Tech Won't Save Us

Data Vampires Redux: Sacrificing for AI (Episode 3)

Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Data Empires is coming out in October. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into hyperscale data centers, the communities they’re affecting, and the future Silicon Valley is trying to build. This is episode 3 of Data Vampires, a special four-part series from Tech Won’t Save Us. The show is hosted by Paris Marx. Original production on Data Vampires was by Eric Wickham. Current production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Preorder Hyperscale to support Paris at hyperscalebook.com. Sustainable AI Group cofounder Sasha Luccioni, Associate Professor in Economics Cecilia Rikap, former head of the Center for Applied Data Ethics Ali Alkhatib, Goldsmiths University lecturer Dan McQuillan, and Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute Alex Hanna were interviewed for this episode. Interviews with Sam Altman and Brad Smith were cited. Support the show

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Data Vampires Redux: Opposing Data Centers (Episode 2)

Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Data Empires is coming out in October. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into hyperscale data centers, the communities they’re affecting, and the future Silicon Valley is trying to build. This is episode 2 of Data Vampires, a special four-part series from Tech Won’t Save Us. The show is hosted by Paris Marx. Original production on Data Vampires was by Eric Wickham. Current production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Preorder Hyperscale to support Paris at hyperscalebook.com. People Before Profit TD Brid Smith, Tu Nube Seca Mi Río organizer Aurora Gomez Delgado, and King’s College London lecturer Sebastian Lehuede were interviewed for this episode. Some pieces by Dara Kerr in NPR, Sarah Emerson and Emily Baker-White in Forbes, and Hannah Daly in The Irish Times were cited. Support the show

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Data Vampires Redux: Going Hyperscale (Episode 1)

Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires is coming out on October 20. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into hyperscale data centers, the communities they’re affecting, and the future Silicon Valley is trying to build. This is episode 1 of Data Vampires, a special four-part series from Tech Won’t Save Us. The show is hosted by Paris Marx. Original production on Data Vampires was by Eric Wickham. Current production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Preorder Hyperscale to support Paris at hyperscalebook.com. Senior cloud consultant Dwayne Monroe and Associate Professor in Economics Cecilia Rikap were interviewed for this episode. If you missed it, check out Cecilia Rikap’s latest chat with Paris here and grab her book The Rulers. Interviews with Jeff Bezos and The Oregonian journalist Mike Rogoway were cited. Support the show

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How Mass Layoffs Changed Working in Tech w/ Clarissa Redwine & JS Tan

Not long ago, tech jobs were sought after for their security, benefits, wages, and the progressive values promoted by Silicon Valley companies. But now workers are barely hanging on. Clarissa Redwine and JS Tan join Paris Marx to discuss the state of worker organizing in the tech industry, including how it’s changed since the mid-2010s and where it needs to go from here. Clarissa Redwine is a tech worker and labor activist. JS Tan is a PhD candidate at MIT and writes the Value Added newsletter. They are the authors of Against Tech Oligarchy: Worker Resistance in the World's Most Powerful Industry. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale. Learn more about Kickstarter United in Clarissa’s oral history podcast. Layoffs in 2026 have surpassed last year. Tech workers are pushing back against AI use. Paris talked to JS last year about the connection between tech and oil & gas. Support the show

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Tech Fascism Has Come for American Democracy w/ Gil Durán

A cult of fascist ideology has gripped Silicon Valley, and the tech industrial complex is threatening US democracy. Gil Durán joins Paris Marx to discuss the radical billionaire cabal that is hellbent on the consolidation of corporate and political power, including the visions they have for the future and the strategies they’re using to drive us there. Gil Durán is the author of The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy and writes The Nerd Reich newsletter. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Click here to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1. Gil has written about Paulina Borsook’s prescient warning about tech libertarians from more than twenty years ago. Gil has written the foreword for the new edition of Cyberselfish. Balaji Srinivasan has moved his commune project to Kazakhstan after being booted from Malaysia. Shout-out to friend of the pod Quinn Slobodian, who’s work you can find here. Paris recently talked to Quinn, check out that episode here if you missed it. Support the show

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Government is Putting AI Before People and the Planet w/ Matt Haugen

Governments are prioritizing data centers at the expense of communities and the planet, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Matt Haugen joins Paris Marx to discuss how national strategies are dismantling environmental protections while enriching a handful of megacorporations, and what an alternative agenda could look like. Matt Haugen is Research and Editorial Manager at the Climate and Community Institute. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Check out the new report Matt co-wrote AI First. If you missed it, Molly White recently broke down how the tech industry is spending big on elections. Big tech’s emissions are continuing to rise. Colossus is still being powered by unpermitted gas turbines. Support the show

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Shopify’s Leaders Are Pushing Right-Wing Politics in Canada w/ Rachel Gilmore

Canada has tech bros too, like Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke who has a new idea to link voting rights to how much income tax you paid. Rachel Gilmore joins Paris Marx to discuss how Canadian tech companies like Shopify are pushing terrible right-wing policy ideas while influencing Mark Carney’s agenda. Rachel Gilmore is an award-winning independent journalist and creator of the Bubble Pop newsletter. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Click here to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1. You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale. Rachel has written about Tobi Lütke’s most recent awful ideas, including why it matters what the Canadian tech elite say. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be implementing policies for tech oligarchs. Press Progress has done reporting on conservative media outlets platforming white nationalists. Check out the recent episode Paris did with Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood for a deeper dive on Canada’s AI policies. Support the show

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How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All w/ Cecilia Rikap

As Big Tech’s power continues to grow, it's more important than ever to understand how companies use their control over cloud infrastructure and services to shape more than just the digital world. Cecilia Rikap joins Paris Marx to discuss how these networks of corporate power operate, including how they are systematically used to influence global politics, the economy, and how society views the world. Cecilia Rikap is an Associate Professor at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and the author of The Rulers: Corporate Power in the Age of AI and the Cloud. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale. Cecilia and Paris worked on a white paper offering a roadmap to reclaiming digital sovereignty. Support the show

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Librarians Are Helping the Public Ditch AI w/ Hannah Cyrus & Alison Macrina

Librarians are working harder than ever to support their neighbourhoods — including by teaching and promoting digital literacy. Hannah Cyrus and Alison Macrina join Paris Marx to discuss the role of library workers in the digital landscape, including how they’re helping patrons navigate privacy basics and artificial intelligence, and how the tech industry is making their jobs harder. Hannah Cyrus is a digital media librarian at the Bangor Public Library. Alison Macrina is an activist librarian and the director of Library Freedom Project. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Click here to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1. The Library Freedom Project has a ton of resources on critically approaching technology. Bangor Daily News wrote about librarians like Hannah helping patrons get AI off their devices. Shout out to friend of the pod Brian Merchant and his book Blood in the Machine. Learn more about the Luddite Club. Learn more about the organization Libraries For The People, working to strengthen and expand libraries. Support your local library! Say hello, get a card if you don’t have one, and participate in community events. Support the show

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Tech Refusal Has a Very Long History w/ Thomas Dekeyser

We are often told that resisting technological development is impossible and ‘progress’ is inevitable, but history says otherwise. Thomas Dekeyser joins Paris Marx to discuss how understanding radical resistances of the past can help us rethink our modern relationship with technology and reshape our vision of the future. Thomas Dekeyser is a lecturer in human geography at the University of Southampton, author of Techno-Negative: A Long History of Refusing the Machine, and co-creator of the documentary Machines in Flames. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale. Shout out to friend of the pod The Luddite Club. This article by Saul Levin and Astra Taylor discusses the growing bipartisan opposition towards data centers. Support the show

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The AI Industry Is Spending Big on the US Midterms w/ Molly White

Last time it was the crypto industry; now the AI industry is stepping up to join it. Molly White joins Paris Marx to discuss how the tech sector is spending big to buy influence in the US midterm elections to ensure new laws serve its interests over those of the public. Molly White is the creator of Tech Influence Watch and Web3 is Going Just Great. She writes the Citation Needed newsletter. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale. Molly just wrote about Trump’s $1.4 billion crypto disclosure. Molly wrote about the crypto industry’s recent election spending. Molly also wrote about how the Citizens United decision is affecting elections today. Support the show

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The RAM Crisis is Coming for All Your Tech w/ Chris Person

Public ire toward AI keeps growing as the data center boom continues to hit people’s pockets. Chris Person joins Paris Marx to discuss the soaring cost of consumer electronics, including why prices are unlikely to fall anytime soon, and how people can experiment with homespun cyberpunk tech. Chris Person is a co-founder of Aftermath and makes Highlight Reel. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale. Chris mentioned the BC250, an e-waste machine he’s written about recently. Chris also wrote a review of the Steam Machine. Xbox and Apple both announced price hikes this month. Stock prices for memory companies like SK Hynix are hitting record highs. Support the show

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Data Center Opposition is Uniting Communities w/ Saul Levin

As tech companies race to build hyperscale data centers, communities are coming together to push back. Saul Levin joins Paris Marx to discuss how rising opposition to data center construction is uniting people across party lines and prompting broader conversations around what infrastructure people want instead. Saul Levin is community organizer and host of The Hum. 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 pre-order Paris’s new book, Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires. Saul wrote a piece with Astra Taylor about the bigger picture of data center organizing. The Seminole Nation in Oklahoma passed a ban on AI data centers on their lands. Sam Altman and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posing together at the site of a new data center drew wide criticism. Support the show

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Canada’s Government is Rushing AI Adoption w/ Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood

The Canadian government is going all in on AI, without understanding the real effects of the technology. Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood joins Paris Marx to discuss Mark Carney’s push for large-scale investment in AI, despite being unable to describe how adoption will work, how Canadians will benefit, and what policies will be implemented to mitigate growing risks and harms. Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood senior researcher and political economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentioned in this episode: Hadrian wrote about the Canadian government’s new AI strategy. Paris wrote about the AI strategy and the new social media policy. The Canada Revenue Agency chatbot is expensive and giving incorrect information. The Canadian Immigration Department is using AI that hallucinates when reviewing applications. AI tools intended for Ontario doctors are providing incorrect information. Here’s an overview of the federal AI strategy, “AI for All.” Support the show

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Silicon Valley Is Turning Nurses Into Gig Workers w/ Katie J. Wells

The Uber model is finally coming for healthcare. Katie J. Wells joins Paris Marx to discuss how much the healthcare gig apps resemble Uber’s rollout, why they aren’t being properly regulated, and the effects they’re having on staff and patients alike. Katie J. Wells is a Senior Fellow at AI Now Institute and a co-author of Disrupting D.C.: The Rise of Uber and the Fall of the City. 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 asked listeners to fill out a survey. It will only take a few minutes! Here is Katie’s most recent work examining the gig model for healthcare. Ontario’s auditor general found serious flaws in the transcripts of AI scribes. Support the show

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The SpaceX IPO Gives Elon Musk Even More Power w/ Sean O’Kane

SpaceX is finally going public, and it’s bad news for anyone who wants to rein in Elon Musk. Sean O’Kane joins Paris Marx to discuss the flimsy sci-fi ideas Elon Musk is using to justify the company’s massive valuation and the way corporate governance rules are shifting to give him even more power. Sean O’Kane is a senior reporter at TechCrunch. 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 asked listeners to fill out a survey. It will only take a few minutes! Sean wrote about the SpaceX IPO and the worrying ways it will increase Elon Musk’s power. After recording, Sean also wrote about how SpaceX is getting a major boost from the Trump administration. SpaceX has made a deal with Anthropic. Musk has a poor environmental regulation record. OpenAI bought a tech podcast. Support the show

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Do Chatbots Really Belong in Schools? w/ Tom Mullaney

Generative AI is making its way into many parts of society, and schools are no different. Tom Mullaney joins Paris Marx to discuss how generative AI has been adopted in K-12 education and the many concerns it presents for students and teachers. Tom Mullaney is a high school social studies teacher in the suburbs of Philadelphia. 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 New Yorker article on AI in schools. For those looking for a refresher on Weizenbaum and ELIZA. Here is the paper “On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big”. For those curious about the Canvas breach. Students have been booing pro-AI speeches and AI presence in graduation ceremonies. xAI is facing a lawsuit for polluting Black neighborhoods. Support the show

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Prediction Markets Want to Financialize Everything w/ Jathan Sadowski

Polymarket and Kalshi are everywhere. But what are they doing to society? Jathan Sadowski joins Paris Marx to discuss the rise of prediction markets and their negative social effects as they push the global economy closer toward the financialization of everything. Jathan Sadowski is an Associate Professor at Monash University. He is the author of The Mechanic and the Luddite and co-hosts This Machine Kills. 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: Jathan wrote about Kalshi trying to bring about the financialization of everything in Fast Company. The NYT reported on the use of classified information by a US soldier to place a bet on the capture of Maduro. Wired just reported on how the US is using AI to spot insider trading. Polymarket users sent death threats to a reporter. Support the show

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The UK Government’s AI Obsession is a Big Risk w/ Will Dunn

What happens when a government goes all in on AI? It creates some huge vulnerabilities. Will Dunn joins Paris Marx to dig into how the UK government is using chatbots to write laws without public consultation and why it isn’t asking the hard questions about the risks of that growing reliance on US technology. Will Dunn is the business editor at the New Statesman. 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: Will wrote about the UK government’s adoption of AI and the risks it presents. Rishi Sunak is working with Anthropic. Sunak acknowledges companies reliant on AI technology are hiring less young people. Will shouts out the book Fancy Bear Goes Phishing by Scott J. Shapiro. Support the show

Muskism is the New Fordism w/ Ben Tarnoff & Quinn Slobodian

Paris Marx is joined by Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian to discuss their new book Muskism which explores how Elon Musk exemplifies a new economic system shaping our lives, similar to Fordism in the twentieth century. Ben Tarnoff & Quinn Slobodian are the authors of Muskism. Ben is a writer and technologist based in Massachusetts and the author of Internet for the People. Quinn is professor of international history at Boston University, and the author of books like Crack-Up Capitalism. 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: For listeners who are feeling extra academic, here is the Milton Friedman economics paper, “The Methodology of Positive Economics.” Quinn discusses his struggle to find any reporting on Jared Leto and the Optimus robot media stunt (that goes deeper than commenting on the virality). Support the show

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