Tech Won't Save Us - TopPodcast.com

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The Tesla Crash is Only Beginning w/ Edward Niedermeyer Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Edward Niedermeyer to discuss the rollercoaster ride of Tesla’s share price, the escalating regulatory and legal scrutiny the company faces, and the challenges it faces in the electric car market.
Edward Niedermeyer is the author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors and a co-host of The Autonocast. You can follow Edward on Twitter at @Tweetermeyer or on Mastodon at @niedermeyer@sfba.social.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Argo AI shut down in October and Apple pushed back its car project again in December.
California found “Full Self-Driving” was a misleading term and couldn’t be used in Tesla marketing.
A Tesla engineer testified that a 2016 video to promote Autopilot was staged.
Tesla is facing a number of Autopilot cases in the coming months, including an important one in Florida.
Liza Dixon wrote about “autonowashing”.
In January, Tesla admitted it was under investigation by the Department of Justice.
Tesla’s Head of Autopilot Software testifying he doesn’t know what an operational design domain is presents serious red flags.
Chinese car companies are planning to significantly expand vehicle exports, as BYD is already selling more vehicles in China than Tesla sells globally.
Since recording, Elon Musk was found not liable in the “funding secured” trial.

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Why Hollywood Writers May Strike Over Streaming w/ Anousha Sakoui Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Anousha Sakoui to discuss the prospect of a writer’s strike later this year, what workers are fighting for, and how the move to streaming has affected working conditions and compensation in Hollywood.
Anousha Sakoui is an entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times, covering topics including labor and litigation in Hollywood. She was part of the team that was a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist in breaking news for work covering the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. You can follow Anousha on Twitter at @anoushasakoui.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Anousha wrote about how the Writers Guild and Directors Guild are approaching upcoming negotiations with studios.
David Robb wrote about the history of Writers Guild strikes, and why another one seems overdue.
WGA West recently blasted Warner Discovery for reducing opportunities for content creators after its merger.
In 2021, IATSE was poised to go on strike before reaching a last-minute deal with the studios that was accepted by members.
A new deal will loosen some Covid protocols on film sets.
In 2021, Apple was paying lower rates to production crews because it said its TV+ service has less than 20 million subscribers. In July 2022, it started paying the higher rate.
In 2018, the Hollywood Reporter reflected on the 2007 writers strike after ten years.
The 2007 writers strike helped revive Donald Trump’s flagging The Apprentice show with a spinoff, The Celebrity Apprentice.

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Will AR Glasses Die Like Google Glass? w/ Quinn Myers Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Quinn Myers to discuss the launch of Google Glass, why the product failed so badly, and what lessons we can learn from it as tech companies make another push for AR glasses.
Quinn Myers is the author of Google Glass and a freelance writer who used to write for MEL. You can follow him on Twitter at @quinmyers.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Please participate in our listener survey this month to give us a better idea of what you think of the show: https://forms.gle/xayiT7DQJn56p62x7
Apple is planning to release a mixed-reality headset, but its AR glasses have reported been delayed due to ongoing technical issues.
Mark Zuckerberg said you’ll be able to text people during a meeting on your glasses.
Google released a video called “One Day” that vastly overpromised what Glass would deliver.
Sergey Brin’s affair with an employee working on Glass was revealed in 2013.
After 8 years, the “Twitter tax cut” finally ended in 2019.
Residents protested against Google’s use of public bus stops in San Francisco.
The PRISM revelations showed the NSA had access to tech company servers.
The Daily Show skewered Google Glass in a 2014 segment.

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Don’t Fall for the AI Hype w/ Timnit Gebru Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Timnit Gebru to discuss the misleading framings of artificial intelligence, her experience of getting fired by Google in a very public way, and why we need to avoid getting distracted by all the hype around ChatGPT and AI image tools.
Timnit Gebru is the founder and executive director of the Distributed AI Research Institute and former co-lead of the Ethical AI research team at Google. You can follow her on Twitter at @timnitGebru.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Please participate in our listener survey this month to give us a better idea of what you think of the show: https://forms.gle/xayiT7DQJn56p62x7
Timnit wrote about the exploited labor behind AI tools and how effective altruism is pushing a harmful idea of AI ethics.
Karen Hao broke down the details of the paper that got Timnit fired from Google.
Emily Tucker wrote an article called “Artifice and Intelligence.”
In 2016, ProPublica published an article about technology being used to “predict” future criminals that was biased against black people.
In 2015, Google Photos classified black women as “gorillas.” In 2018, it still hadn’t really been fixed.
Artists have been protesting AI-generated images that train themselves on their work and threaten their livelihoods.
OpenAI used Kenyan workers paid less than $2 an hour to try to make ChatGPT less toxic.
Zachary Loeb described ELIZA in his article about Joseph Weizenbaum’s work and legacy.

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What the US-China Divide Means for Tech w/ Louise Matsakis Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Louise Matsakis to discuss the growing divide between the US and China, the long history of Western concern about the East, and why we should pay attention to who these anti-China narratives benefit.
Louise Matsakis is a technology reporter at Semafor who previously worked at NBC News, Rest of World, and Wired. You can follow her on Twitter at @lmatsakis.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Please participate in our listener survey this month to give us a better idea of what you think of the show: https://forms.gle/xayiT7DQJn56p62x7
Louise wrote about YouTube videos predicting China’s collapse, the rise of Shein, and the prospect of TikTok bans.
Many US states are banning TikTok from government-issued devices.
In 2000, Bill Clinton said that trying to place restrictions on the internet was like trying to nail Jello to a wall. China proved him wrong.
India has already banned TikTok and a number of other Chinese apps.
Speakers of the Khmer language in Cambodia used voice chat on Messenger because keyboards weren’t designed to work with their language.
Shein is taking off in Mexico.

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Why Tech Billionaires Want to Shape Our Future w/ Rose Eveleth Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Rose Eveleth to discuss the end of her long-running podcast, why thinking about the future is important, and how tech billionaires try to shape our idea of the future to serve their ends.
Rose Eveleth is the creator and host of the Flash Forward podcast and the author of Flash Forward: An Illustrated Guide to Possible (And Not So Possible) Tomorrows. You can follow them on Twitter at @roseveleth.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Please participate in our listener survey this month to give us a better idea of what you think of the show: https://forms.gle/xayiT7DQJn56p62x7
Elon Musk says Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a big inspiration, but he seems to have missed its message.
Karen Hao and Gideon Lichfield explained how Facebook’s PR team nitpicked one of their stories
Books mentioned: Ruha Benjamin’s Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want and Jimmy Soni’s The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley.
The New York Times recently wrote about a group of Luddite teens.
Tommy Douglas won CBC’s Greatest Canadian contest for winning public healthcare. You can see the episode here.

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The Year in Tech w/ Brian Merchant, Chris Gilliard, & Gita Jackson Dec 29, 2022

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Brian Merchant, Chris Gilliard, and Gita Jackson to discuss the year in tech, including Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, the biggest stories of the year, what they’ll be watching in 2023, and the worst person in tech of 2022.
Brian Merchant is the author of The One Device and Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech. Chris Gilliard is a Just Tech Fellow at the Social Science Research Council. Gita Jackson is a tech and culture journalist. You can follow them on Twitter at @bcmerchant, @hypervisible, and @xoxogossipgita.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Paris wrote about Netflix and streaming services for Business Insider.
Brian wrote about how 2022 was a disastrous year for the tech industry for The Atlantic.
Chris and Kishonna Gray wrote about digital migration and what it means for Black users for Wired.
Gita wrote a review of Dwarf Fortress’s Stream release.
Part of the show discusses a Twitter policy that was briefly launched to restrict sharing of links from several other social media platforms. It was rescinded after the initial discussion.

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FTX Goes to Zero w/ Molly White Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Molly White to discuss the ongoing collapse of the crypto industry, what to make of the implosion of FTX and Alameda Research, and what happens next with Sam Bankman-Fried.
Molly White is the creator of Web3 Is Going Just Great and a fellow at the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. You can follow her on Twitter at @molly0xFFF.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Since recording, Sam Bankman-Fried has been extradited from the Bahamas to the United States, and it’s been revealed that Caroline Ellison and FTX co-founder have plead guilty and are cooperating with authorities against Bankman-Fried.
Molly has been analyzing the collapse of FTX on her newsletter.
Paris wrote about effective altruism and longtermism for the New Statesman.
Journalists at Forbes wrote about Caroline Ellison and her history.
After Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested, effective altruist Kelsey Piper published a series of direct messages she exchanged with her supposed friend.
The Southern District of New York’s attorney’s office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have all filed charges against Sam Bankman-Fried.
There are rumors that Caroline Ellison is working with authorities against Sam Bankman-Fried.
US Justice Department is split on when to charge Binance executives. There are also growing questions about Binance’s books.

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Tech Billionaires Are Coming for Workers w/ Wendy Liu Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Wendy Liu to discuss what it was like to work in tech in the 2010s and why structural changes in the industry are empowering an increasingly reactionary capitalist class to strike back at workers and upend the expectations of the boom period.
Wendy Liu is a writer and the author of Abolish Silicon Valley: How to Liberate Technology from Capitalism. You can follow her on Twitter at @dellsystem.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

Casey Newton and Zoe Schiffer wrote about how tech CEOs are inspired by what Musk is doing at Twitter
Mel Krantzler and Patricia Krantzler wrote Down and Out in Silicon Valley: The High Cost of the High-tech Dream
Jacob Silverman wrote about David Sacks and the reactionary turn of tech billionaires
Paris wrote about how longtermism is designed to justify the position of billionaires in society
Julia Black wrote about the embrace of pronatalism within the tech industry

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Trusting Tech Billionaires is a Recipe for Disaster w/ Douglas Rushkoff Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

Paris Marx is joined by Douglas Rushkoff to discuss why internet visions of the 1990s were wrong to ignore corporate power, how the dot-com boom was like a Ponzi scheme, and why we desperately need to stop elevating tech billionaires.
Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His most recent book is Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires and he’s the host of Team Human podcast. You can follow him on Twitter at @rushkoff.
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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:

An excerpt from Survival of the Richest was published in The Guardian.
Paris was recently on the Team Human podcast to discuss Road to Nowhere with Douglas.

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