Natasha Singer Details Big Tech Influence on Public Schools

In a recent conversation, New York Times technology reporter Natasha Singer detailed her new book, Coding Kids: Big Tech’s Battle to Remake Public Schools, published by W.W. Norton, examining how major technology companies have spent decades shaping public education policy, classroom hardware, and computer science curricula.

Growing Up in an Educational Household

Singer grew up in a Massachusetts household deeply rooted in education and science, where her father worked as a math professor at MIT for decades and her mother served first as a teacher and then as a therapist for children with Down syndrome, as she stated in the interview.

Tracing Decades of Corporate Tech in Schools

Tracking historical cycles across multiple decades, Singer argues that the tech industry repeatedly approaches governors, state legislators, and school districts with promises that new tools will democratize learning, improve outcomes, and provide valuable career skills. She points to the 1980s when Steve Jobs promoted Apple 2E desktop computers, followed by the 2010s when Google introduced inexpensive Chromebook laptops for student home and classroom use. According to Singer, these industry pushes eventually shifted from hardware and software toward computer science and coding education, designed to steer students toward high-paying jobs at major technology firms.

Code.Org Uses Viral Videos to Promote Coding Instruction

The book’s narrative examines Code.org, a Seattle-based nonprofit founded by technology entrepreneurs who studied computer science at Harvard and wanted to expand the pool of programmers for companies like Microsoft and Google. Singer notes that in 2013, the organization launched a viral YouTube video titled What Most Schools Don’t Teach, featuring tech billionaires like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg alongside musical artist will.i.am. Promoted actively by Google, Microsoft, Bill Gates, and Snoop Dogg, the video argued that schools were failing students by omitting coding instruction.

Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.