Max, a data whiz at the social media company Wren, has gotten a firsthand glimpse of the dark side of big tech. When he questions what his company does with the data they collect, he's fired... then black-balled across Silicon Valley. With time on his hands and revenge on his mind, Max and his longtime friend (and secretly the love of his life), Akiko, decide to get even by rebooting the internet. After all, in order to fix things, sometimes you have to break them.
But when Max and Akiko join forces with a reclusive tech baron, they learn that breaking things can have unintended—and catastrophic—consequences.
Version Zero is a well-written story that hits on a lot of today's social media woes. It dragged a little for me in the middle, but the ending had me on the edge of my seat. I think all young readers should read this book and consider their own usage of social media so we don't require a Pilot and Max situation in real life.
It always blows my mind when a book gets tons of hype and I can point to similar stories with far less hype. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was fantastic, and if you enjoyed the techy side of things, the relationships, and the moral of that book - do yourself a favor and read Version Zero next. This book deserves a lot more hype!
Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Goodreads, for a copy of Version Zero.
Dates read: June 16, 2022 - June 29, 2022