Sharon Weinberger — Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War - with Dustin Volz
Sharon Weinberger presents *Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War*, an investigation into the growing military-industrial complex emerging from Silicon Valley. Drawing on extensive exclusive reporting, Weinberger examines how the Pentagon and CIA helped foster the technology industry, how companies such as SpaceX and Palantir became deeply involved in national defense, and how newer firms including Anduril are supplying AI, cloud-computing systems, advanced drones, hypersonic missiles, and microwave weapons.
The conversation explores the shifting relationship between Washington and powerful technology executives such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Alexander Karp. Weinberger considers what it means for private billionaires and corporations to control technologies once managed primarily by the government, and how their influence could reshape American democracy, the global balance of power, and the conduct and direction of future wars. She will discuss the book with Dustin Volz of *The New York Times*.
When: Friday, September 25, 2026
Showtimes: 7:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
Lineup: Sharon Weinberger, editor in chief of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and author of *Valley of Death*, will be in conversation with Dustin Volz, who covers cybersecurity and intelligence for *The New York Times* in Washington.
About Sharon Weinberger: Weinberger previously served as national security and foreign policy editor for *The Wall Street Journal*. Her other books include *The Imagineers of War*, *A Nuclear Family Vacation*, and *Imaginary Weapons*. Her work has appeared in publications including *The New York Times*, *The Washington Post*, *Foreign Policy*, WIRED, *Nature*, the BBC, *Discover*, and *Slate*. She has held fellowships at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute, MIT, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and lives in Washington, D.C.
About Dustin Volz: Volz previously reported for *The Wall Street Journal*. His award-winning journalism focuses on hackers and spies, geopolitical competition, and the challenges businesses and governments face as cyber and intelligence threats evolve.
Tickets: Free admission with first-come, first-served seating.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com. The venue ideally requests inquiries at least one week before the event, though it will try to accommodate requests made up to the event.
Related book: *Valley of Death: How Big Tech Is Fueling the Future of War* is available for preorder as a $32 hardcover, with publication scheduled for September 22, 2026.