Work Pray Code | Carolyn Chen

Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley is a sociological study by Carolyn Chen, Associate Professor at UC Berkeley, that explores how work—particularly in the tech industry of Silicon Valley—has come to fulfill roles traditionally occupied by religion, family, and community.

Main Themes

Chen argues that for many highly skilled tech workers, work has become a source of identity, meaning, purpose, and even transcendence—needs that were once largely met by religious institutions.

Through extensive ethnographic fieldwork, including over 100 interviews, Chen found that tech companies intentionally cultivate environments that provide not just material perks (like free meals and gyms), but also spiritual and emotional support, such as meditation and mindfulness programs.

The workplace offers a holistic set of benefits, a phenomenon Chen calls "corporate maternalism," which includes not only physical comforts but also spiritual practices (e.g., meditation, yoga) stripped of their traditional religious context to maximize productivity. HR managers openly admit these programs are designed to boost focus and the company’s bottom line, rather than to foster individual spiritual fulfillment.

Techtopia

Chen coins the term "techtopia" to describe a social ecosystem where work absorbs the community’s material, social, and spiritual resources, drawing devotion away from other institutions like family, faith communities, and civic organizations.

In this environment, work becomes a "jealous god," demanding exclusive devotion, similar to the role of God in some religious traditions.

While this system can make elite workers feel happy, whole, and productive, it can leave others—especially those outside the tech industry or those who lose their jobs—feeling isolated and unsupported.

The book raises questions about what happens when the workplace, which has replaced so many social and spiritual structures, fails or abandons its workers, as seen during tech layoffs and shifts to remote work. Work Pray Code offers a penetrating look at how Silicon Valley has transformed work into a new form of religion, satisfying deep human needs for belonging and purpose, but also raising concerns about what is lost when traditional social institutions are replaced by the workplace.

About Carolyn Chen

Carolyn Chen is a sociologist and Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also serves as Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion and Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Religions Research Initiative (APARRI). The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she grew up in Pennsylvania and Southern California. Chen earned her A.B. in Sociology from Brown University and her Ph.D. in Sociology from UC Berkeley.

Before joining UC Berkeley, Chen was Associate Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at Northwestern University, where she directed the Asian American Studies Program. Her research focuses on religion, spirituality, and work in the new economy, as well as Asian American religions.

Chen is the author of several books, including:

Getting Saved in America: Taiwanese Immigration and Religious Experience (Princeton, 2008)

Sustaining Faith Traditions: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion among the Latino and Asian American Second Generation (NYU, 2012, co-edited)

Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley (Princeton, 2022)

Her work has appeared in major media outlets such as the New York Times, Atlantic, and CNN. Chen is recognized for her research on how work and religion intersect in contemporary America, particularly among Asian Americans. She lives in the Bay Area with her family.