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The Adventures of Women in Tech (Second Edition): Navigating the Hard Tech Era By Alana Karen
280 pages, Hardcover
Published December 9, 2025
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May 3, 2026
I hadn't had the chance to read Alana Karen's first edition, and the timing of this second edition illuminates the current state of Big Tech.
Let's start with her bold statement and predictions about the industry:
"I'd argue that what we're witnessing is the aging of tech. And doesn't this adulthood look very traditional, like we are in finance, commercial goods, or auto? I would posit that this is not temporary; rather, it is reflective of the power of the dominant tech companies, the impact of investor funding and capitalism, and the state of our geopolitical environment. I will go further and say that this is a significant problem for tech. You are not the hot young darling; you are not even the cool millennial. You are just big companies with big problems. And worse off, you promised to be different."
Tech companies made products that help our lives. Yes. They also made products that are like "drugs," and need the Surgeon General's warning, like tobacco needed the health warning. Also, yes. Not all tech companies are created equal — if Meta is like Philip Morris, it'll continue to survive for more than 179 years. Meanwhile, we are all attached to our phones and love the convenience of the AirPods!
The book is about the tech industry and women's roles in it. It is a career self-help book for women who work in tech or want to work in tech. It also provides anecdotes from those who left the industry and can serve as a self-help guide for those in transition.
It is also a stark reminder of what it is like for women to be in the industry, especially in the current climate.
The second edition provides sharp insights into the tech industry today and how it has become even more unfriendly to women. See stats below:
As of April 2025, given the many layoffs in tech, "Over 50 percent of tech layoffs were women, which is a troubling statistic given women were already a minority population, comprising less than a third of the global tech workforce."
Furthermore, among the S&P as of March 2024 data, "leadership is still dominated mainly by men, with women holding only 29 percent of critical management roles." This stat isn't just for tech; more research on women's leadership in tech would be interesting.
Given the context above, Alana Karen's book went on to share guidance and support materials to women on how to approach and navigate their careers.
Part I - The trouble with tech - see stats above
Part II - You belong in tech - for those who contemplate the topic, coming into or transitioning out of tech
Part III - The pros and cons of being rare - there are still not as many women in tech
Part IV - The power of examples - she provided "the toolbox" with many examples I wish I had for the last 10-20 years of my career!
As a senior director in the tech industry for 20+ years, I've learned all of this the hard way, from multiple sources such as mentors (a must), and this book consolidated the best insights! I wish I had had this book earlier. Many stories shared in it resonate. Even now, there are some materials from the toolbox I can still use — if I had read the first version, maybe it would have saved me months, thousands of dollars from coaching, and years of trial and error. 😅
Highly recommend this book to every woman working in tech. If you're still aiming for a director-level role in tech, you have to read this book and get the additional workbook as well.
Why not 5 stars? The book itself is an amazing resource, though much of it would have been a foregone conclusion for someone already made it to senior leadership. Additionally, some stories/quotes were less insightful and could have been condensed/combined with similar ones already repeated earlier. I appreciate the author giving credit and quoting her sources, so I guess it'll be hard to summarize.
Let's start with her bold statement and predictions about the industry:
"I'd argue that what we're witnessing is the aging of tech. And doesn't this adulthood look very traditional, like we are in finance, commercial goods, or auto? I would posit that this is not temporary; rather, it is reflective of the power of the dominant tech companies, the impact of investor funding and capitalism, and the state of our geopolitical environment. I will go further and say that this is a significant problem for tech. You are not the hot young darling; you are not even the cool millennial. You are just big companies with big problems. And worse off, you promised to be different."
Tech companies made products that help our lives. Yes. They also made products that are like "drugs," and need the Surgeon General's warning, like tobacco needed the health warning. Also, yes. Not all tech companies are created equal — if Meta is like Philip Morris, it'll continue to survive for more than 179 years. Meanwhile, we are all attached to our phones and love the convenience of the AirPods!
The book is about the tech industry and women's roles in it. It is a career self-help book for women who work in tech or want to work in tech. It also provides anecdotes from those who left the industry and can serve as a self-help guide for those in transition.
It is also a stark reminder of what it is like for women to be in the industry, especially in the current climate.
The second edition provides sharp insights into the tech industry today and how it has become even more unfriendly to women. See stats below:
As of April 2025, given the many layoffs in tech, "Over 50 percent of tech layoffs were women, which is a troubling statistic given women were already a minority population, comprising less than a third of the global tech workforce."
Furthermore, among the S&P as of March 2024 data, "leadership is still dominated mainly by men, with women holding only 29 percent of critical management roles." This stat isn't just for tech; more research on women's leadership in tech would be interesting.
Given the context above, Alana Karen's book went on to share guidance and support materials to women on how to approach and navigate their careers.
Part I - The trouble with tech - see stats above
Part II - You belong in tech - for those who contemplate the topic, coming into or transitioning out of tech
Part III - The pros and cons of being rare - there are still not as many women in tech
Part IV - The power of examples - she provided "the toolbox" with many examples I wish I had for the last 10-20 years of my career!
As a senior director in the tech industry for 20+ years, I've learned all of this the hard way, from multiple sources such as mentors (a must), and this book consolidated the best insights! I wish I had had this book earlier. Many stories shared in it resonate. Even now, there are some materials from the toolbox I can still use — if I had read the first version, maybe it would have saved me months, thousands of dollars from coaching, and years of trial and error. 😅
Highly recommend this book to every woman working in tech. If you're still aiming for a director-level role in tech, you have to read this book and get the additional workbook as well.
Why not 5 stars? The book itself is an amazing resource, though much of it would have been a foregone conclusion for someone already made it to senior leadership. Additionally, some stories/quotes were less insightful and could have been condensed/combined with similar ones already repeated earlier. I appreciate the author giving credit and quoting her sources, so I guess it'll be hard to summarize.
Displaying 1 of 1 review