The MIT spirit is an essential part of the storyline. As Bob settles in Silicon Valley, he is greatly infused with the mission of the MIT Sloan School of Business, which is to “develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world”. These principled values that shaped his character will play a critical role in his internal struggle with Silicon Valley’s culture. MIT plays an equally crucial role in the cliffhanger that impacts Bob’s life at the end of the book.
Contrary to popular belief, art innovation is alive and well at MIT. In 2015, the Institute was named one of the top three universities in the world for humanities and the arts. According to Melissa Nobles, the Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, “the world’s problems are so complex they’re not only science and technological problems. They are as much human and moral problems.”
With the yearly “Pleasures of Poetry” series, popular courses such as “A Guidebook to ‘Paradise Lost’ for Engineers” and “Digital Poetry”, and computer-generated poetry such as the “10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10” project, MIT proves that art and innovation can lead to highly creative outcomes.
A couple of miles from the MIT campus, Harvard is also working hard to keep art alive. The ivy league institution launched the Hiphop Archive & Research Institute (HARI), housed at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. It is a bold and encouraging move for Harvard as HARI’s mission page proudly states that “hip hop has become the most influential artistic, educational and social movement for youth and young adults”.
The first of its kind, HARI’s capstone initiative is its fellowship program which includes the Nasir Jones Fellowship, named after rapper-turned-VC Nas. In 2016, the Institute enlisted the help of super-producer 9th Wonder to archive 200 of the most influential hip hop albums. By giving hip hop history a home, Harvard is helping solidify Black culture’s predominant role in today’s society.