Criminal Deception in Silicon Valley

· Bruce Schneier · Aug. 24, 2026, 11:05 a.m.
Summary
The paper investigates the rising cases of entrepreneurial fraud in Silicon Valley from 2000 to 2023, revealing how entrepreneurs create deceptive facades to mask their ventures' poor performance. It classifies façading into three types based on the gap between expected and actual performance, and suggests reforms for better detection and deterrence of such deception through regulatory, educational, and due diligence improvements.