Opinion
Dr. Burton is the author of “Self-Made: Creating Our Identities From da Vinci to the Kardashians” and a director of the Can Beauty Save the World project.
TL;DR
- AI companies hire improv artists for model training and employee motivation.
- Tech notables engage in role-playing games like Mafia.
- Silicon Valley's interest in theater and improv reflects a view of reality as malleable and perception-driven.
- The book "Impro" by Keith Johnstone is popular, with recommendations at companies like Palantir.
- Johnstone's work focuses on social status games and challenging conventional norms through spontaneity.
- Tech workers are drawn to such books for codifying social relationships as measurable status transactions.