When you're a reporter, especially one on a specific beat, you get to know your beat

inside and out.

You watch for trends, you get acquainted with the characters, and you really get a feel

for the narrative arcs in what you're covering.

That's what Elizabeth Duoskin does.

She's a reporter for The Washington Post, and she's been covering her beat Silicon Valley

for seven years.

And when she talks about it, you can hear her brain almost right chapters past, present,

and future.

It's just a lens to look at what is going on across the tech landscape.

When I moved to Silicon Valley, it was the moment of euphoria, and it was a tech bubble.

This was the rise of Uber with its at the time, $60 billion valuation.

And then, you know, that euphoria started to crash right around the 2016 election, and

I covered that narrative.

Elizabeth was reporting as tech's glossy narrative lost a little sheen.

Facebook had the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and several other ones over privacy.

This was a major breach of trust, and I'm really sorry that this happened.

Both Amazon and Google had protests and walkouts.

And those same companies that once provoked wonder were often seen as villains.

Then governments started pushing back.

The Department of Justice opened an antitrust review of the leading tech companies.

Strict data privacy laws were passed in Europe and in California.

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