We urgently need to revolutionize the way we train tech workers. The proliferation of harmful, although frequently unintended, consequences resulting from technological production has inspired both public outcry and a new body of critical scholarship about the scope and severity of the problems caused by the industry and its products. Those within and beyond tech are now calling attention to sexism, racism and geographical bias in hiring, problematic business models that lead to isolation, individualism, and tribalism, the erosion of privacy, and bias in the algorithms that are actively shaping our economy and justice systems. This backlash against tech – or 'techlash' as it is now called – is now rapidly shifting the industry, alongside attitudes toward tech nation-wide, across campuses and industries.

In response to these concerns, companies in California and beyond seek to hire thousands of workers, advertising job titles like “ethical hacker” and “ethical officer.” However, we currently know very little about the skills, training, and knowledge these new technologists need, or how best to educate students to meet this growing demand.