Devil in the Stack

Throughout history, technological revolutions have been driven by the invention of machines. But today, the power of the technology transforming our world lies in an intangible and impenetrable cosmos of software: algorithmic code. In a world increasingly governed by technologies that so few can comprehend, who-or what-controls the future?



Devil in the Stack follows Andrew Smith on his immersive trip into the world of coding, passing through the stories of logic, machine-learning and early computing, from Ada Lovelace to Alan Turing, and up to the present moment, behind the scenes into the lives - and minds - of the pioneers of the 21st century: those who write code. Smith embarks on a quest to understand this sect in what he believes to be the only way possible: by learning to code himself.





Expansive and effervescent, Devil in the Stack delivers a portrait of code as both a vivid culture and an impending threat. By turns revelatory, unsettling and joyously funny, this is an essential book for our times, of vital interest to anyone hoping to participate in the future-defining technological debates to come.



Andrew Smith has worked as a critic and feature writer for the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Observer and The Face, and has penned documentaries for the BBC. He is the author of the internationally bestselling book Moondust, about the nine remaining men who walked on the moon between 1969 and 1972, and Totally Wired. He was raised in the UK and currently lives in California.



Much of his absorbing book asks serious questions about the direction in which the computer industry and tech giants such as Google and Meta are taking us



Dense, prickly and rewarding...Andrew Smith, who has written absorbingly about astronauts and the dotcom bubble here explores the "haunting alien logic" of computer code



A humane, nuanced, humorous, insightful work and a much-needed call for greater due diligence around some of the most impactful innovations in human history



A searing philosophical take on the ravages of the digital age, this is a must-read



An engaging plunge into the world of code and its transformative implications



A fascinating journey into the world of computer code, its history, the people who create it, some of its current controversies, and its implications for the future of society . . . Anyone who's curious about the why and how of what makes computers do what they do will find Devil in the Stack a fertile introduction



Smith is an ideal narrator: sharp-eyed yet increasingly affectionate about his subjects; expert enough to dissect Apollo minutiae clearly but not so obsessed as to leave a general reader trailing in the jetwash



A brilliant exploration of madness and genius in the early days of the web. Fascinatingly weird . . . terrific



A rich mix of cultural history, reportage and personal reflection



Highly entertaining . . . [Smith's] superb book is a fitting tribute to a unique band of 20th-century heroes