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
302 episodes
Decomputing For a Better Future w/ Dan McQuillan
Paris Marx is joined by Dan McQuillan to discuss the global push by governments to rapidly adopt AI at all costs and how citizens can critically rethink our dependence on these technologies while imagining a collective future that benefits ever...
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Episode 286
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58:21
Microsoft is Gutting the Video Game Industry w/ Nathan Grayson
Paris Marx is joined by Nathan Grayson to discuss the latest round of Microsoft layoffs and how the company’s ambition to remake the video game industry around its streaming service has had significant consequences.Nathan Grayson is a c...
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Episode 285
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55:09
How the US Weaponizes Tech in the Middle East w/ Laleh Khalili
Paris Marx is joined by Laleh Khalili to discuss how the United States uses its control of key technologies to shift global power dynamics, and how that specifically plays out in the Middle East.Laleh Khalili is Professor of Gulf Studie...
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Episode 284
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53:32
The Geopolitical Fight Over Huawei w/ Yangyang Cheng
Paris Marx is joined by Yangyang Cheng to discuss how Huawei became one of the most powerful companies in China and how current geopolitical narratives distract from the issues at the heart of surveillance capitalism in the US and China.
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Episode 283
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54:05
Chatbots Are Repeating Social Media’s Harms w/ Nitasha Tiku
Paris Marx is joined by Nitasha Tiku to discuss how AI companies are preying on users to drive engagement and how that’s repeating many of the problems we’re belatedly trying to address with social media companies at an accelerated pace.
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Episode 282
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53:48
Brazil's Battle to Rein In Big Tech w/ Laís Martins
Paris Marx is joined by Laís Martins to discuss the recent enforcement measures against tech companies like X and Rumble in Brazil, how the country is grappling with the overreach of US tech companies, and the wider discussion about tech policy...
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Episode 281
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57:52
We All Suffer from OpenAI’s Pursuit of Scale w/ Karen Hao
Paris Marx is joined by Karen Hao to discuss how Sam Altman’s goal of scale at all costs has spawned a new empire founded on exploitation of people and the environment, resulting in not only the loss of valuable research into more inventive AI ...
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Episode 280
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51:18
The New Military Industry Complex w/ Sam Biddle
Paris Marx is joined by Sam Biddle to discuss how Silicon Valley is shamelessly courting government military contracts, using tactics to silence employee dissent and normalize the situation to the public, and what it all means for the future of...
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Episode 279
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57:06
The Case for a Digital Detox w/ Casey Johnston
Paris Marx is joined by Casey Johnston to discuss why she pared back on social media, made her smartphone much dumber, and what she learned about how bodies are treated online through her fitness journey.Casey Johnston is the creator of...
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Episode 278
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55:18
Generative AI is Not Inevitable w/ Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna
Paris Marx is joined by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna to discuss the harms of generative AI, how the industry keeps the public invested while companies flounder under the weight of unmet promises, and what people can do to push back.Em...
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Episode 277
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53:13
Elon Musk is Remaking the US Space Program w/ Tim Fernholz
Paris Marx is joined by Tim Fernholz to discuss how Elon Musk’s influence in the White House is shaping the US Space Program, why he’s pushing NASA toward Mars instead of the Moon, and whether the Starship rocket is in trouble.Tim Fernh...
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Episode 276
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1:00:57
The Roots of Elon Musk’s War On Empathy w/ Julia Carrie Wong
Paris Marx is joined by Julia Carrie Wong to discuss Elon Musk’s recent opposition to empathy, how it comes out of the Christian right, and the relationship it has to previous discussions of longtermism. Julia Carrie Wong is a fea...
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Episode 275
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52:20
How Brainrot AI is Upending the Internet w/ Jason Koebler
Paris Marx is joined by Jason Koebler to discuss the economy behind AI slop generation, how people are building businesses on AI-generated images, and the wider consequences of their proliferation on social media. Jason Koebler is a cof...
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Episode 274
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53:38
How Masayoshi Son Shaped the Tech Industry w/ Laleh Khalili
Paris Marx is joined by Laleh Khalili to discuss Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, the structural factors that allowed him to build an empire, and the many ways he’s shaped the modern tech industry.Laleh Khalili is Professor of Gulf Studies a...
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Episode 273
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52:17
Digital Sovereignty in a Time of Rising Fascism
Paris Marx is doing a solo episode this week to bring together some important issues that have been on his mind lately. This is a recording of a talk Paris gave in Auckland, New Zealand on how Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump forces ...
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Episode 272
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41:12
Can Europe End Its Dependence on US Tech? w/ Aline Blankertz
Paris Marx is joined by Aline Blankertz to discuss whether Europe is going to finally make a serious push to end its dependence on US tech and how different European interests are trying to take advantage of those debates.Aline Blankert...
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Episode 271
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47:53
The Dirty Alliance Between Tech and the Oil Industry w/ JS Tan
Paris Marx is joined by JS Tan to discuss his experience seeing first hand how Microsoft deployed its cloud and machine learning services to help Chevron extract more oil and gas, and the state of tech worker organizing around climate change. <...
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Episode 270
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53:06
DOGE Is Gutting the US Digital Service w/ Kate Green and Milo
Paris Marx is joined by Kate Green and Milo to discuss how Elon Musk’s DOGE is dismantling the US Digital Service and the consequences that has on really improving service delivery in government.Kate Green and Milo are former US Digital...
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Episode 269
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52:43
Preview: Breaking Down Canada’s Election on Campaign Cops
Don’t worry; your regularly scheduled Tech Won’t Save Us is coming soon! But if you’re looking to try something a little different and get a critical take on the ongoing Canadian election, check out Campaign Cops, a special five-week series hos...
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36:19
Canada’s Tech Leaders Want Their Own DOGE w/ Jen St. Denis
Paris Marx is joined by Jen St. Denis to discuss how Silicon Valley thinking is creeping into Canadian politics as Donald Trump continues to threaten the country with tariffs and annexation. Jen St. Denis is a reporter with The Tyee.
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Episode 268
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51:41
AI Hype Enters Its Geopolitics Era w/ Timnit Gebru
Paris Marx is joined by Timnit Gebru to discuss where the AI industry stands in 2025 as AI increasingly becomes a geopolitical football even as the big promises made by AI companies fail to materialize.Timnit Gebru is the founder and ex...
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Episode 267
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55:19
The UK’s Misguided Embrace of AI Hype w/ James Meadway
Paris Marx is joined by James Meadway to discuss how the UK Labour Party is embracing AI regardless of the cost and the consequences of allowing US companies to dominate the digital economy in so many other countries.James Meadway is an...
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Episode 266
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45:22
Protesting Tesla Can Hurt Elon Musk w/ Ed Niedermeyer
Paris Marx is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to discuss the trouble with Tesla’s business model and how that makes Elon Musk’s power vulnerable to protest and boycott.Ed Niedermeyer is the author Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla ...
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Episode 265
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53:44
How DOGE is Remaking the US Government w/ Makena Kelly
Paris Marx is joined by Makena Kelly to discuss how Elon Musk’s DOGE is reshaping the US government and the consequences that has for government employees and the wider public.Makena Kelly is a senior writer at WIRED and writes the week...
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Episode 264
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53:00
Patreon Preview: The Harms of Generative AI w/ Alex Hanna
Our Data Vampires series may be over, but Paris interviewed a bunch of experts on data centers and AI whose insights shouldn’t go to waste. We’re releasing those interviews as bonus episodes for Patreon supporters. Here’s a preview of this week...
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5:52