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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SpaceX’s Regulatory Evasion Has Consequences w/ Eric Roesch
Paris Marx is joined by Eric Roesch to discuss the aftermath of the SpaceX Starship launch that caused so much environmental damage in April 2023 and the broader consequences of Elon Musk’s consistent regulatory evasion. Eric Roesch an expert in environmental compliance and risk assessment who writes about intersection of capitalism, markets and greenwashing as ESG Hound. You can follow Eric’s newsletter on Substack.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Eric wrote about the damage the Starship launch was going to have, SpaceX’s violation of the Clean Water Act, and Elon Musk’s general regulatory evasion. He also shared a lot of photos of the aftermath of the Starship launch.The Federal Aviation Administration says SpaceX needs to take 63 corrective measures before another Starship launch.The FAA was sued by environmental groups over the impacts of the Starship launch. SpaceX joined that lawsuit.SpaceX still needs approval from the US Fish and Wildlife Service before it can launch again. They’ve previously not been happy with SpaceX.Support the show
How US-China Rivalry Distracts from Tech Harms w/ Yangyang Cheng
Paris Marx is joined by Yangyang Cheng to discuss the growing divide between the United States and China, and how nationalistic narratives distract us from a better understanding of tech in both countries. Yangyang Cheng is a particle physicist and research scholar at Yale Law School. She’s written for the New York Times, The Guardian, The Nation, WIRED, and many others. You can follow Yangyang on Twitter at @yangyang_cheng.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Yangyang wrote about the myth of the TikTok spy and the US fixation on Chinese espionage for Wired.She mentioned the coming expiry of a science and technology agreement between the US and China. It’s been temporarily extended.Paris recently wrote about the benefits the US receives from the global footprint of its tech companies, and why that makes China look like a threat.Support the show
How Tech Wields Its Power in San Francisco w/ Dean Preston
Paris Marx is joined by Dean Preston to discuss the havoc robotaxis are wreaking in San Francisco and the wider impacts the tech industry has had on the city. Dean Preston is the District 5 Supervisor in San Francisco and the first democratic socialist elected in the city in 40 years. He’s also a tenant attorney and founder of Tenants Together. You can follow Dean on Twitter at @DeanPreston.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Paris interviewed one of the activists placing cones driverless cars to disable them and draw attention to the California Public Utilities Commission’s pro-corporate regulatory decisions.In 2011, Twitter got a massive tax break to stay in San Francisco instead of moving its offices elsewhere in the Valley.Salesforce CEO Marx Benioff was a rare tech mogul to support San Francisco’s ballot measure to create a new tax to fund help for homeless residents.A ballot measure to increase the transfer tax on properties over $10 million won in 2020, despite industry opposition.The campaign against progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin was bankrolled by tech and real estate money. Jacob Silverman put this into wider context in a piece about the rise in the political influence of David Sacks.Support the show
Reporting Critically on Tech w/ Jason Koebler & Samantha Cole
Paris Marx is joined by Jason Koebler and Samantha Cole to discuss why they launched 404 Media, how it was inspired by their work at Motherboard, and their reflections on the state of tech media. Jason Koebler and Samantha Cole are co-founders of 404 Media. Jason was editor-in-chief of VICE’s Motherboard. Samantha was a senior editor at Motherboard and is the author of “How Sex Changed the Internet.” Find out more about 404 Media.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Last week the 404 team introduced themselves. Among the stories they published were pieces looking into Apple AirPods Max and AI-generated porn.Vice declared bankruptcy in May 2023.Paris argued in Disconnect that the media failed the public in how they reported on Elon Musk.Support the show
AI Criticism Has a Decades-Long History w/ Ben Tarnoff
Paris Marx is joined by Ben Tarnoff to discuss the ELIZA chatbot created by Joseph Weizenbaum in the 1960s and how it led him to develop a critical perspective on AI and computing that deserves more attention during this wave of AI hype. Ben Tarnoff writes about technology and politics. He is a founding editor of Logic, and author of Internet for the People: The Fight for Our Digital Future. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @bentarnoff.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Ben wrote a long article about Weizenbaum and what we can learn from his work for The Guardian.Paris wrote a skeptical perspective on AI hype and the promises of ChatGPT in Disconnect.Zachary Loeb has also written about Weizenbaum’s work and perspective on AI and computing.Support the show
Pondering the Orb w/ Molly White
Paris Marx is joined by Molly White to discuss Sam Bankman-Fried having his bail revoked and Sam Altman’s plan to scan all of our irises to get us into crypto and supposedly protect us from AI. Molly White is the creator of Web3 Is Going Just Great and a fellow at the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. You can follow Molly on Twitter at @molly0xFFF.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Molly wrote about Sam Bankman-Fried going to prison and what’s going on with Worldcoin in her newsletter.Paris also dug into Worldcoin in the Disconnect newsletter.The New York Times published a story about Caroline Ellison based on details provided by Sam Bankman-Fried.MIT Tech Review and Buzzfeed News did in-depth investigations of Worldcoin and its exploitation of people in the Global South.Worldcoin has been shut down in Kenya and is under regulatory scrutiny in the European Union.Support the show
Abolish Venture Capital w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.
Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss how the venture capital industry works, why the technologies it funds don’t deliver on their marketing promises, and how that’s once again being shown in the hype around AI. Edward Ongweso Jr. is a freelance journalist, co-host of This Machine Kills, and guest columnist at The Nation. You can follow Ed on Twitter at @bigblackjacobin.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Edward wrote about the problems with venture capital and what the AI hype shows us about the industry for The Nation. Earlier this year, he wrote about the tantrum VCs threw after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse.Paris wrote about where Elon Musk’s vision for the X superapp comes from, why his Twitter rebrand isn’t going so well, and why ChatGPT isn’t a revolution.In 2020, Sam Harnett wrote about the problem with tech media’s coverage of the gig economy.Uber used to want to be the “Amazon for transportation” and the “operating system for everyday life.”TIME reported on how OpenAI lobbying watered down EU AI rules.Marc Andreessen wrote his pitch for “Why AI Will Save the World.”Support the show
The Right is Building Its Own Platforms w/ Jacob Silverman
Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss how the right-wing of the tech industry are funding media platforms like Rumble to reshape the political discourse and why they’re helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenge Joe Biden. Jacob Silverman is a journalist and the co-author of Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud. He’s also the host of The Naked Emperor on CBC Podcasts. You can check out Jacob’s Substack.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Jacob wrote about Rumble as a MAGA platform, why tech is boosting Robert F. Kennedy Jr., revolutionary war reenactors getting caught up in Facebook’s purge of militia groups, and David Sacks.Mark Zuckerberg chose to go easy on Alex Jones and other right-wing figures on Facebook.Trump Media may be going public via a SPAC merger.Darren Blanton was involved in a scheme to keep Black voters from the polls.Wendy Siegelman put together a chart of the connections between Rumble, Trump Media, and other groups.Rumble went public via SPAC in 2022.Brandy Zadrozny wrote about RFK Jr. and his views for NBC News.Support the show
Are UFOs Really Out There? w/ Kelsey Atherton
Paris Marx is joined by Kelsey Atherton to discuss the renewed interest in UFOs, where the conspiracy theories of aliens in the sky came from, and whether flying saucers might really be watching us. Kelsey Atherton is a military technology journalist. He contributes to Popular Science and has written for Slate. Follow Kelsey on Twitter at @AthertonKD.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Kelsey has written about how the military’s culture of secrecy breeds UFO conspiracy theories, why sensors are an important aspect to consider, and the truth of Area 51.A U-2 pilot took a selfie with the Chinese balloon shot down earlier this year.The military later confirmed the Chinese balloon was not actually spying on the United States.One of the balloons that were shot down likely belonged to a hobbyist group called the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade.In 2019, a bunch of people online planned to hold a “Naruto run” at Area 51.Support the show
Big Tech Won’t Revitalize Indigenous Languages w/ Keoni Mahelona
Paris Marx is joined by Keoni Mahelona to discuss the colonial nature of data extraction by major tech companies, and how Te Hiku takes a very different approach to revitalize the Maori language. Keoni Mahelona is the Chief Technology Officer at Te Hiku Media. Follow Keoni on Twitter at @mahelona.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Keoni and some of his colleagues wrote about why OpenAI’s Whisper is another example of colonialism.Wired and MIT Tech Review have written about the work Te Hiku is doing with Maori language in Aotearoa New Zealand.Mark Zuckerberg owns a lot of land in Hawaii, and it’s quite controversial.Support the show
How Israel Uses Occupation to Develop Military Tech w/ Antony Loewenstein
Paris Marx is joined by Antony Loewenstein to discuss how the Israeli weapons industry tests new military technologies on occupied Palestinians before selling them internationally. Antony Loewenstein is an independent journalist who’s written for the New York Times and the Guardian. He’s the author of The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports The Technology Of Occupation Around The World. Follow Antony on Twitter at @antloewenstein.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Excerpts from Antony’s book have been published by In These Times, Declassified Australia, and Jamal Khashoggi-founded Democracy for the Arab World Now. Antony also wrote a good overview of the book for Middle East Eye.Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, and Yesh Din have called Israel’s actions apartheid.Google and Amazon workers protested Project Nimbus. They also faced shareholder revolts over the project.Airbnb lists properties in illegal Israeli settlements.Red Wolf is deployed at checkpoints to scan Palestinians’ faces and add them to surveillance databases without their consent.Facebook has been criticized for removing Palestinians’ posts.The New York Times reported on Israel’s use of NSO Group surveillance tools for diplomatic leverage.The Committee to Protect Journalists found Israel killed 20 journalists.Support the show
Google and Meta Are Fighting with Canada w/ David Moscrop
Paris Marx is joined by David Moscrop to discuss Canada’s plan to make Google and Meta pay news publishers, and what might happened now that they’re threatening to pull Canadian news from their platforms. David Moscrop is a freelance writer and the author of Too Dumb for Democracy?: Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones. Follow David on Twitter at @David_Moscrop.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:David Moscrop wrote about the larger context of the Online News Bill in his Substack newsletter.Paris also wrote about Google and Meta threatening to pull news in Canada and why Canada should take a hard line with them.Sandy Garossino wrote about how much money Google and Meta extract from Canada.Media conglomerates Postmedia and Nordstar are in talks to merge.California is also looking at a similar process to force Google and Meta to pay media in that state.On Wednesday, the Canadian government pulled advertising from Facebook and Instagram, but said Google was still talking to find a way forward. The government said it won’t back down, and two opposition parties — the New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois — voiced their support.Support the show
Why AI is a Threat to Artists w/ Molly Crabapple
Paris Marx is joined by Molly Crabapple to discuss why AI image generation tools are a threat to illustrators and why we need to refuse the idea that Silicon Valley’s visions of technology are inevitable. Molly Crabapple is an artist and writer based in New York. She is the author of two books, Drawing Blood and Brothers of the Gun with Marwan Hisham. Follow Molly on Twitter at @mollycrabapple.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Molly wrote an op-ed for the LA Times about the threat of AI-generated tools for artists, and co-wrote an open letter about restricting AI illustration for the Center for Artistic Inquiry and Reporting.Karla Ortiz wrote about how teaching an AI to copy an artist’s style isn’t democratization; it’s theft.Corridor Digital claimed they were “democratizing” animation by using AI trained on Vampire Hunter D to generate their own animated video.Rest of World reported on how AI was being used to take video game illustrators’ jobs in China.AI is already being used to justify laying off journalists.In February, Creative Commons published an article arguing that using copyrighted works to train generative AI should be considered fair use.Stable Diffusion and Midjourney were hit with a copyright lawsuit, and Getty Images launched its own suit against Stable Diffusion.The US Copyright Office says AI generated images are not eligible for copyright protection.Support the show
We Don’t Need the Apple Vision Pro w/ Brian Merchant
Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss the vision of the future of computing offered by Apple’s Vision Pro headset and why it should be resisted. Brian Merchant is the technology columnist at the LA Times. He’s also the author of The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone and Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech. Follow Brian on Twitter at @bcmerchant.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Paris will be in Edmonton, Alberta on June 24. More info here.Brian wrote a column about the Apple Vision Pro for the LA Times, and another about Uber drivers in California getting payouts.Paris also wrote about why Apple Vision Pro should be ridiculed for Disconnect.David Karpf called virtual reality the “rich white kid of technology.”Meta employees are not working in the metaverse.Mark Gurman reported on the internal division at Apple over whether to release the Vision Pro in its current form.Support the show
Crypto’s Final Boss Fight w/ Molly White
Paris Marx is joined by Molly White to discuss the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase and what they might mean for the future of the crypto industry. Molly White is the creator of Web3 Is Going Just Great and a fellow at Harvard Library Innovation Lab. Follow Molly on Twitter at @molly0xFFF.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, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Molly wrote about the Binance and Coinbase cases for Rolling Stone. She also wrote about both cases in her newsletter.Amy Castor and David Gerard broke down the Coinbase lawsuit.Matt Levine has also written about the lawsuits and what it means for crypto being seen as a security.In 2020, Forbes reported on the Tai Chi documents about Binance’s efforts to evade regulators.Binance is also being sued by the CFTC and there are reports that criminal charges could also be coming from the Department of Justice.Binance recently withdrew from Canada.Robinhood ended support for tokens the SEC listed as securities.Crypto.com is winding down US institutional trading.Nigeria’s SEC said Binance’s operations are illegal.Elon Musk is being sued over manipulation of the price of Dogecoin.Support the show