Structure

Uncanny Valley is divided into only two chapters plus an epilogue. Because there are only two chapters and they are naturally very long, sections are subdivided within them either through page breaks or section breaks. The narrative is told chronologically, beginning with Anna’s decision to start working in tech and ending when she leaves the industry. The book’s structure therefore follows the chronology of this linear period in her life. The book’s two chapters represent two phases of her career in tech, defined by the two companies she worked for in Silicon Valley.

The first chapter, Incentives, includes a brief section on Anna’s first tech job in New York before she moves to San Francisco. The majority of this chapter is therefore about her work at the data-analytics startup. The second chapter focuses on her second tech job in San Francisco at the...