story. Overall I think the book had a great combination of history, narrative, and analysis, and I learned quite a bit.

3 people found this helpful

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hospnm

Great history. Redundant ending

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2024

I really enjoyed the history of the Luddites. That term is really misused by a lot of people and misunderstood. I liked the history however, it got redundant at the end as the author compared the Luddites to current situations and in which he basically was calling for a similar uprising against the concept of gig-work. Still a good story and a good read (listen) all around.

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DreadPirateRoberts

A Must-Read for People Living in the 21st Century

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2023

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This book is a good, stark, unflinching look at how labor practices are continually eroded by big tech and its “innovations”.
I work with tech in my job, and reading this made me much more hesitant to promote emerging technologies as a result. A good read for a long think.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

pertinent,timely and important

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2024

Verified Purchase

A book that needed writing and Merchant’s wide ranging and forensic research gives the subject the gravitas and veracity it deserves.

Daniel

Would not buy it again

Reviewed in Germany on February 18, 2024

Verified Purchase

Disappointing

Stephen V. Hawkins

Good read

Reviewed in Canada on February 2, 2024

Verified Purchase

I found its information and storytelling best enjoyed in pieces . Overall a good read and thought provoking. Enjoy

Rafiki

Yorkshire Luddites and Big Tech

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2024

Verified Purchase

In this magisterial and ultra readable analysis of the Luddites in the UK (particularly concentrated in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire) Brian Merchant draws a striking parallel between the Luddite activities of 1811 to 1816 and reactions against a range of ‘innovation’, mainly of the Silicon Valley type, in our own time. In a fascinating and fast moving drama he depicts out of work cloth croppers, ruthless magistrates, the deployment of thousands of troops, the role of infiltrating spies but does not neglect to depict the power of innovation then and now. Since he also captures the interplay of these forces with the Prince Regent, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë and Lord Byron there is no shortage of ‘walk on’ greats. I am very pleased to have read this book.

Julian D Atkinson

Readable but shallow

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2024

Verified Purchase

The author writes well. The comparison between Luddism and contemporary worries is not successful. That is because there is only a surface understanding of the three areas of Luddite activity. Lancashire was very politicised and involved different sections of workers. Yorkshire was primarily against machinery displacing labour. The East Midlands, at times, involved not just a spontaneous revolt against cheap and unskilled cut-up stockings, but a pincer movement partially controlled by the union of negotiating and frame breaking.It was “negotiation by riot” as Hobsbawm put it.

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