Tech Won't Save Us

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 technology reporter at Guardian US.

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:

• Dara wrote about fiery, deadly crashes involving Cybertrucks.
• Bloomberg has tracked the wider problem of Tesla door handles trapping occupants in their vehicles.
• Here is a report that supports the suggestion that Musk doesn’t like the colour yellow.
• Here is an analysis comparing the Cybertruck to the Ford Pinto.
• Cybertrucks are not approved for sale in the EU or UK.
• China is the first nation to legislate that handles must be mechanically functional from both sides of a vehicle door.

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Paris Marx is joined by Amanda Mull to discuss the effects of constantly “monitoring the situation” through custom news, social, or live feeds, including higher rates of anxiety and disconnection, and what can be done to recalibrate.

Amanda Mull is a senior reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek and writes the Buying Power column.

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:

• Amanda wrote about what it means to be monitoring the situation.
• Feeling overwhelmed by technology? There’s a club for that.
• Looking for a source of tech news? Checkout Aftermath, or Disconnect.
• Friend of the pod Casey Johnston has written about her DIY dumbphone method and reducing social media use.

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Paris Marx is joined by Sam Biddle to discuss what it means for data centers to become targets in a war, and how Silicon Valley is aiding the US war against Iran.

Sam Biddle is a technology journalist at The Intercept.

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.

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The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Send your questions to mailbag [at] techwontsave [dot] us!
• Sam wrote about Iran’s attacks on data centers and its legality.
• Here is Sam’s most recent piece about Palantir and NYC public hospitals.
• The Intercept is also covering the role of social media in the US-Iranian war.

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Paris Marx is joined by Spencer Ackerman to discuss the US and Israeli war on Iran, including the history that led to this moment and what we might see from here.

Spencer Ackerman is the author of Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump and the forthcoming book The Torture and Deliverance of Majid Khan. He also write the Forever Wars newsletter.

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:

• You can now watch episodes of Tech Won’t Save Us on YouTube!
• Spencer has written about the regime change in Iran, and the targeting of data centers in the conflict.
• Further reading on Iran’s ‘infrastructure war’.
• Here is the latest on discussions between the USA and Iran as of Monday March 23rd.

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Paris Marx is joined by Ed Niedermeyer to discuss the years-long relationship between Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein, and how their relationship sheds light on the murky inner workings of the one percent.

Ed Niedermeyer is the author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors and a 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.

Go to surfshark.com/SAVEUS to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, plus there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee or just punch in code SAVEUS at checkout!

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Ed has written two recent pieces about Elon Musk’s relationship with Epstein.
• Here’s more information on Juleanna Glover’s relationship with Epstein.

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Paris Marx is joined by Gita Jackson to discuss why the left’s hatred of AI is justified, why a different approach to technology is necessary, and how they’re reassessing their own relationships with digital tech.

Gita Jackson is a co-founder of Aftermath.

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:

• Gita wrote about why the left doesn’t hate technology.
• Gita also wrote about downloading digital music onto a Snowksy Fiio Echo Mini.
• Chris Person wrote about the Boox Palma eReader as an alternative to Kindle.
• Learn more about Mike Pondsmith and his Cyberpunk TTRPG.
• Gita will one day get Paris to watch Frieren.

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Paris Marx is joined by Tim Schwab to discuss the evolving story of Bill Gates and his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the issues that arise from allowing billionaires to use philanthropy to push personal political agendas and launder their reputations.

Tim Schwab is the author of The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire.

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 wrote about why Bill Gates should be removed from the foundation over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
• Here is the interview Melinda French Gates did with NPR
• Here is the Wall Street Journal article covering Bill Gates apology to Gates Foundation staff for his relationship with Epstein

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Paris Marx is joined by Amanda Hanna-McLeer and Lucy Jackson to discuss the story of The Luddite Club, from its beginnings as a high school organization to its pivot into a non-profit and growth into an international movement.

Amanda Hanna-McLeer is a writer, educator, and director of The Luddite Club documentary. Lucy Jackson is an early member of the Luddite Club.

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.

Go to surfshark.com/SAVEUS to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN, plus there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee or just punch in code SAVEUS at checkout!

Also mentioned in this episode:

• The original New York Times article featuring the club
• Amanda shouts out Brian Merchant’s book The One Device and Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing
• The film discussed was John Carpenter’s 1988 sci-fi horror film They Live

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Paris Marx is joined by James Vincent to discuss why we’re seeing humanoid robots everywhere, the motivations to pursue an all-purpose robot, how close we are to achieving that goal, and the social implications if we were to achieve it.

James Vincent is a UK-based journalist and author of Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants.

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.

Exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan at https://incogni.com/saveus. Promo Code SAVEUS

Also mentioned in this episode:

• James wrote about what kicking robots can tell us about the state of modern robotics
• Rodney Brooks makes a case for the difficulty in teaching robots human dexterity
• Here is an in-depth look at what Agility Robotics has been working on
• Shout-out to the 2008 movie Sleep Dealer
• Japanese convenience stores are using robots run by offshore operators
• This is what a toilet cleaning robot looks like

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Paris Marx is joined by Thea Riofrancos to discuss the global struggle to move away from fossil fuels and the future of the green transition, including the limitations of existing supply chains, geopolitical tensions, and the tech industry's role in the growth of extractive industries.

Thea Riofrancos is the author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism. She is also Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College and Strategic Co-Director of the Climate and Community Institute.

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:

• Thea has written about Trump’s resource nationalism and the resources needed for a green transition.
• The Climate and Community Institute has done a lot of research on mining and transportation.
• Indonesia has been building out a ton of coal plants to power its nickel industry.

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