Tech Won't Save Us
Silicon Valley wants to shape our future, but why should we let it? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its big promises, and the people behind them. Tech Won’t Save Us challenges 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. It’s not your usual tech podcast.
Episodes
242 episodes since 2020
Google and Meta Are A Threat to Journalism w/ Matt Pearce
Paris Marx is joined by Matt Pearce to discuss how Google sidestepped two California bills aimed at funding journalism and how major tech companies are transforming the web to make hyperlinks less relevant.Matt Pearce is the President o...
September 12, 2024
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Episode 237
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1:01:22
Unionizing the Video Game Industry w/ Taylor Welling & Kathryn Friesen
Paris Marx is joined by Taylor Welling and Kathryn Friesen to discuss how they formed wall-to-wall unions in the video game industry and their thoughts on broader challenges like layoffs and corporate consolidation.Taylor Welling is a p...
September 05, 2024
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Episode 236
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56:22
No Tech for Apartheid w/ Mohammad Khatami & Gabi Schubiner
Paris Marx is joined by Mohammad Khatami and Gabi Schubiner to discuss the complicity of Google, Amazon, and Microsoft in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and how tech workers are organizing to stop it.Mohammad Khatami and Gabi Schubin...
August 29, 2024
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Episode 235
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56:05
Crypto Is Spending Millions to Sway the US Election w/ Molly White
Paris Marx is joined by Molly White to discuss why the crypto industry is spending millions on this election cycle and Coinbase’s potential breach of election finance law. Molly White writes the
August 22, 2024
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Episode 234
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57:35
Is Social Media Fueling Far-Right Riots? w/ Hussein Kesvani
Paris Marx is joined by Hussein Kesvani to discuss the far-right attacks that happened after the Southport stabbing in the UK and how larger structural issues in media, politics, and tech laid the groundwork for violence against visible minorit...
August 15, 2024
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Episode 233
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1:08:07
Shopify’s Right-Wing Inner Circle w/ Luke LeBrun & Rachel Gilmore
Paris Marx is joined by Luke LeBrun and Rachel Gilmore to discuss Shopify's connection to right-wing politics, through its interpersonal connection to a far-right news outlet and its reluctance to enforce its content policy on users selling hat...
August 08, 2024
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Episode 232
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58:44
Escaping the Processed World w/ Chris Carlsson
Paris Marx is joined by Chris Carlsson to discuss Processed World, a tech-critical, anti-capitalist magazine that satirized the absurdity of work in its publishing run between 1981 and 2005. Chris Carlsson is the author of many bo...
August 01, 2024
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Episode 231
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1:01:22
Silicon Valley is Backing Donald Trump w/ Jacob Silverman
Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss why tech billionaires have become more supportive of Donald Trump in the upcoming US election and whether Kamala Harris’ candidacy will disrupt their plans.Jacob Silverman is the ...
July 25, 2024
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Episode 230
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1:00:28
Generative AI is a Climate Disaster w/ Sasha Luccioni
Paris Marx is joined by Sasha Luccioni to discuss the catastrophic environmental costs of the generative AI being increasing shoved into every tech product we touch. Sasha Luccioni is an artificial intelligence researcher and Clima...
July 18, 2024
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Episode 229
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1:00:00
Jack Dorsey’s Embrace of Crypto-Libertarianism w/ David Gerard
Paris Marx is joined by David Gerard to discuss Jack Dorsey’s decision to leave Bluesky, his obsession with Bitcoin, and his contributions (or lack thereof) to modern technology. David Gerard is the author of
July 11, 2024
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Episode 228
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1:01:43
Facebook Is the Zombie Internet w/ Jason Koebler
Paris Marx is joined by Jason Koebler to discuss the AI-generated spam filling Facebook, how the platform seems to have given up trying to stop it, and where the internet goes from here.Jason Koebler is the co-host of the 404 Media Podc...
July 04, 2024
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Episode 227
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1:01:44
How Degrowth Will Reshape Technology w/ Jason Hickel
Paris Marx is joined by Jason Hickel to discuss how technology would change in a degrowth society and why it doesn’t make sense to organize society around profit and infinite expansion. Jason Hickel is the author of
June 27, 2024
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Episode 226
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56:58
Can Europe Chart Its Own Path on Tech? w/ tante
Paris Marx is joined by tante to discuss why it’s hard for Europe to challenge the US and China on tech and why we should change how we think about innovation.tante is a writer, speaker, and Luddite working on tech and its social impact...
June 20, 2024
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Episode 225
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1:03:12
Silicon Valley is Courting Gulf Monarchies to Fund AI w/ Nitasha Tiku
Paris Marx is joined by Nitasha Tiku to discuss how US tech companies are flocking to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to fund their expensive AI ambitions.Nitasha Tiku is a tech culture reporter at the Washington Post...
June 13, 2024
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Episode 224
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59:57
How the FBI Tapped the Encrypted Chats of Criminals Around the World w/ Joseph Cox
Paris Marx is joined by Joseph Cox to discuss how the FBI created an encrypted phone company called Anom to read criminals’ messages and eventually carry out the largest international sting operation by law enforcement.Joseph Cox is the...
June 06, 2024
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Episode 223
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1:03:29
GoFundMe Profits from People’s Pain w/ Nora Kenworthy
Paris Marx is joined by Nora Kenworthy to discuss how people rely on GoFundMe to access healthcare and the further inequities that adds to an already deeply unequal healthcare system. Nora Kenworthy is the author of
May 30, 2024
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Episode 222
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57:27
Tech’s Plan to ‘Ethnically Cleanse’ San Francisco w/ Gil Duran
Paris Marx is joined by Gil Duran to discuss Balaji Srinivasan’s plan to implement “tech Zionism” in San Francisco and the threat posed by Silicon Valley's growing opposition to democracy.Gil Duran is an independent journalist and forme...
May 23, 2024
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Episode 221
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1:00:40
How BYD is Upending the EV Market w/ Paolo Gerbaudo
Paris Marx is joined by Paolo Gerbaudo to discuss how Chinese electric car maker BYD operates, its growing international success against Tesla, and whether it will be able to move into the North American market.Paolo Gerbaudo is the aut...
May 16, 2024
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Episode 220
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54:52
Tesla is Choosing Hype Over Substance w/ Edward Niedermeyer
Paris Marx is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to discuss Tesla's stagnation as an electric vehicle manufacturer and what that could mean for its future as competitors cut into their market share.Ed Niedermeyer is the author of Ludicrous: T...
May 09, 2024
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Episode 219
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1:07:14
How SHEIN Took Over Fast Fashion w/ Nicole Lipman
Paris Marx is joined by Nicole Lipman to discuss SHEIN’s rise to the top of the fast fashion industry and how it exacerbates the sector’s labor and environment problems.Nicole Lipman is a writer and assistant editor at n+1....
May 02, 2024
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Episode 218
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56:51
The Religious Foundations of Transhumanism w/ Meghan O’Gieblyn
Paris Marx is joined by Meghan O’Gieblyn to discuss parallels between transhumanism and Christian narratives of resurrection, despite the fact many transhumanists identify as staunch atheists. Meghan O’Gieblyn is an advice columnist at ...
April 25, 2024
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Episode 217
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56:33
How Sports Betting Is Fueling Gambling Addiction w/ Alex Shephard
Paris Marx is joined by Alex Shephard to discuss the legalization of sports betting in the United States, the growing influence of gambling in professional sports, and its negative impact on the lives of sports fans.Alex Shephard is a s...
April 18, 2024
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Episode 216
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54:10
Kara Swisher Shows Tech Journalism’s Flaws w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.
Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss Kara Swisher’s attempt to rebrand herself as the most feared journalist in Silicon Valley, how she spent her career forwarding the industry’s narratives, and the larger problems with access ...
April 11, 2024
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Episode 215
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1:17:27
Deepfake Abuse is a Crisis w/ Kat Tenbarge
Paris Marx is joined by Kat Tenbarge to discuss the proliferation of AI-generated, non-consensual sexual images, their impact on the victims, and the potential fallout for tech companies who helped make it all possible. Note there is some discu...
April 04, 2024
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Episode 214
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1:08:43