A Look at a Very Silicon Valley Approach to Repopulation

Michael Calore: I sit by the window here in the WIRED office, and when I look out the window, I look right on the Bay Bridge and I see Cybertrucks all day.

Zoë Schiffer: Oh my gosh.

Lauren Goode: It’s almost like the Cybertrucks are just reproducing in real time. They’re spawning, they’re spawning more Cybertrucks. Is this the worst lead-in ever to this episode?

Michael Calore: You know what? I will take it.

Lauren Goode: All right.

Michael Calore: I will absolutely take it.

This is WIRED’s Uncanny Valley, a show about the people, power, and influence of Silicon Valley. Today, we are talking about the pronatalism movement, and how the push to increase birth rates is trending among some of Silicon Valley’s biggest and wealthiest names. We’ll talk about some of the history behind pronatalism, who the big advocates are right now, and what it all points to. I’m Michael Calore, Director of Consumer Tech and Culture here at WIRED.

Lauren Goode: I’m Lauren Goode, I’m a senior writer at WIRED.

Zoë Schiffer: And I’m Zoë Schiffer, WIRED’s Director of Business and Industry.

Lauren Goode: So, a few weeks ago when we were talking about dating apps, I was like, oh no, you guys are going to be leaning so heavily on me because I think among us, I probably have had the most experience using dating apps, but now I feel like Mike, you and I are just going to be like, “So, Zoë, tell us what it’s like to have babies.”

Zoë Schiffer: I do feel like I’m doing my part for the population decline. I’ve had two and I will not be having anymore, thank you.

Michael Calore: And setting the scene here, Lauren and I are both child free.

Lauren Goode: And Zoë is also now one of our big bosses at WIRED. So, I would just say in a normal setting, not a podcast setting, I might not sit across from her and say, “Tell me about your experience having babies and being a parent,” but for the sake of the podcast.

Zoë Schiffer: Lauren, we bring our whole selves to work, come on.

Lauren Goode: Me too.

Zoë Schiffer: And we’re friends.

Lauren Goode: Yeah, we’re friends.

Michael Calore: Well, to start the conversation, I think we should define what pronatalism is and who are the biggest supporters right now of this movement.

Zoë Schiffer: I thought you were going to say, we’re going to define what a baby is. It’s like a small, bald human. Next question.

OK, so pronatalism at its core is an ideology that promotes people having babies. And in Silicon Valley specifically, it’s been linked to this preoccupation with population decline. The idea that people are not having enough babies to kind of replenish the population, and that it creates all sorts of economic problems down the road.