Silicon Valley has a solution for everything, but who do its ideas really serve? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its thought leaders, and the worldview it spreads. They challenge 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. But if tech won't save us, what will? This podcast isn't simply about tearing tech down; it also presents radical ideas for tech designed for human flourishing instead of surveillance, acquisitions, or to boost stock prices. A better world is possible, and so is better technology.
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We Need to Cut Our Dependence on US Tech. Here’s How to Start.
Paris Marx celebrates the 300th episode of Tech Won’t Save Us by sharing his reasons to push for digital sovereignty and get off US tech. On top of explaining how that dependence gives the US governments and its tech companies power over us, Paris also provides tips of alternative services to consider migrating to. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Here is the Disconnect post offering a comprehensive list of options for getting off US tech. Producer Kyla seconds the recommendation of the library as an alternative to streaming, audiobooks, big box bookstores, and for plenty of other benefits (including inviting us to be more active community members). Trump’s sanctions against chief ICC prosecutor Karim Kahn has delayed proceedings, and resulted in Microsoft cancelling his email service. Here’s more information about when JD Vance annoyed most of Europe by comparing their governments to authoritarian regimes. Learn more about Alexandre de Moraes and his efforts to regulate US tech in Brazil.
Silicon Valley Doesn’t Know What Makes a Good City w/ Joanne McNeil
Paris Marx is joined by Joanne McNeil to discuss the proliferation of delivery bots and robotaxis and how they recycle disproven claims about how technology will improve transportation. Joanne McNeil is a freelance writer and the author of Wrong Way and Lurking: How a Person Became a User. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Joanne wrote about delivery bots and robotaxis for the New York Review of Architecture. She’s doing an event in Los Angeles discussing social media on November 1. Uber’s driverless car killed a pedestrian, and the company scapegoated the backup driver. Sleep Dealer is a sci-fi movie by Alex Rivera. A GM Cruise self-driving car hit a pedestrian and dragged them 20 feet before stopping. Even Chuck E. Cheese is getting into the ghost kitchen business.
Smart Glasses Are Ushering In An Anti-Social World w/ Chris Gilliard
Paris Marx is joined by Chris Gilliard to discuss how tech CEOs are pushing a new generation of AI-powered smart glasses by promising they’ll be stylish and indispensable to workers in a desperate attempt to convince us we should want their luxury surveillance gadgets. Chris Gilliard is the co-director of the Critical Internet Studies Institute and is working on a book called Luxury Surveillance. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Harvard students used Meta glasses to dox strangers. Apple tinkered with its AI shortly after Trump was inaugurated. AI may start answering 911 calls. Studies are suggesting that AI may be making doctors worse at diagnosing cancer. Rob Horning has written about overreliance on AI. Chris mentioned Emily Bender and her analogy comparing LLMs to plastic.
The Gilded Rage of Tech Billionaires w/ Jacob Silverman
Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss Jacob’s new book Gilded Rage, which explores the radicalization of Silicon Valley leaders, who are exerting their growing influence to shape our society for the worse. Jacob Silverman is an independent journalist and the author of Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Jacob recently wrote about Musk’s latest dodgy business dealings. The world continues to wonder at Trump’s ability to get away with corruption and scandal. Saudi Arabia has been involved in Silicon Valley more than folks may have realized (prior to the EA buyout, anyway).
The Growing Divide Between MAGA and Big Tech w/ Tina Nguyen
Paris Marx is joined by Tina Nguyen to discuss the divisions within the American far-right between the Trump administration, the wider MAGA movement, and the tech executives trying to show they’re on their side. Tina Nguyen is a senior reporter at The Verge and author of The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right-Wing (And How I Got Out). Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Tina wrote about visiting NatCon and Charlie Kirk’s memorial event. Tina also wrote about Peter Thiel’s ongoing obsession with the antichrist. Jared Isaacman was revoked as a candidate to lead NASA, highlighting the rifts Tina is discussing. Elon Musk is talking about starting a new political party.
Is Tesla Still a Car Company? w/ Ed Niedermeyer
Paris Marx is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to discuss the mission to turn Elon Musk into the world’s first trillionaire, Tesla’s growing interest in making robots instead of cars, and how other automakers are coming for the EV market it once dominated. Ed Niedermeyer is the author of Ludicrous and co-host of the Autonocast. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Tesla is paying out a series of lawsuits, and the California DMV has called for a one-month ban on Teslas being driven in the state. Curious to see what Tesla’s current Optimus robot is like? Is Tesla the world’s biggest meme stock? Tesla lied about data relating to a fatal accident until a hacker found it. ICE raided a Hyundai plant earlier this month.
Palantir is Thriving Under Trump w/ Caroline Haskins
Paris Marx is joined by Caroline Haskins to discuss what Palantir actually does and the growing influence it has within the US government and many large corporations. Caroline Haskins is a staff writer at Wired. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Peter Thiel is giving a series of lectures on the Antichrist. Caroline wrote about Palantir and getting confronted by the company at a conference. Paris mentioned a connection between Paypal and the founding of Palantir; a founding story for Palantir is that the concept for the company grew from the desire to use the fraud-detection software designed for PayPal to build counterterrorism software. Palantir is having a much better financial year than the rest of Silicon Valley.
A New Economy Will Deliver Better Technology w/ Aaron Benanav
Paris Marx is joined by Aaron Benanav to discuss his vision for a multi-criterial economy and how it would alter the type of technology our society creates. It’s a plan to center human experience through democratic discourse while driving true social and technological innovation. Aaron Benanav is an Assistant Professor at Cornell University and the author of Automation and the Future of Work. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: The two parts of Aaron’s essay on a Multi-Criterial Economy were published in the New Left Review. Learn more about the briefly discussed Bangladesh youth led revolution.
Will AI Kill Your Job? w/ Brian Merchant
Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant to discuss whether the AI bubble is about to burst and how bosses are deploying AI tools to kill jobs and degrade work. Brian Merchant is the author of Blood in the Machine and writes a newsletter of the same name. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Brian has a series called AI Killed My Job with existing entries on tech workers and translators. Brian encourages listeners to check out the work being done by the National Writer’s Union, Translators Against the Machine, and Lucile Danilov at Loc’d and Loaded. You can contact Brian directly by emailing aikilledmyjob@pm.me A Stanford paper published this week explores the effects of AGI on employment.
How China’s Renewable Push Upends Geopolitics w/ Kate Mackenzie & Tim Sahay
Paris Marx is joined by Kate Mackenzie and Tim Sahay to discuss the geopolitics behind China’s investments in green tech and electrification, and how it presents the prospect of a new development model based on renewables instead of fossil fuels. Kate Mackenzie is an adjunct fellow at Macquarie University. Tim Sahay is co-director of the Net Zero Industrial Policy Lab at Johns Hopkins University. They are the co-writers of the Polycrisis newsletter from Phenomenal World. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Tim and Kate wrote about the potential role of the BRICS in future geopolitics. The Financial Times explored the implications of China as an electrostate. China leads the growing electric vehicle market, by a lot. Pakistan imported 17 gigawatts of solar panels in 2024 alone, as Africa is in the midst of its own surge in Chinese solar panel imports. Trump’s policies are pushing China and India to strengthen ties.
Why Countries Must Fight For Digital Sovereignty w/ Cecilia Rikap
Paris Marx is joined by Cecilia Rikap to discuss how countries’ dependence on US tech companies is harming them and why they need to get serious about digital sovereignty.Cecilia Rikap is Associate Professor in Economics at University College London and Head of Research at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Cecilia (and Paris!) worked on a report offering a roadmap to reclaiming digital sovereignty.The UK Labour Party forced the chair of the Competition and Markets Authority to step down earlier this year to promote its pro-growth agenda.A Microsoft executive told a French Senate committee that it could not guarantee data sovereignty if the US government requested information stored on its servers in Europe.Alexandre de Moraes is the Brazilian judge pushing back against big tech.The US is sanctioning judges from the ICC (as well as Alexandre de Moraes)Support the show
Will the Pope Be An Ally Against AI? w/ Paolo Benanti
Paris Marx is joined by Paolo Benanti to discuss what Pope Leo XIV’s statements on AI, the publications under Pope Francis, and the ethics of AI from a theological perspective.Paolo Benanti is an author, academic, and priest. He teaches at the Pontifical Gregorian University and was an advisor to Pope Francis on artificial intelligence and technology ethics.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Paris wrote about what Pope Leo XIV and the Church have been saying about AI.In June, Pope Leo sent a message to the Second Annual Rome Conference on Artificial Intelligence.Under Pope Francis, the Church published a note on AI called Antiqua et nova. Here is a short breakdown of its content.Support the show
What Google Zero Means for Journalism w/ Matt Pearce
Paris Marx is joined by Matt Pearce to discuss how Google’s use of generative AI is sending far less traffic to all manner of websites, but especially news publications, and what that might mean for the future of journalism.Matt Pearce is Director of Policy at Rebuild Local News and a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Matt makes the case that unchecked AI may cause newsprint to outlive the hyperlinkAI scrapers are driving traffic away from traditional sites while increasing their operational costs.Learn more about coping with news fatigue.Support the show
Trump’s Crypto Profiteering Is Worse Than You Think w/ Jacob Silverman
Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire’s Islamophobic attack on Zohran Mamdani, what it tells us about the state of tech’s politics, and how Donald Trump is enriching himself through crypto scams.Jacob Silverman is a journalist and the author of the forthcoming book Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Jacob has reported on the Aqua 1 Foundation’s mysterious crypto deal that puts $75 million dollars in Donald Trumps pocket.Trump signed the GENIUS Act last week, which aims to make crypto more mainstream and is widely viewed as openly corrupt. Trump has already made millions of dollars from crypto.Crypto is coming for the US 401k.Support the show
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 everyone.Dan McQuillan is a lecturer at Goldsmiths College, University of London and the author of Resisting AI.Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Support the show on Patreon.The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.Also mentioned in this episode:Dan recently gave a talk about decomputing as resistance and published the text on his website.The UK Labour Government is going all in on data centre development, while planning for future water shortages.Academic institutions are rapidly adopting AI technologies, with a little help from industry leaders.The GKN Factory Collective offers an inspiring example of collective action.Support the show