Reboot is a publication and community reimagining techno-optimism for a better collective future.

Technologists have long imagined their work in a vacuum. Hurry up, it’s time to build! they proclaim, moving fast and breaking plenty along the way.

Rather than hacking away at half-baked solutions, we aim to redefine what “success” in tech means altogether. At Reboot, we believe:

  • Technology is part of a system. We analyze tech in the context of the institutions and ideologies it shapes and is shaped by.

  • Technologists should also be thinkers, writers, and advocates. Democracy thrives when we all have the courage to state the future we want to live in.

  • Optimism is an action, not a belief. We’re neither accelerationists nor Luddites: we are agents chipping away at a better world.

To that end, here’s what we’re building:

  • Newsletter: Every week, we share a book review, interview, or essay by a Reboot community member—check out the full post archives here.

  • Magazine: We publish Kernel, an annual print magazine featuring original art and writing on topics from web3 to whistleblowers to ecology to open-source.

  • Events: Every month, we host live Q&As with authors of the best new books on technology and society. Audience participation is welcome!

  • Community: We run an annual student fellowship, in-person meetups, book clubs, and more. Fill this out to join our Discord community.


our people

Reboot is led by a core leadership team comprised of Jasmine Sun (director, cofounder), Jessica Dai (editor-in-chief, cofounder), Emily Liu (Kernel editor-in-chief), Matthew Sun (Kernel digital director, fellowship director), Ivan Zhao (fellowship co-director), Lucas Gelfond (fellowship co-director), and Jake Gaughan (events director).

We operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run by an ever-growing team of volunteer contributors, and supported by a community of thousands of students, educators, writers, engineers, historians, activists, and scientists.

Some notes from our lovely readers and community members:

Subscribe to Reboot

Essays, events, and community about reimagining techno-optimism for a better collective future.

People

jessica dai

i enjoy produce and live performance

Matthew Sun

grad student in computer science at princeton | looking back, forwards, and sideways

Ivan Zhao

dreaming of better futures, drinking in mixed realities, drowning in basque cheesecake - creative technologist, bread baker, drink maker, dog lover

Jasmine Wang 🌱

towards the good, beautiful, and true.

Jasmine Sun

words, the web, and worlds to come • substack product team

Lucas Gelfond

writer and software engineer

Shira Abramovich

translator & software engineer thinking about the poetics of place •

Jasmine @ Substack

product manager at substack