An algorithm is a mathematical process of calculating often done by a computer. The algorithms discussed in Weapons of Math Destruction most often analyze statistics and assign a score to the data analyzed. This can result in a faulty assessment of who should be hired for a position, who is a potential criminal, who should have a higher rate of insurance, etc.

Clopening is the red-eye shift in a 24-hour business that bridges the traditional closing time with opening time. O’Neil examines how these shifts are detrimental to a worker’s well-being and keep them in cycles of poverty.

A hedge fund is a complex investment firm that juggles many assets and risks to make profit. O’Neil once worked for a hedge fund and found that the company was using Big Data to profit while millions of Americans were struggling in an economic downturn.