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 Secrets of Silicon Valley
Joel St. Julien
Produced by Snitow-Kufman Productions
Bullfrog Films
"Can I tell you a secret? It's not about money, it's about the future",
says Venture Capitalist John Doerr. The future is now and it's in
the hands of a small few, while only giving a little into the hands
of the masses. The future, as Doerr believes relies solely on competition,
risk-taking, and the monopolizing overshadow of technology.
Secrets
of Silicon Valley asks the simple question, "Where do all of
these computers, software and other accessories come from? Who builds
them?" If progress is a value that we so often uphold, Secrets
of Silicon Valley sheds a new light on the concept of what progress
is and is not.
Two stories are shared in this 60-minute documentary about how larger
moneymaking corporations can sometimes try to break up low-income
communities or hire immigrants for inhumane wages in environmentally
hazardous conditions. One story deals with the whole issue of larger
corporations targeting communities, developing there and driving out
communities businesses and organizations. These occurrences are very
similar to how housing developers come into farmlands and forests
to build over them. An organization that is highlighted is Magda Escobar's
Plugged In, which is a non-profit that seeks to teach and give computer/internet
skills to kids from her East Palo Alto community. As rent prices went
up and Silicon Valley giant developed, Plugged In and many other organizations
were forced out. Left with no where to go Magda gets lucky and former
President Bill Clinton takes interest in this group, comes to Palo
Alto, and partners with Hewlett Packard to give them a new space for
Plugged In.
The other story is of Raj Jayadev who works for the temporary work
company, Manpower, Inc. They primarily work with the larger high tech
organizations of Silicon Valley. He worked for Hewlett Packard until
he started speaking out and becoming more active about the work conditions
there are well as the health risks that is caused. He talks of bloody
noses, nausea, and other imparities that hinder a good work environment.
These conditions persist because of the environmental hazards that
come with working with this equipment. When Raj organizes workers
to get better working conditions and speaks up about these issues,
he gets fired. This documentary shed to light the many ways in which
workers in our country are still being forced to worked under harsh
conditions that are bad for their health and the environment.
Secrets of Silicon Valley is not truly an environmental film,
but still tackles the issues of justice, workers rights and the problems
that development can bring forth, even in urban areas. Nowadays, problems
aren't just environmental though. There is a synthesis of issues that
all affect each other and if not recognized, we sometimes can become
part of the problem. Secrets of Silicon Valley brings this
all to light.
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