Tech Won't Save Us
Episodes
364 episodes
The AI Buildout is a Boon for the Fossil Fuel Industry w/ Ketan Joshi
Tech companies are working with the fossil fuel industry to push unnecessary data center projects while misrepresenting the climate impact — and governments are letting it all happen. Ketan Joshi joins Paris Marx to discuss how the data center ...
Data Vampires Redux: Fighting for Control (Episode 4)
Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires is coming out in October. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into h...
Data Vampires Redux: Sacrificing for AI (Episode 3)
Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires is coming out in October. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into h...
Data Vampires Redux: Opposing Data Centers (Episode 2)
Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires is coming out in October. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into h...
Data Vampires Redux: Going Hyperscale (Episode 1)
Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires is coming out on October 20. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive int...
How Mass Layoffs Changed Working in Tech w/ Clarissa Redwine & JS Tan
Not long ago, tech jobs were sought after for their security, benefits, wages, and the progressive values promoted by Silicon Valley companies. But now workers are barely hanging on. Clarissa Redwine and JS Tan join Paris Marx to discuss the st...
Tech Fascism Has Come for American Democracy w/ Gil Durán
A cult of fascist ideology has gripped Silicon Valley, and the tech industrial complex is threatening US democracy. Gil Durán joins Paris Marx to discuss the radical billionaire cabal that is hellbent on the consolidation of corporate and polit...
Government is Putting AI Before People and the Planet w/ Matt Haugen
Governments are prioritizing data centers at the expense of communities and the planet, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Matt Haugen joins Paris Marx to discuss how national strategies are dismantling environmental protections while enrichin...
Shopify’s Leaders Are Pushing Right-Wing Politics in Canada w/ Rachel Gilmore
Canada has tech bros too, like Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke who has a new idea to link voting rights to how much income tax you paid. Rachel Gilmore joins Paris Marx to discuss how Canadian tech companies like Shopify are pushing terrible right-wing ...
How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All w/ Cecilia Rikap
As Big Tech’s power continues to grow, it's more important than ever to understand how companies use their control over cloud infrastructure and services to shape more than just the digital world. Cecilia Rikap joins Paris Marx to discuss how t...
Librarians Are Helping the Public Ditch AI w/ Hannah Cyrus & Alison Macrina
Librarians are working harder than ever to support their neighbourhoods — including by teaching and promoting digital literacy. Hannah Cyrus and Alison Macrina join Paris Marx to discuss the role of library workers in the digital landscape, inc...
Tech Refusal Has a Very Long History w/ Thomas Dekeyser
We are often told that resisting technological development is impossible and ‘progress’ is inevitable, but history says otherwise. Thomas Dekeyser joins Paris Marx to discuss how understanding radical resistances of the past can help us rethink...
The AI Industry Is Spending Big on the US Midterms w/ Molly White
Last time it was the crypto industry; now the AI industry is stepping up to join it. Molly White joins Paris Marx to discuss how the tech sector is spending big to buy influence in the US midterm elections to ensure new laws serve its interests...
The RAM Crisis is Coming for All Your Tech w/ Chris Person
Public ire toward AI keeps growing as the data center boom continues to hit people’s pockets. Chris Person joins Paris Marx to discuss the soaring cost of consumer electronics, including why prices are unlikely to fall anytime soon, and how peo...
Data Center Opposition is Uniting Communities w/ Saul Levin
As tech companies race to build hyperscale data centers, communities are coming together to push back. Saul Levin joins Paris Marx to discuss how rising opposition to data center construction is uniting people across party lines and prompting b...
Canada’s Government is Rushing AI Adoption w/ Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood
The Canadian government is going all in on AI, without understanding the real effects of the technology. Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood joins Paris Marx to discuss Mark Carney’s push for large-scale investment in AI, despite being unable to describe ...
Silicon Valley Is Turning Nurses Into Gig Workers w/ Katie J. Wells
The Uber model is finally coming for healthcare. Katie J. Wells joins Paris Marx to discuss how much the healthcare gig apps resemble Uber’s rollout, why they aren’t being properly regulated, and the effects they’re having on staff and patients...
The SpaceX IPO Gives Elon Musk Even More Power w/ Sean O’Kane
SpaceX is finally going public, and it’s bad news for anyone who wants to rein in Elon Musk. Sean O’Kane joins Paris Marx to discuss the flimsy sci-fi ideas Elon Musk is using to justify the company’s massive valuation and the way corporate gov...
Do Chatbots Really Belong in Schools? w/ Tom Mullaney
Generative AI is making its way into many parts of society, and schools are no different. Tom Mullaney joins Paris Marx to discuss how generative AI has been adopted in K-12 education and the many concerns it presents for students and teachers....
Prediction Markets Want to Financialize Everything w/ Jathan Sadowski
Polymarket and Kalshi are everywhere. But what are they doing to society? Jathan Sadowski joins Paris Marx to discuss the rise of prediction markets and their negative social effects as they push the global economy closer toward the financializ...
The UK Government’s AI Obsession is a Big Risk w/ Will Dunn
What happens when a government goes all in on AI? It creates some huge vulnerabilities. Will Dunn joins Paris Marx to dig into how the UK government is using chatbots to write laws without public consultation and why it isn’t asking the...
Muskism is the New Fordism w/ Ben Tarnoff & Quinn Slobodian
Paris Marx is joined by Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian to discuss their new book Muskism which explores how Elon Musk exemplifies a new economic system shaping our lives, similar to Fordism in the twentieth century.Ben Tarnoff &...
Tim Cook’s Real Legacy at Apple w/ Brian Merchant
Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss Apple’s announcement that Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO, including his history and legacy, and what may be next for the company.Brian Merchant is the author of
The Problem with "CEO Said a Thing" Journalism w/ Karl Bode
Paris Marx is joined by Karl Bode to discuss how tech journalists coupled with corporate interests are irresponsibly boosting the profile of tech CEOs, further damaging public trust in institutional journalism and highlighting the need ...
Cybertrucks Are a Safety Disaster w/ Dara Kerr
Paris Marx is joined by Dara Kerr to discuss how Elon’s decision to prioritize aesthetics over safety has created a safety crisis causing people to burn alive in their Cybertrucks and other Tesla vehicles.Dara Kerr is a technolog...