Marcus Fontoura presents 'Human Agency in a Digital World'

Third Place Books welcomes Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft’s Azure Core Marcus Fontoura to our Seward Park store for a conversation about his book . By demystifying structures that underpin our online lives, Marcus provides a road map for everyday users to improve their digital fluency and stay informed in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

This event is free and open to the public. For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

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This event is free to attend. For important updates, registration is highly recommended in advance.

This may be the first true AI-era self-help book—not because we need help using technology, but because we need help using it well. It's about building the knowledge—and the confidence—to question, to evaluate, to choose. Because understanding how algorithms work is the first step in making sure they work for us.
Human Agency in a Digital World is a book about reclaiming our role—not as passengers, but as pilots—in the fast-moving journey of technological change. Written by a computer scientist who is also a father, a teacher, and a lifelong student of how things work, this book is a deeply personal and accessible guide to the systems shaping our lives—and how we might shape them back.

We are surrounded by digital agents. They suggest the next song, answer our questions, sort our emails, recommend what to watch, and—often invisibly—shape what we think. But what do we know about them? And how much power do we really have to question, understand, or even redirect their impact?

In this book, Marcus Fontoura explores the hidden architectures of modern life—from social media and search engines to cloud computing, AI, and quantum technologies—uncovering both how they work and what they mean. Drawing from decades of experience building the backbone of the internet and cloud platforms, he demystifies the core concepts that govern today's systems and offers readers a way to develop digital fluency without needing a computer science degree.

But this is not just a book about machines. It's a book about people-about how we use efficiency not just to optimize for speed or cost, but to unlock creativity, opportunity, and well-being. With examples ranging from broken playlists to protein folding, and reflections that move fluidly between systems thinking and everyday life, Digital Agency asks us to consider a simple but profound question: what do we want technology to do for us, and what will we do with it in return?

Marcus Fontoura is a computer scientist serving as Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft’s Azure Core. He has also held posts at Stone.co, Google, Yahoo and IBM Research. Marcus was a post-doctoral researcher at Princeton University and holds a Computer Science Ph.D. from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Marcus is the author of Human Agency in a Digital World and A Platform Mindset.

About Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.

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