About the newsletter 💌

“Tech Without Losing Your Soul” examines the booms and busts of the tech industry, the motivations and processes behind its products, and the pressures, moral dilemmas, and burnout facing tech workers today. The goal is to explore, process, and challenge unhealthy and exclusionary ideas about innovation and restore the parts of ourselves that are getting lost in a world awash with algorithms, bots, oligarchies, and infinite information.

You can expect a range of writing and conversations exploring timely tech industry analysis and lived experiences, delivered directly to your email. Recent essays have examined tech worker burnout, moving towards an industry that isn’t led by billionaires, and an interview with Prasanna Venkatesh, Design Director at India’s largest food delivery app, Swiggy, on the long fight for accessible technology and the pressures of an economy driven by convenience.

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About the author ✍🏼

I’m Lauren Celenza, (she/they, SE-LEN-ZA).

I'm a writer and software designer based in Seattle. My work generally involves observing, reporting, and designing new technology and industry practices that demonstrate an ethic of care for our environments, our communities, and ourselves. My essays and commentaries on tech and design have appeared in Fast Company, Forbes, In These Times, and The Economic Times, among others. I’m also an alum of the Tin House Summer Writing Workshop.

Recently, I’ve worked with organizations like Code for America, Google Maps, The World Resources Institute, PlatformAbuse.org, and Hmnty Cntrd, on design and research projects related to tax benefits, inclusive maps, land restoration, internet safety, and trauma-informed design. I’m also an interview journalist at UNFINISHED Festival in Bucharest, celebrating art, design, and democracy, and I’m an adjunct design professor at Harbour.Space University, where I teach, mentor, and support scholarships for emerging designers worldwide.

The finite nature of life and the infinite information around us makes our attention a remarkably powerful thing, and I feel grateful that you’d consider giving this newsletter yours.