Tom Slee’s work sits at the intersection of technology deployment and societal consequence, with particular focus on:
We’ve followed Tom Slee’s work as a leading analyst of technology’s societal impacts, blending academic rigor with accessible critique. His career spans software development, data analysis, and incisive commentary on the "sharing economy," making him a unique bridge between tech industry insights and policy advocacy.
Slee’s journey began with a PhD in theoretical chemistry and a 20-year software career, including roles at SAP. This technical foundation informs his later work dissecting tech platforms’ operational realities. Key phases include:
This 2017 essay dismantles tech leaders’ contradictory messaging about liberal arts education. Slee contrasts venture capitalists’ public praise for "fuzzies" (humanities graduates) with their lobbying against labor protections and education funding. Through financial disclosure analysis, he reveals how Silicon Valley’s purported support for interdisciplinary education aligns with profit-driven automation strategies.
The article’s lasting impact lies in its methodology: Slee cross-references tech executives’ public statements with patent filings and lobbying reports to expose systemic hypocrisy. This approach has become a model for investigative tech journalism.
In this 2014 investigation, Slee traces the physical infrastructure behind digital services, revealing how cloud storage’s environmental impact rivals aviation emissions. The piece combines energy consumption data from server farms with labor conditions analysis at rare earth mineral mines.
Notably, Slee predicted the current AI energy crisis, writing:
“The industry’s growth projections require ignoring thermodynamics—a dangerous game when climate thresholds loom.”
This work established his reputation for connecting technical systems to planetary-scale consequences.
Since 2013, Slee has published granular analyses of Airbnb’s market penetration across 50+ cities. His open datasets document the platform’s shift from home-sharing to commercial rentals, influencing housing policy debates from Barcelona to New York.
The blog’s 2016 analysis of Airbnb’s “commercial operator” loophole became instrumental in Amsterdam’s short-term rental regulations. Slee’s methodology—combining web scraping with municipal tax records—remains a gold standard for platform economy research.
Pitch stories about worker-owned digital platforms challenging Uber/Airbnb dominance. Slee’s 2021 Platform Cooperativism Consortium presentation emphasized this emerging trend. Successful pitches might profile initiatives like driver-owned ride services or tenant-managed housing networks, particularly those using novel governance models.
Propose analyses of AI tools for enforcing labor/environmental laws. Slee’s 2023 essay on algorithmic compliance monitoring argued that
“The same data extraction enabling platform abuses could empower democratic oversight.”
Investigate physical systems underpinning “dematerialized” tech: semiconductor supply chains, data center water usage, or e-waste recycling fraud. Slee’s cloud computing piece shows appetite for stories connecting bytes to real-world resource flows.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Tech, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
