Introducing Silicon States, The Debut Book By JWT's Lucie Greene

In her debut book, J. Walter Thompson's chief futurist Lucie Greene offers a bracing look at how Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and other Silicon Valley power players are using their influence to encroach upon the civil landscape of government, healthcare, transportation and housing.

Silicon States is a global snapshot and analysis of the future being built by tech. Through interviews with over 60 experts and new research conducted by JWT's in-house proprietary insights unit, Greene explores how, with nearly bottomless supplies of cash and ambition, a small group of companies has been gradually seizing symbolic and practical civic leadership in America and worldwide. But Silicon Valley does not answer to the electorate, nor have its players been voted into office, Greene argues. And the perils of their influence are only now making themselves known.

"Tech's massive cultural, economic and now potentially civic influence is one of the most important shifts occurring in our lives and it is happening before our very eyes," says Greene. "I wanted to explore what the future world put forth by them could look like, from 'hacked' education and philanthropy to future city landscapes. Silicon States is the result of an illuminating two-year journey, which took me to Cuba, California, India and beyond."

Greene has spent a career charting the rise of the Silicon Valley power players, among broader cultural shifts. She is the global director of the Innovation Group at J. Walter Thompson, JWT's in-house futures think tank and consultancy. She leads original research into cultural change, sector innovation and consumer insights, working with JWT's Fortune 500 clients to explore future change and its implications. JWTIntelligence is widely followed in the advertising industry and beyond. Greene was previously a futurist at leading London-based consultancy The Future Laboratory.

Silicon States: The Power and Politics of Big Tech and What It Means for our Future, launches in the US in August 2018, published by Counterpoint Press.

"Silicon States is the perfect book for this moment," says Dan Smetanka, Counterpoint vice-president and executive editor. "At a time when our trust in government is at an all-time low and the powerful tech companies start to encroach upon many aspects of our lives, we need to stop and think about what kind of future they are offering us. Lucie Greene's book presents a startling, provocative, clear-eyed look at the state of our state-as well as a glimpse into our possible future."

The Front, founded by Thalia Mavros, former executive creative director of Vice Media, has optioned Silicon States for development.

Mavros says: "As a progressive, female-led company at the forefront of media activism, The Front aims to address powerful, universal topics such as those explored in Silicon States. Part of our mission is to compel people to take on cluttered, complex issues like gender inequality by giving them a roadmap for tangible action. Thought leaders like Lucie Greene are ideal partners because they want to rethink things. Our story-hunting approach, grounded in journalism, lends itself to developing new stories and new perspectives on these universal themes. We're excited to bring these visions from the page to the screen."

Silicon States is available for pre-order: http://bit.ly/SILICONSTATES

Lucie Greene's author website: luciegreene.com

About the Innovation Group
The Innovation Group is J. Walter Thompson's futurism, research and innovation unit. It charts emerging and future global trends, consumer change and innovation patterns-translating these into insight for brands. It offers a suite of consultancy services, including bespoke research, presentations, co-branded reports and workshops. It is also active in innovation, partnering with brands to activate future trends within their framework and execute new products and concepts.

The Innovation Group is part of J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, a platform for global research, innovation and data analytics at J. Walter Thompson Company. It houses three key in-house practices: SONAR™, Analytics and the Innovation Group. For more information, please visit http://www.jwtintelligence.com and follow us @JWTIntelligence.

About The Front
Founded by veteran Vice executive creative director Thalia Mavros, The Front is a progressive media and entertainment company and cultural force that brings storytelling from a female perspective to the forefront. What we do: original content, live experiences/events, production studio, branded collaborations, IP ventures.
Partners: National Geographic, Spotify, Intel, Google, AOL, American Express, Maybelline, Grey Goose, Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, Bloomberg, WME, IMG, The New York Times, WeWork, World Economic Forum, Kodak, MADE Fashion Week

About Counterpoint Press
Counterpoint LLC was created in 2007 through the acquisition of three notable independent presses: Counterpoint, Shoemaker & Hoard and Soft Skull Press. In January 2008, the company began publishing two imprints, Counterpoint and Soft Skull Press. Shoemaker & Hoard titles are now being published under the Counterpoint imprint. Author-driven, we devote all energy to the fresh, cutting-edge, and literary voices of our authors. The genres we cover are vast-fiction and nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and anthologies, all of which collectively focus on current affairs and politics, counterculture, music, history, memoir, literary biography, religion, and philosophy. The company's office is in Berkeley, California. Counterpoint books are distributed by Publishers Group West, a division of the Perseus Books Group.

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