Tech workers are living the American dream—in Canada

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 08.26.21 For years, Silicon Valley won the global contest for tech talent. From Sergey Brin of Google to Eric Yuan of Zoom to countless others, plucky newcomers from abroad helped make the Bay Area the innovation capital of the world. But now there's a new global winner: Canada, and particularly Toronto. Since 2013, the tech scene there has grown faster than in any other North American city. What happened? Read about how US policies have actively chased away immigrants, plus more of the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago, below.   Tech Workers Are Living the American Dream—in Canada The short-sighted immigration policies of the US are driving top talent north of the border. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year Solar Panels Are Starting to Die, Leaving Behind Toxic Trash Photovoltaic panels are a boon for clean energy but are tricky to recycle. As the oldest ones expire, get ready for a solar e-waste glut. TikTok and the Evolution of Digital Blackface On the app, users drape themselves in the trappings of Black culture—and steal the viral spotlight. It's exploitation at its most refined and disturbing. Rite Aid Used Facial Recognition in Stores for Nearly a Decade The tech was installed largely in low-income neighborhoods in New York and Los Angeles. San Francisco Was Uniquely Prepared for Covid-19 Why did an American city beset by inequality and dysfunction face the onset of the pandemic so well? Because history left it ready for this moment. Office Life at the Pentagon Is Disconcertingly Retrograde With no connectivity and little diversity, the military's hub may soon be a threat to national security. Inside the Courthouse Break-Ins That Landed 2 White Hat Hackers in Jail When two men were hired to break into Iowa judicial buildings, they thought it was just another physical security audit—until they were charged with burglary. GET WIRED End of Summer Sale: Get WIRED for $10 $5. Get the print edition and exclusive subscriber-only content. You can't see into the future, but you can subscribe to WIRED. Subscribe now.           This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.