Uncanny Valley: A Memoir

“Down for the Cause” (also “DFTC”) is a favorite phrase of the CEO of the mobile analytics company, used both in job listings and internal correspondence. It describes deep investment in the company’s mission: “It meant putting the company first, and was the highest form of praise” (64). While particular to Wiener’s employer, the phrase captures an obsessive, myopic, missionary ethos common in the tech industry. For Wiener, the phrase is initially a sort of motivational mantra, an aspirational descriptor she works hard to earn. Later, in the wake of harsh criticism from the CEO, she questions the phrase. The realization that she is not actually “Down for the Cause” pushes her to leave.

“The ecosystem” refers to the startup scene in Silicon Valley. It is a term used by insiders and participants in the scene “high on the fumes of world historical potential” (3). It stands in juxtaposition to other ways of describing the burgeoning industry, for example as a “bubble.” Recalling a chaotic web of relationships and chain reactions, it nods toward the disruption, volatility, and unpredictability of startups. Wiener begins to use the phrase casually and liberally after moving to San Francisco—a sign that she has become an insider herself.