In an increasingly technology-driven world, M. R. Sauter is exploring how innovation economy companies work with local and national governments to redevelop urban areas and jumpstart lagging economies, and how these new public-private partnerships impact the political and social lives of individuals and communities. Their current research centers on the political history of the innovation economy and the financial models that made it possible. At the UMD iSchool, their research will also delve into the future of work, how the innovation economy impacts land use and urban redevelopment, and how corporate priorities impact the security and rights of individuals and communities online and offline. Sauter is the author of The Coming Swarm: DDoS Actions, Hacktivism, and Civil Disobedience on the Internet. Their work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Journal of Communication, New Media and Society, Vice, and the MIT Technology Review among other national and international venues.