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.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 54 minutes
- Episodes
- 309
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
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 create…
00:58:58 |
Thu 17 Mar 2022
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…
01:02:01 |
Thu 10 Mar 2022
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 Broderic…
01:05:05 |
Thu 03 Mar 2022
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 con…
00:57:54 |
Thu 24 Feb 2022
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, h…
00:45:58 |
Thu 17 Feb 2022
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 mean…
00:49:24 |
Thu 10 Feb 2022
Crypto Winter Is Coming w/ Jacob Silverman
As the podcast celebrates episode 100, Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss the huge drop in crypto prices, the coming threat (to crypto) of interest rate hikes and regulation, the huma…
01:08:09 |
Thu 03 Feb 2022
Microsoft Wants to Dominate the Games Industry w/ Rob Zacny
Paris Marx is joined by Rob Zacny to discuss the potential consequences of Xbox’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, and what subscriptions and consolidation might mean for the future of games and t…
00:54:30 |
Thu 27 Jan 2022
How Evangelicals Emulate Startup Culture w/ Corrina Laughlin
Paris Marx is joined by Corrina Laughlin to discuss how evangelical Christians have adapted to modern technologies, how churches have emulated startups, the growth of the faith tech sector, and wheth…
00:48:49 |
Thu 20 Jan 2022
Envisioning Platform Socialism w/ James Muldoon
Paris Marx is joined by James Muldoon to discuss his vision for platform socialism and the different ways we could reorganize platforms to serve the public good over corporate profit.James Muldoon is…
00:54:07 |
Thu 13 Jan 2022
How Roblox Exploits Children w/ Quintin Smith
Paris Marx is joined by Quintin Smith to discuss how Roblox profits from the labor of children, built an exploitative in-game economy, and needs to be regulated as soon as possible.Quintin Smith is a…
00:45:47 |
Thu 06 Jan 2022
Happy Holidays from Tech Won’t Save Us!
To end 2021, Paris Marx provides a quick update on the podcast and what’s coming next year.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of …
00:12:11 |
Thu 30 Dec 2021
Silicon Valley Doesn’t Get Science Fiction w/ Annalee Newitz
Paris Marx is joined by Annalee Newitz to discuss what’s wrong with Silicon Valley’s understanding of science fiction, and how tech leaders use it to justify terrible futures.Annalee Newitz is the au…
00:57:06 |
Thu 23 Dec 2021
The Video Game Industry Needs Unions w/ Gita Jackson
Paris Marx is joined by Gita Jackson to discuss the revelations of sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard, how workers have organized in response to them, and what it all could m…
00:56:07 |
Thu 16 Dec 2021
Web3 is a Scam, Not a Revolution w/ Stephen Diehl
Paris Marx is joined by Stephen Diehl to discuss why technologists are divided on crypto, what’s wrong with blockchain, why crypto assets are scams, and why web3 is a rebranding effort.Stephen Diehl …
00:58:49 |
Thu 09 Dec 2021
Who Inspired Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ Space Visions? w/ Fred Scharmen
Paris Marx is joined by Fred Scharmen to discuss Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ visions for space colonization, the inspiration they draw from the work of Wernher von Braun and Gerard O’Neill, and what’s …
00:53:53 |
Thu 02 Dec 2021
Don’t Give Surveillance for Christmas w/ Chris Gilliard
Paris Marx is joined by Chris Gilliard to discuss the ethics of tech media recommending surveillance devices, aspects of “smart” technologies you might not have considered, and why we should think tw…
00:57:05 |
Thu 25 Nov 2021
Net-Zero Uses Technofixes to Delay Climate Action w/ Sabrina Fernandes
Paris Marx is joined by Sabrina Fernandes to discuss what came out of COP26, what it actually means to have net-zero emissions by 2050, and all the mechanisms that countries are developing to delay n…
00:58:07 |
Thu 18 Nov 2021
How Amazon is Changing the Books We Read w/ Mark McGurl
Paris Marx is joined by Mark McGurl to discuss how Amazon is reshaping the publishing industry and altering the form of the novel itself.Mark McGurl is a Professor of Literature at Stanford Universit…
00:49:09 |
Thu 11 Nov 2021
Why the Metaverse Must Be Stopped w/ Brian Merchant
Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss Mark Zuckerberg’s big plans for the metaverse, everything that’s wrong with it, the concept’s scifi origins, and why Silicon Valley is desperate to m…
01:08:18 |
Thu 04 Nov 2021
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