System Crash
Tech giants like Google and Facebook have conquered — some would say killed — the internet. Elon Musk used his platform to help elect Trump, and Silicon Valley elites want to gut the public sector. OpenAI and Microsoft aim to wipe away millions of jobs. Uber is driving down wages. Apple is impenetrable. Amazon is inescapable. All this high tech, and our quality of life is getting lower. The system has crashed.
So, System Crash: a weekly tech news show willing to tell the hard truths about how tech — and the titans who own and operate it — is really transforming the world. Co-hosts Paris Marx and Brian Merchant dissect the stories that matter, break news of their own, offer expert commentary, and interview journalists, whistleblowers, authors, and tech workers and ordinary people fighting back.
System Crash
ChatGPT’s Sad Second Birthday
Brian Merchant and Paris Marx are back to celebrate ChatGPT’s second birthday while questioning how OpenAI is really doing as it embraces advertising and the rivalry between Sam Altman and Elon Musk continues to escalate.
Mentioned this week:
- Brian has a new report out with the AI Now Institute: AI-Generated Business: AGI and the Rush to Find a Working Business Model,
- Paris co-authored a white paper to make an ambitious case for countries to reclaim their digital sovereignty. On Disconnect, he wrote about why it’s essential in shaky geopolitical times and in light of the return of Trump.
- Business Insider reported on growing tensions inside Microsoft over Copilot's shortcomings.
- The Financial Times reported on OpenAI’s plans to embrace advertising.
- Reed Albergotti in Semafor reports a new lawsuit from employees accuses Apple of spying on them via their personal iCloud accounts and non-work devices.
- NYT reported Google had concerns about potential human rights violations connected to Project Nimbus, while The Intercept reported the contract is subject to an “adjusted” terms of service.
- The Financial Times says Zuckerberg seeks an “active role” in tech policy with the administration.
- NPR reported on jailbots in Georgia being used to track prison inmates.
Theme music is “Dystopia” by YACHT. Production is by Eric Wickham.
