A Dark History of Silicon Valley
9 min
A newly unveiled statue of a silicon atom in Mountain View commemorates the lab of William Shockley. (Sam Harnett/KQED)
Silicon Valley got its start with a man who was regarded as a genius and won a Nobel prize. But William Shockley was also a racist and eugenicist who promoted sterilizations of black Americans. A new monument in Mountain View celebrates Shockley's work, but ignores his racist past.
Guest: Sam Harnett, KQED Silicon Valley reporter
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