Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley

How Tech Giants Are Reshaping Spirituality to Serve Their Religion of Peak Productivity

“Work Pray Code” examines how Silicon Valley has transformed the workplace into a space that fulfills spiritual needs once met by traditional religion. Carolyn Chen explores how tech companies integrate religious-inspired practices, such as mindfulness and meditation, into daily work routines to boost productivity, while simultaneously blurring the boundaries between work and spiritual life. Over the past forty years, highly skilled professionals have devoted increasing amounts of time and energy to their jobs, often leaving formal religious institutions but not abandoning the need for belonging, identity, and purpose.