Silicon Valley has a solution for everything, but who do its ideas really serve? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its thought leaders, and the worldview it spreads. They challenge the notion that tech alone can drive our world forward by showing that separating tech from politics has consequences for us all, especially the most vulnerable. But if tech won't save us, what will? This podcast isn't simply about tearing tech down; it also presents radical ideas for tech designed for human flourishing instead of surveillance, acquisitions, or to boost stock prices. A better world is possible, and so is better technology.
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How Peter Thiel Wields His Power in Silicon Valley w/ Moira Weigel
Paris Marx is joined by Moira Weigel to discuss Peter Thiel’s history, how the network he cultivated has influenced Silicon Valley, and his recent move into funding Republican candidates.Moira Weigel is an assistant professor at Northeastern University, a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard Law School, and a founding editor of Logic magazine. She also co-edited Voices from the Valley: Tech Workers Talk about What They Do--And How They Do It. Follow Moira on Twitter at @moiragweigel.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Moira wrote about Peter Thiel and the importance of his network in The New Republic.Paris wrote about why Peter Thiel isn’t an outlier in Silicon Valley.Reason Magazine asked “wasn’t Peter Thiel supposed to be a libertarian?”In February 2020, Peter Thiel stepped down from Facebook’s board.Books mentioned: The Contrarian by Max Chafkin, From Counterculture to Cyberculture by Fred Turner, Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters, The PayPal Wars by Eric Jackson, Predict and Surveil by Sarah Brayne.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
War in the Content Economy w/ Ryan Broderick & Hussein Kesvani
Paris Marx is joined by Ryan Broderick and Hussein Kesvani to discuss how war gets filtered through social media and the content economy, and what that means for how we make sense of it.Ryan Broderick writes the Garbage Day newsletter and hosts Content Mines. Hussein Kesvani is a writer and the co-host of Trashfuture and Ten Thousand Posts. Follow Ryan on Twitter at @broderick and Hussein at @HKesvani.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Ryan has written two issues of Garbage Day trying to make sense of what’s happening in the war.Hussein wrote a very good tweet.Sam Biddle wrote about how Facebook is allowing users to praise the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion.Taylor Lorenz wrote about Instagram meme pages capitalizing on the conflict.Journalists have been saying some pretty racist things about why the war in Ukraine is different than those in the Middle East.Chris Stokel-Walker wrote about how TikTok is designed for war.Jonah Peretti wrote an article called “Capitalism and Schizophrenia.”NBC’s Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel wondered aloud on Twitter whether NATO should start World War III.Hillary Clinton neglected the consequences of the US arming Afghan “insurgents” against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.The media isn’t applying the right level of scrutiny to Ukrainian war stories, like Snake Island.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have consequences for semiconductors.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Can Tesla Survive Elon Musk? w/ Edward Niedermeyer
Paris Marx is joined by Edward Niedermeyer to discuss how Elon Musk got involved in Tesla, promised things he couldn’t deliver to raise funds, and where it goes next now that he’s becoming a more controversial figure.Edward Niedermeyer is the author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors and a co-host of The Autonocast. Follow Ed on Twitter at @Tweetermeyer.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:California is suing Tesla over “rampant racism” at its Fremont factory, with another Black worker suing the company earlier this week.Tesla vehicles are continually found to have very poor build quality, and customers report the service experience can be frustrating too.Tesla allowed people to play games on vehicle touchscreens while driving in December 2021 before being pushed to remove the feature.Tesla tried to automate parts of the production process that other companies had already tried to automate — and it failed too.The number of people being killed by cars in the United States is increasing — particularly among pedestrians.US auto safety regulators haven’t kept up with changes in vehicle dangers.The New Yorker reported on the problems in the early years of Google’s self-driving project.Last year a customer in China protested at the Shanghai auto show over her Tesla’s brake failure, forcing regulators to take a closer look at the company.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Cringe Raps and $5 Billion in Stolen Bitcoin w/ Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
Paris Marx is joined by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai to discuss the arrest of Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan for trying to launder the $5 billion in Bitcoin stolen in the 2016 Bitfinex hack, how they were moving the money, how the authorities found them, and what lessons the case might hold.Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai is senior staff writer at Motherboard. Follow Lorenzo on Twitter at @lorenzofb.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Lorenzo wrote about the arrest of the couple and Heather Morgan’s cringe raps as Razzlekhan. Along with Motherboard colleagues, he also dug deep into the couple’s history and online presence.The Bitcoin they held and tried to launder came from the 2016 hack of Bitfinex.People who knew Morgan told the New York Times her social media presence was “part of an elaborate act to confront social pressures.”In 2014, Mt. Gox was hacked and shut down. It was an exchange handling 70% of Bitcoin transactions.Criminals laundered $8.6 billion in cryptocurrency in 2021, up 30% from the year before.AlphaBay was a darkweb crypto marketplace that was seized by authorities in 2017.On Feb 14, Heather Morgan was released on bail, but Ilya Lichtenstein remained in detention.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
The Poorly Paid Workers Powering Automation w/ Phil Jones
Paris Marx is joined by Phil Jones to discuss the hidden microworkers behind supposedly AI-powered automation from major tech companies, how it differs in the Global North and South, and what it means for how we think about the future.Phil Jones is the author of Work Without the Worker: Labour in the Age of Platform Capitalism and a researcher at Autonomy. Follow Phil on Twitter at @philjones7771.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Phil wrote about digital piecework for The Guardian and had an excerpt about refugee labor in Rest of World.Turkopticon helps workers on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk gain some information on the contractors offering tasks on the platform.In 2020, Gizmodo did surveys to find out about workers’ experiences on Mechanical Turk. There were a lot of horror stories.In 2014, workers on the platform sent emails to Jeff Bezos to ask for better conditions.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Crypto Winter Is Coming w/ Jacob Silverman
As the podcast celebrates episode 100, Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss the huge drop in crypto prices, the coming threat (to crypto) of interest rate hikes and regulation, the human impact of crypto schemes, and where things may be going next.Jacob Silverman is a staff writer at The New Republic and writes about crypto with the actor Ben McKenzie. Follow Jacob on Twitter at @SilvermanJacob.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Jacob and Ben McKenzie wrote about Tether. Zeke Faux also wrote an essential article on the stablecoin, and Jacob recommends Crypto Critics Corner.Crypto prices have plunged, and that’s hurt regular people.New York’s Attorney General reached a settlement with Tether last year.VC firm Andreessen Horowitz is making a big lobbying push in Washington, DC to get favorable crypto regulations.Matt Damon and Spike Lee are among the celebrities to take crypto money and help pump the industry.US regulators are looking at crypto regulations, and Biden administration is planning an executive order to move it forward.China banned crypto mining, Russia proposed a ban on crypto, and many countries have suffered power outages due to crypto mining.Stephen Diehl wrote explained how crypto is about arbitraging securities regulation.Diane Jeantet wrote about a massive series of Bitcoin pyramid schemes in Brazil.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Microsoft Wants to Dominate the Games Industry w/ Rob Zacny
Paris Marx is joined by Rob Zacny to discuss the potential consequences of Xbox’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and what subscriptions and consolidation might mean for the future of games and the industry.Rob Zacny is a senior editor at Waypoint and co-host of Waypoint Radio. Follow Rob on Twitter at @RobZacny.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Rob discussed the consequences of the proposed acquisition with his colleague Patrick Klepek.Microsoft plans to buy Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion.In November, Phil Spencer said he was troubled by the harassment and abuse at Activision Blizzard.QA workers at Activision’s Raven Software are seeking to unionize. The company said it won’t recognize the union, and is reorganizing the division.A new Game Developers Conference found 55% think the industry should unionize.On January 18, the US Federal Trade Commission began a process to rewrite its merger guidelines.Google shut down its Stadia game studios at least in part due to Microsoft’s acquisition of Zenimax.At GDC in 2005, a developer rant session featuring Warren Spector, Jason Della Rocca, Greg Costikyan, Brenda Laurel, and Chris Hecke presented a grim picture of where the industry was going.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
How Evangelicals Emulate Startup Culture w/ Corrina Laughlin
Paris Marx is joined by Corrina Laughlin to discuss how evangelical Christians have adapted to modern technologies, how churches have emulated startups, the growth of the faith tech sector, and whether there’s anything that can be learned from their tech experiments.Corrina Laughlin is the author of Redeem All: How Digital Life Is Changing Evangelical Culture. She’s also an instructor of media studies at Loyola Marymount University. Follow Corrina on Twitter at @CKLaughlin.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Corrina wrote an article about why evangelicals are early adopters for The Atlantic.Pew estimates about 24% of US adults identify as born again or evangelical Protestants.The 1925 Scopes Trial was over the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools.Life.Church makes a ton of high production value resources available to churches looking to start up and expand what they’re doing.The prosperity gospel is a pro-capitalist theological tradition preached by some very wealth pastors, including Kenneth Copeland.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Envisioning Platform Socialism w/ James Muldoon
Paris Marx is joined by James Muldoon to discuss his vision for platform socialism and the different ways we could reorganize platforms to serve the public good over corporate profit.James Muldoon is the author of Platform Socialism: How to Reclaim our Digital Future from Big Tech. He’s also a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and the Head of Digital Research at Autonomy. Follow James on Twitter at @james_muldoon_.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:James wrote about why web3 won’t save the internet.Paris wrote about what’s wrong with discourses about decentralization and why we should nationalize Amazon.Francesca Bria was interviewed by Crypto Syllabus about web3, decentralization, and her experience with municipal tech projects.Facebook’s Project Amplify ensured users saw positive stories about the company.Antonio Negri and Dalla Costa were among the Italian Autonomist Marxists thinking about the social factory. Karl Marx wrote about the concept of surplus value.G.D.H. Cole wrote about guild socialism. James also mentions the work of Otto Neurath.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
How Roblox Exploits Children w/ Quintin Smith
Paris Marx is joined by Quintin Smith to discuss how Roblox profits from the labor of children, built an exploitative in-game economy, and needs to be regulated as soon as possible.Quintin Smith is a journalist working with People Make Games and Shut Up & Sit Down. Follow Quintin on Twitter at @Quinns108.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Quintin did an investigation of Roblox for People Make Games. Watch part 1 and part 2.Roblox went public on March 9, 2021, hitting a valuation of $45 billion. It’s now over $50 billion and benefiting from the metaverse hype.More than half of US kids and teens under 16 are on Roblox. It’s estimated that half the platform’s users globally are under 13 years old.Cecilia D’Anastasio reported on fascist role-playing games in Roblox.Games featuring sex and nudity are not always caught by Roblox, exposing kids to them.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Happy Holidays from Tech Won’t Save Us!
To end 2021, Paris Marx provides a quick update on the podcast and what’s coming next year.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Paris’ book Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong about the Future of Transportation comes out in July 2022.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Silicon Valley Doesn’t Get Science Fiction w/ Annalee Newitz
Paris Marx is joined by Annalee Newitz to discuss what’s wrong with Silicon Valley’s understanding of science fiction, and how tech leaders use it to justify terrible futures.Annalee Newitz is the author of Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age and The Future of Another Timeline. They are also the co-host of Our Opinions Are Correct and a writer for NYT Opinion and New Scientist. Follow Annalee on Twitter at @Annaleen.🚨 T-shirts are now available!Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Annalee wrote about what tech companies don’t get about science fiction for New Scientist.Paris wrote about the dystopian future proposed by the metaverse.The Verge spoke to Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, but the interviewer suggested The Matrix was trying to predict where technology was going.In 1985, Ursula K. Le Guin wrote about science fiction and the future.Facebook is already failing to combat harassment in VR, and its incoming CTO thinks doing so in the metaverse is “practically impossible.”People mentioned: Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, JPL engineer Jack Parsons, and Trekonomics author Manu Saadia.Annalee’s reading suggestions: Ring Shout by P Djeli Clark, Murderbot series by Martha Wells, Infomocracy by Malka Older, An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King, Rosewater by Tade Thompson, Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, and Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
The Video Game Industry Needs Unions w/ Gita Jackson
Paris Marx is joined by Gita Jackson to discuss the revelations of sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard, how workers have organized in response to them, and what it all could mean for the future of the video games industry.Gita Jackson is a senior writer at Motherboard, Vice’s tech vertical. Follow Gita on Twitter at @xoxogossipgita.🚨 T-shirts are now available!Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:In July, California’s fair employment department sued Activision Blizzard, revealing shocking interal details, including a “Cosby Suite” and harassing prospective workers at a job fair.In November, it was revealed that CEO Bobby Kotick knew about it and had settled harassment lawsuits. Afterward, workers walked out but the board stood behind Kotick.The heads of Playstation and Xbox released statements criticizing Activision Blizzard’s leadership.Workers are now passing around union cards under the name A Better ABK as the company sends anti-union statements. They have also set up a strike fund.The EA Spouse Letter was written in 2004.Gita wrote about Comic Book Workers United, the union seeking recognition at Image Comics.The Mandalorian used Unreal Engine to create virtual sets, and Unity just bought part of Weta Digital to expand its virtual production.Since recording, Vodeo Games has formed the first video game union in North America.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Web3 is a Scam, Not a Revolution w/ Stephen Diehl
Paris Marx is joined by Stephen Diehl to discuss why technologists are divided on crypto, what’s wrong with blockchain, why crypto assets are scams, and why web3 is a rebranding effort.Stephen Diehl is software engineer and crypto skeptic based in London. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @smdiehl.🚨 T-shirts are now available!Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Stephen has written about how to understand crypto assets, the problem with “decentralization”, the speculative mania inherent to crypto, why web3 is bullshit, and more on his blog.Some guy bought a beer with crypto and it showed one of the big flaws with using crypto as a means of payment.Andreessen Horowitz one of the main players lobbying for lax crypto regulations in the United States.How Albania’s pyramid scheme crisis in the 1990s holds lessons for the today’s crypto mania.David Golumbia was on episode 67 (July 1, 2021) and Olivier Jutel was on episode 75 (August 26, 2021).Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Who Inspired Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ Space Visions? w/ Fred Scharmen
Paris Marx is joined by Fred Scharmen to discuss Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ visions for space colonization, the inspiration they draw from the work of Wernher von Braun and Gerard O’Neill, and what’s wrong with basing our future on those ideas.Fred Scharmen is the author of Space Forces: A Critical History of Life in Outer Space. He teaches architecture and urban design at Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning and is the co-founder of the Working Group on Adaptive Systems. Follow Fred on Twitter at @sevensixfive.🚨 T-shirts are now available!Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Paris wrote about the billionaire space race and Jeff Bezos’ vision for space colonization.Wernher von Braun was a Nazi before becoming chief architect of NASA’s Saturn V rocket. He appeared in a 1955 Disney program about space flight, but his past was also criticized, including in a song by Tom Lehrer.Elon Musk has cited Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” as an inspiration and Jeff Bezos saved The Expanse when it was cancelled.Jeff Bezos’ ideas about space colonization come directly from Gerard O’Neill’s vision of space colonies floating in space.Adam Mann asked in the New Yorker whether Mars was really ours for the taking.The Just Space Alliance presents an alternative to the billionaire framing of space.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)