[possibleworlds]

Exactly. It's a fantastic book and extremely fun, but in Stross' own words: "In the background of what looks like a Panglossian techno-optimist novel, horrible things are happening."

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/05/crib-she...

On it's origins (extreme burnout as a programmer in a high growth environment during the dot com boom):

https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/acceler...