Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder (November 12, 1945 – March 24, 2026) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose 1981 book The Soul of a New Machine remains one of the most important works of narrative nonfiction about technology and the human experience of building it. The book documented the development of a new minicomputer at Data General in Westborough, Massachusetts, through months of immersive reporting that captured the culture, pressure, and creativity of engineering teams in the early computing era. Kidder's connection to the Massachusetts technology community runs deep. He subsequently wrote A Truck Full of Money, a biography of Kayak co-founder Paul English, continuing his decades-long engagement with the human stories behind the region's technology economy. His work has done more than perhaps any other writing to give the Boston-area technology industry a literary and cultural identity.

Sadly, Tracy Kidder passed away a few months after our interview. He was a great literary light and chronicler of an essential piece of American industrial history. His kindness, generosity of spirit, and deep curiosity for what drives us forward will be sorely missed. We are so appreciative and fortunate to have had time with him.