Women in Tech in 2026: Silicon Valley’s Gender Reckoning

In 2026, with DEI and “woke” culture declared dead, WIRED set out to investigate the state of gender in Silicon Valley. The backlash was in full swing as major tech companies backed Donald Trump and the political right, Mark Zuckerberg called for more “masculine energy,” and Elon Musk cut federal workers, among other developments.

As we examined the current state of women in tech, we found widespread dissatisfaction among women, confusion about the emerging AI Girlboss, and a striking lack of interest in talking about gender.

Ask a Question About Women in Tech

What are you most curious about when it comes to women in tech, Silicon Valley’s changing workplace culture, and the future of gender in the technology industry? Ask us your burning questions below this article. Our panel will answer selected questions during an upcoming subscriber-only livestream on September 24 at noon Eastern Time / 9 a.m. Pacific Time.

To submit a question for the panel, please head to the comments section below.

Meet the Panel

• Sandra Upson: WIRED’s Features Editor, Sandra brings the magazine’s most ambitious, future-defining stories to life. She will host the livestream.
• Lauren Good: WIRED’s senior correspondent covers Silicon Valley, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, venture capital, startups, workplace culture, and the technology industry’s most interesting people and trends. Good also co-authored the Backchannel newsletter.
• E.J. Dixon: A senior culture writer for WIRED, Dixon focuses primarily on internet culture. Read the recent feature about college students who fought back against the Burnerverse, a loose online community of sports fans that exposes and humiliates young women.

How to Watch the Livestream

The event will be streamed here. Subscribers who are unable to attend live will be able to watch a replay after the event.

Not a subscriber yet? Subscribe now to access this livestream and get full access to WIRED.

In the meantime, explore our past livestreams covering important ChatGPT features, advice for getting started with Claude, and more.