Weapons of Math Destruction

by

Cathy O’Neil

A “quant,” or quantitative analyst, is a specialist who uses mathematical and statistical methods to analyze the economy.
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Quant Term Timeline in Weapons of Math Destruction

The timeline below shows where the term Quant appears in Weapons of Math Destruction. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Introduction
Humanity vs. Technology  Theme Icon
...College for several years, O’Neil left academia for a new “laboratory”—the global economy. As a “quant” (quantitative analyst) for D.E. Shaw, a major hedge fund, O’Neil was amazed by how the... (full context)
Chapter 2: Shell Shocked
Humanity vs. Technology  Theme Icon
Fairness vs. Efficiency  Theme Icon
Quants who work at hedge funds zoom in on tiny patterns, then train algorithms to predict... (full context)
Humanity vs. Technology  Theme Icon
Fairness vs. Efficiency  Theme Icon
Data, Transparency, and U.S. Democracy Theme Icon
...At Shaw, her smarts were translating into money—lots of money. But out of the 50 quants on O’Neil’s “futures group” team, she was the only woman. She was siloed from many... (full context)
Humanity vs. Technology  Theme Icon
Fairness vs. Efficiency  Theme Icon
...the human suffering it created was finally on display. In the financial sector, everyone—including the quants at O’Neil’s firm—began to wonder what would happen next. But by 2009, it was clear... (full context)