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.
(Un)Stablecoins and the Crypto Crash w/ Bennett Tomlin
Paris Marx is joined by Bennett Tomlin to discuss last week’s crash of Terra and Luna, the problems with stablecoins, and whether this collapse will finally force regulators to take action on cryptocurrency.Drew Pendergrass is a co-host of Crypto Critics’ Corner and writer of the FUD Letter. Follow Bennett on Twitter at @BennettTomlin.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 Terra/Luna collapse and why we can’t let those who promoted crypto scams escape blame for their actions.Bennett references George Soros’ attack on the British pound in 1992, also known as Black Wednesday.Do Kwan was behind the failed Basis Cash stablecoin.Vitalik Buterin backed a proposal for an FDIC-like response to rescue “small holders” who lost money in the Luna collapse.Investors recently pulled $7 billion out of Tether, which still won’t be open about its reserves. It was hacked in 2017.FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried described yield farming as a Ponzi scheme.Justin Sun has already launched a copycat of the failed Terra algorithmic stablecoin. The Verge did a deep dive on him in March.a16z says the crypto winter is here.Support the show
The Argument for Half-Earth Socialism w/ Drew Pendergrass & Troy Vettese
Paris Marx is joined by Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettese to discuss the environmental crises of climate change and mass extinction we face, and why taking them seriously while providing for everyone requires a radical change to how we structure society.Drew Pendergrass is a PhD candidate in environmental engineering at Harvard University and Troy Vettese is an environmental historian and a Max Weber fellow at the European University Institute. They are the co-authors of Half-Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future from Extinction, Climate Change and Pandemics. Follow them on Twitter at @pendergrassdrew and @TroyVettese.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:Earth is currently undergoing its sixth major extinction, due to the actions of humans on the planet.The most recent IPCC report looked at demand-side solutions to the climate crisis.The meat industry is responsible for double the emissions of plant-based foods, as well as for an enormous amount of water and 80% of all agricultural land.Aaron Benanav is the author of Automation and the Future of Work.There is also a Half-Earth Socialism videogame on half.earth.Support the show
How IBM Workers Took On Racism and Apartheid w/ ann haeyoung
Paris Marx is joined by ann haeyoung to discuss IBM worker organizing in the 1970s and 1980s against racism and apartheid, and how those stories are important to informing tech organizing in the present.ann haeyoung is a media artist interested in technology and labor. She is also a former tech worker and organizer, and a graduate student at UCLA.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:ann wrote about IBM organizing for Wired, and put together a four-part series on her research for Tech Workers Coalition.Science for the People published an article about tech worker organizing in the 1960s and 1970s.Logic Magazine spoke to Joan Greenbaum about the early days of tech worker organizing.Support the show
The Financialization of Everything w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.
Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition, how technology is enabling an extension of speculation and gambling, and why those pressures need to be opposed.Edward Ongweso Jr. is a staff writer at Motherboard/Vice and a co-host of This Machine Kills. Follow Edward on Twitter at @bigblackjacobin.🎉 This month is the show’s second birthday. To celebrate, we want to get 100 new supporters at $5/month or above to bring on a producer to help make the show. Help us hit our goal by joining on Patreon. You can also follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Edward wrote about Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition and the casino economy we increasingly find ourselves in.Paris wrote about Elon’s Twitter purchase for Jacobin before it was confirmed, and Tribune afterward.Max Read also wrote about the acquisition and what it might mean.CNN spoke to meme stock traders who made a lot of money and the difficulty of what came after.TrueAnon did a recently episode on mobile gambling.Tim Hwang wrote “Subprime Attention Crisis: Advertising and the Time Bomb at the Heart of the Internet.”Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
We Can’t Allow Tech Solutions to Delay Climate Action w/ Molly Taft
Paris Marx is joined by Molly Taft to discuss why we need to act now to reduce emissions, what role carbon removal technologies can play, and how Silicon Valley is trying to shift our focus to future technologies rather than taking drastic action today.Molly Taft is a staff writer at Earther. Follow Molly on Twitter at @mollytaft.🎉 This month is the show’s second birthday. To celebrate, we want to get 100 new supporters at $5/month or above to bring on a producer to help make the show. Help us hit our goal by joining on Patreon. You can also follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Molly wrote about the dire warnings in the most recent IPCC report and why we need to be paying attention to carbon removal technologies.UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But, the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels.”Groups are urging the United States and European Union not to invest in new fossil fuel infrastructure and production.Canada approved Bay du Nord, a new deep-sea oil project in Newfoundland and Labrador.Major tech companies, especially Amazon, have been helping oil companies extract more oil. Microsoft has also been helping them oppressively manage their workforces.Kate Aronoff explained part of the problem with Bill Gates’ approach to climate change.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Who’s to Blame When a Self-Driving Car Kills Someone? w/ Lauren Smiley
Paris Marx is joined by Lauren Smiley to discuss what we’ve learned about the Uber crash since in happened in March 2018, what that’s meant for the vehicle operator who’s been charged, and whether the justice system made the right call in blaming her instead of Uber.Lauren Smiley is a WIRED contributor and freelance journalist based in San Francisco. Follow Laren on Twitter at @laurensmiley.🎉 This month is the show’s second birthday. To celebrate, we want to get 100 new supporters at $5/month or above to bring on a producer to help make the show. Help us hit our goal by joining on Patreon. You can also follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Lauren interviewed Rafaela Vasquez and dug into the substance of the past four years of information on the Uber crash for WIRED.Last summer, Vasquez’ legal team argued the grand jury hadn’t heard to full version of events before indicting her.In 2019, the NTSB’s final report placed primary blame on the operator, but secondary blame on Uber, the pedestrian, and the state.In 2015, Lauren wrote about the “shut-in economy” and social divides being entrenched by on-demand services.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
How to Unionize Amazon w/ Justine Medina & Karen Ponce
Paris Marx is joined by Justine Medina and Karen Ponce to discuss how the Amazon Labor Union succeeded in unionizing Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, what it’s like working for Amazon, and where the movement to unionize Amazon goes next.Justine Medina is a packer at the JFK8 warehouse and is on the organizing committee of the Amazon Labor Union. Karen Ponce is a stower at JFK8 and the interim secretary of Amazon Labor Union. Follow Justine on Twitter at @jnmedina8989 and Karen at @Karennn_928.🎉 This month is the show’s second birthday. To celebrate, we want to get 100 new supporters at $5/month or above to bring on a producer to help make the show. Help us hit our goal by joining on Patreon. You can also follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:You can support the Amazon Labor Union by donating to its Solidarity Fund.Justine spoke to Labor Notes and wrote about why the ALU won.The ALU is making 8 immediate demands of Amazon.Chair of the ALU’s Worker Committee Angelika Maldonado spoke to Jacobin about the union win.Lauren Kaori Gurley wrote about the Amazon Labor Union’s successful union vote at JFK8.In early 2020, Amazon fired Chris Smalls and tried to smear him as “not smart or articulate,” but their internal memos leaked.Jacobin and Briarpatch published articles on the need to salt at Amazon.Chris Smalls says workers from 50 facilities have contacted the ALU.The ALU is demanding to meet with Amazon in early May to begin bargaining.Amazon is planning to ban a ton of words in its chat app.Amazon forcing people to work in warehouses without air conditioning was a scandal in 2011.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Web3 is Not Going Great w/ Molly White
Paris Marx is joined by Molly White to discuss the big Axie Infinity hack, what’s wrong with the New York Times’ Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto, and what Molly’s years as a Wikipedia editor have taught her about the problem with web3’s vision of total commercialization.Molly White is a software engineer and the creator of web3 is going just great. Follow Molly on Twitter at @molly0xFFF.🎉 This month is the show’s second birthday. To celebrate, we want to get 100 new supporters at $5/month or above to bring on a producer to help make the show. Help us hit our goal by joining on Patreon. You can also follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter.Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.Also mentioned in this episode:Molly and a bunch of other crypto critics put together an (Edited) Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto.You can read Kevin Roose’s original Latecomer’s Guide here.Molly wrote about the $625 million Axie Infinity hack and harassment on the blockchain.Interest in NFTs and their values have plummeted in recent months.Tech Won’t Save Us has a new website. Check it out at techwontsave.us.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Digital Tech Didn’t Democratize the Film Industry w/ Will Tavlin
Paris Marx is joined by Will Tavlin to discuss the history of the film industry, how the digital revolution was promised to democratize film, and how it actually helped cement the power of Hollywood and Silicon Valley.Will Tavlin is a writer and fact checker based in New York City. Follow Will on Twitter at @wtavlin.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:Will wrote about how Hollywood killed celluloid film to empower itself for n+1.Paris wrote about the repeal of the Paramount Decrees and what tech companies are doing to cinema.Marvel films’ heavy reliance on CGI has downsides, and Disney is increasingly looking to making whole sets virtual, if not even the actors on them.David Noble wrote about ideas of technological progress in Progress Without People: New Technology, Unemployment, and the Message of Resistance.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
Can Higher Interest Rates Tame Big Tech And Inflation? w/ Grace Blakeley
Paris Marx is joined by Grace Blakeley to discuss how low interest rates and quantitative easing fueled the tech economy’s post-recession growth, why raising them won’t fix the problems that’s created, and whether higher interest rates are the solution to rising inflation.Grace Blakeley is a staff writer at Tribune Magazine and host of A World to Win. She’s also the author of Stolen: How to Save the World from Financialisation and The Corona Crash: How the Pandemic Will Change Capitalism. Follow Grace on Twitter at @graceblakeley.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:Grace wrote about how interest rate hikes are used against workers, what we should learn from the Gamestop short squeeze, and how the pandemic has produced closer links between the state and major corporations.Benjamin Braun and Adrienne Buller explained the concept of asset manager capitalism.In the face of rising inflation, NFT values are down 48% since November.High energy prices tend to drive inflation, and Russia and Ukraine are major wheat exporters.In the UK, wages are falling at the fastest rate since 2014. In the US, wages are falling when accounting for inflation, after decades of wage stagnation.Support the show (https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus)
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)