Shows
Panic WorldWe are living in a casinoFirst they came for our mobile apps, then they came for our videogames, and now, it seems pretty much every aspect of our lives is being re-oriented around gambling. Who are the players — inside and outside of tech — that have spent the past decade building out “Casino World”? Edward Ongweso, Jr. joins us to talk about why we should be panicking about a world where everything is gamified, and what’s in it for the people trying to run the floor.Our guest Edward Ongweso, Jr. writes the Tech Bubble newsletter, and you can check out the piece we r...2025-06-2551 min
Posting Through It020: The AI Industry Wants Power feat. Edward Ongweso JrEdward Ongweso Jr, a writer and editor who covers tech, labor, and finance, joined for an in-depth discussion about the artificial intelligence tech industry and Silicon Valley’s efforts to expand its political power. Industry leaders have promised that their AI products will catapult humanity in a new era, but how might these tools be used to surveil, oppress, and harm the rest of us?Edward’s links:* His newsletter: “The Tech Bubble”* His podcast: “This Machine Kills”* His socials: X (Twitter) and Bluesky* Articles referenced:* Evgeny Morozov: “Th...2025-06-021h 11
Millennials Are Killing CapitalismThe Obscurant Function of 'Artificial Intelligence' with Edward Ongweso JrIn this episode, we speak with Edward Ongweso Jr about "artificial intelligence" and its implications, particularly concerning corporate interests and historical parallels with labor control. Edward critiques the term “artificial intelligence” for obscuring the underlying digital technologies and algorithmic systems that serve corporate agendas, emphasizing the narrow view of intelligence that excludes human cognitive elements. The conversation delves into the historical roots of computation, drawing parallels between modern AI and 19th-century plantation management techniques aimed at maximizing productivity and control. We also explore the exploitation of global south workers in AI development, likening it to racialized regimes of chatt...2025-05-161h 13
Team HumanEdward Ongweso JrEdward Ongweso Jr., Senior Researcher at Security in Context and co-host of This Machine Kills, journeys with us into the political economy of technology and the deep crazy that is informing the collapse of the still viable, if problematic, civilization. Team Human is proudly sponsored by Everyone's Earth.Learn more about Everyone's Earth: https://everyonesearth.com/Change Diapers: https://changediapers.com/Cobi Dryer Sheets: https://cobidryersheets.com/🎗️ Support Team Human on Patreon: https:www/patreon.com/teamhumanFollow Team Human with Douglas Rushkoff:📷 I...2025-04-161h 17
Better OfflineBetter Offline CES 2025: Day 3 - Pt. 2Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Venetian with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor. In the second episode, In this episode Ed Zitron is joined by David Roth of Defector, reporter Edward Ongweso Jr., Ed Niedermeyer of the Autonocast, and tech freelancer Jared Newman to talk about the consequences of spending days at the Consumer Electronics Show, how a show gets away with having so many booths that don’t actually seem to sell...2025-01-091h 34Better OfflineBetter Offline CES 2025: Day 1Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Venetian with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor. In the first episode, Ed introduces you to Better Offline’s coverage, bringing in writer Edward Ongweso Jr., as well as It Could Happen Here’s Robert Evans and Gare Davis. We’ll be here all week - two episodes a day, with a finale on Saturday. A talk show in the center of the Rot Economy. Ed Ongweso Jr...2025-01-071h 15
Security in ContextAI and Global Security: Edward Ongweso Jr. Joins SiCNOTE: This episode is an audio version of our video interview “AI and Global Security: Edward Ongweso Jr. Joins SiC” from October 23, 2024. Click here to watch the original video.
Security in Context's Anita Fuentes interviews our newest team member, Edward Ongweso Jr., about his work and research involving AI and global security issues.
Edward Ongweso Jr. is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor, and a Senior Researcher in Technology, Finance and AI at Security in Context. He’s the finance editor at Logic(s) (a Black, Asian, and queer critical tech magazine) and the co-host of the This Machine Kills (a podcast...2024-11-2421 min
This Machine KillsPatreon Preview – 347. The Insulin Empire, Part 2 (ft. Athena Sofides)We keep rolling with our discussion about the Insulin Empire with Athena.
••• The Insulin Empire https://thebaffler.com/after-the-fact/the-insulin-empire-ongweso-jr-sofides
••• Mutual Aid Diabetes https://mutualaiddiabetes.com/
••• T1International https://www.t1international.com/
Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.twitter.com/braunestahl)2024-06-1208 minThis Machine Kills346. The Insulin Empire, Part 1 (ft. Athena Sofides)We are joined by Athena Sofides who co-wrote (with Ed) a brilliant essay in The Baffler, which provides an in-depth analysis of insulin, the social health factors of diabetes, and the global oligopoly of pharmaceutical corporations that exert total control over – and extract max profits from — this medicine that many millions of diabetics depend upon everyday and are unable to access. We go deep on how this insulin cartel is waging, as they write, “a war to remake insulin into a more profitable form, its patients into a more profitable demographic, and its market into a noncompetitive oligopoly.”
••• The Insulin Empire https...2024-06-121h 14
This Is Hell!Insulin Profiteering Kills / Edward Ongweso Jr. & Athena SofidesEdward Ongweso Jr and Athena Sofides on their Baffler essay, "The Insulin Empire: How profiteers pushed a lifesaving drug out of reach." "Rotten History" follows the interview.
Check out Edward and Athena's article here: https://thebaffler.com/after-the-fact/the-insulin-empire-ongweso-jr-sofides
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell2024-06-111h 31This Is Hell!Insulin Profiteering Kills / Edward Ongweso Jr. & Athena SofidesEdward Ongweso Jr and Athena Sofides on their Baffler essay, "The Insulin Empire: How profiteers pushed a lifesaving drug out of reach." "Rotten History" follows the interview.
Check out Edward and Athena's article here: https://thebaffler.com/after-the-fact/the-insulin-empire-ongweso-jr-sofides
Help keep This Is Hell! completely listener supported and access weekly bonus episodes by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thisishell2024-06-111h 31
The Nation PodcastsKara Swisher Shows Tech Journalism’s Flaws w/ Edward Ongweso Jr. | Tech Won't Save UsParis Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss Kara Swisher’s attempt to rebrand herself as the most feared journalist in Silicon Valley, how she spent her career forwarding the industry’s narratives, and the larger problems with access journalism.Edward Ongweso Jr. is finance editor at Logics Magazine and co-host of This Machine Kills.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2024-04-111h 17
Tech Won't Save UsKara Swisher Shows Tech Journalism’s Flaws w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss Kara Swisher’s attempt to rebrand herself as the most feared journalist in Silicon Valley, how she spent her career forwarding the industry’s narratives, and the larger problems with access journalism. Edward Ongweso Jr. is finance editor at Logics Magazine and co-host of 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 podcas...2024-04-111h 17
Hit FactoryDENZEMBER VOL. I - Malcolm X feat. Edward Ongweso Jr.Writer, editor and podcaster Edward Ongweso Jr. returns to the show to kick off Denzember, a monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, with a conversation about Spike Lee's seminal 1992 biopic 'Malcolm X'. It stands as one of Lee's most triumphant achievements and one of Denzel Washington's very best performances as one of the most significant figures of 20th century America. We discuss the film's troubled gestation period, taking nearly 30 years to get to the big screen then courting controversy throughout its production. We also discuss the film's portrait of Malcolm X and offer our readings of...2023-12-012h 17
The Verso PodcastCryptocracy | Rachel O’Dwyer & Edward OngwesoOn this week’s episode of The Verso Podcast we’ll be taking a close look at the history of tokens across time, and the cultures that have grown up around them in the digital age. Rachel O’Dwyer and Edward Ongweso join our host, Eleanor Penny, to talk Bored Apes, art markets, Ponzi schemes and butter tokens.
You can find Rachel's book "Tokens:
The Future of Money in the Age of the Platform" here: tinyurl.com/4jk9zk692023-11-021h 14Tech Won't Save UsAbolish Venture Capital w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss how the venture capital industry works, why the technologies it funds don’t deliver on their marketing promises, and how that’s once again being shown in the hype around AI. Edward Ongweso Jr. is a freelance journalist, co-host of This Machine Kills, and guest columnist at The Nation. You can follow Ed on Twitter at @bigblackjacobin.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...2023-08-101h 06
The InsurgentsEp. 196: Bow Before Your AI God ft. Edward Ongweso JrThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comTechnology reported Edward Ongweso Jr. joins Jordan for a great discussion on Ed’s new piece in The Nation about Silicon Valley’s quest to create an AI god and control humanity. We explore the key figures pushing this concept, their motives, whether it’s even possible and whether the singularity is near.Before that, we talk about Twitter’s rebrand to “X…2023-07-2603 min
The DigAI Hype Machine w/ Meredith Whittaker, Ed Ongweso, and Sarah WestFeaturing Meredith Whittaker, Edward Ongweso Jr., and Sarah Myers West on the mundane dystopia concealed beneath the AI hype machine.
Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig
Subscribe to New Left Review newleftreview.org
Register for the Socialism 2023 Conference socialismconference.org2023-06-252h 22Podcast Archives - The DigAI Hype Machine w/ Meredith Whittaker, Ed Ongweso, and Sarah WestFeaturing Meredith Whittaker, Edward Ongweso Jr., and Sarah Myers West on the mundane dystopia concealed beneath the AI hype machine.
Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig
Subscribe to New Left Review newleftreview.org
Register for the Socialism 2023 Conference socialismconference.org2023-06-252h 22
Jacobin RadioDig: AI Hype Machine w/ Meredith Whittaker, Ed Ongweso, and Sarah WestFeaturing Meredith Whittaker, Edward Ongweso Jr., and Sarah Myers West on the mundane dystopia concealed beneath the AI hype machine.Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDigSubscribe to New Left Review newleftreview.orgRegister for the Socialism 2023 Conference socialismconference.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2023-06-252h 22
This Machine KillsPatreon Preview – 263. Running WildWe get into Ed’s new column for The Nation, what he’s got planned, the long arc of arguments he’s building, and how the key to good tech criticism is to talk about technology by using it as a way to talk about other things. After a while discussing the hows and whys of good old historical materialist analysis, things then go off the rails in the best ways.
Ed’s column: https://www.thenation.com/authors/edward-ongweso-jr/
Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan S...2023-06-2307 min
This Machine Kills*Unlocked* – 241. Euthanasia of Silicon Valley Bank (ft. Brian Merchant)We've unlocked this episode for the free feed.
It's been a long time since we’ve seen a good old fashioned bank run lead to the collapse of a venerable financial institution, but leave it to Silicon Valley to rediscover something old and call it new again. We are joined by Brian Merchant — LA Times tech columnist and author of Blood in the Machine — for a post-mortem on Silicon Valley Bank, breakdown its events and effects, and hold Ed to account for his incitements to violence against the most marginalized and traumatized people of them all: venture capitalists.
••• Brian’s column: https...2023-03-231h 13This Machine KillsPatreon Preview – 241. Euthanasia of Silicon Valley Bank (ft. Brian Merchant)Been a long time since we’ve seen a good old fashioned bank run lead to the collapse of a venerable financial institution, but leave it to Silicon Valley to rediscover something old and call it new again. We are joined by Brian Merchant—LA Times tech columnist and author of Blood in the Machine—for a post-mortem on Silicon Valley Bank, breakdown its events and effects, and hold Ed to account for his incitements to violence against the most marginalized and traumatized people of them all: venture capitalists.
••• Brian’s column: https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-03-12/column-sil...2023-03-1808 min
Scam Economy47: The Fall of Silicon Valley Bank & the Crybaby Tech VCs (w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.)Edward Ongweso Jr., writer of the Tech Bubble newsletter and co-host of This Machine Kills podcast, joins Scam Economy with Matt Binder to discuss the collapse of the tech industry's favorite financial institution, Silicon Valley Bank. Edward and Matt break down what this means, how it happen, what sparked the bank run by tech founders and VCs, what SVB's investments were, how the bank fell right around the same time two crypto-friendly banks Silvergate and Signature Bank also failed, how the VCs like David Sacks and Jason Calacanis threw a tantrum demanding a government bailout for the tech industry, and...2023-03-151h 13
Jacobin RadioBehind the News: Tech, AI, and Luddism w/ Edward Ongweso JrKathryn Joyce discusses the far right and its internal battles. Doug then interviews Edward Ongweso Jr about tech, AI, and Luddism.Behind the News, hosted by Doug Henwood, covers the worlds of economics and politics and their complex interactions, from the local to the global. Find the archive here: https://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2022-12-2753 min
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and DemocracyCreating a Digital World of our Worst HabitsAir Date 9/17/2022 Today, we take a look at the way terrible patterns of the past like colonialism, racism, propaganda, feudalism, and abuse of corporate monopoly power are recreating and re-entrenching themselves in the digital world Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com Transcript BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content) Join our Discord community! OUR AFFILIATE LINKS: ExpressVPN.com/BestOfTheLeft GET INTERNET PRIVACY WITH EXPRESS VPN! BestOfTheLeft.com/Libro SUPPORT IND...2022-09-171h 13
Pod Damn AmericaThe Big Chungus Short w/ Edward Ongweso JrWe're talking money this week with journalist and podcaster Edward Ongweso Jr. Also Rob Schneider's turn against the woke mob. Will they rip him limb from limb?
MERCH
poddamnamerica.bigcartel.com
PATREON + DISCORD
patreon.com/poddamnamerica
GAME BOYS:
caveat.nyc/event/hard-drive-pr…ame-boys-9-16-2022/2022-09-041h 11
PivotTwitter, Layoffs, and Streaming: Pivot's Q2 Quarterly ReviewKara and Scott are back with a Quarterly Review, to see how our predictions from the past quarter have held up. We'll also get some predictions for the next quarter from Friends of Pivot, including Preet Bharara, host of Stay Tuned with Preet, Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO of Yelp, Edward Ongweso Jr. of Vice’s Motherboard, and Cecilia Kang of The New York Times.You can find Preet on Twitter at @PreetBharara, Jeremy at @jeremys, Edward at @bigblackjacobin, and Cecilia at @ceciliakang.Send us your Listener Mail questions by calling us at 855-51-PIVOT, or...2022-07-0538 min
Party GirlsHoney I Shrunk the Crypto Market w/ Edward Ongweso JrWe have all heard much talk about cryptocurrencies and NFT's. We also heard how it totally collapsed and crypto bros are shaking in their boots. Aaron and Jorge are joined by Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) from Vice Motherboard and the This Machine Kills podcast to talk about the big crypto crash and to find out what happened. Tune in to learn whether crypto is here to stay and what it means about the direction capitalism is going after neoliberalism.
Edward's article quoted in the episode: Nobody Learned Anything From the Crypto Crash
Check out Edward's...2022-06-291h 46
This Machine KillsPatreon Preview – 165. Phillip K. Dick MoveWe go from talking about how AI/ML research is dominated by the resources, interests, and tradeoffs of “top labs.” Then discuss how our algorithmic agents become active participants in human culture but in ways that can be unexpected and unknowable. Together these conditions are producing a world that is far more weird, bizarre and unsettling than anybody intended. Less George Orwell, more Phillip K. Dick.
Some stuff we reference:
••• I don't really trust papers out of "Top Labs" anymore | https://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/uyratt/d_i_dont_really_trust_papers_out_of_top_labs/
••• The Steep Cost of Capture...2022-06-0407 min
The InsurgentsEp. 102: ft. Poster Ascendant ft. Edward OngwesoEdward Ongweso joins us today to discuss Elon Musk’s plan to purchase Twitter, what it will mean for the platform, whether concerns about him spying on people are well-founded and whether or not the deal will actually go through. We also tackle reports of Joe Biden’s admin considering cancelling some student loan debt and make (likely incorrect) predictions.You can follow Edward HERE.You can find the show on all the major streaming apps at InsurgentsPod.comReminder that you can become a paying subscriber to get access to our back catalog of & future premium episodes. Only $5 a mont...2022-04-2950 minTech Won't Save UsThe Financialization of Everything w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition, how technology is enabling an extension of speculation and gambling, and why those pressures need to be opposed.Edward Ongweso Jr. is a staff writer at Motherboard/Vice and a co-host of This Machine Kills. Follow Edward on Twitter at @bigblackjacobin.🎉 This month is the show’s second birthday. To celebrate, we want to get 100 new supporters at $5/month or above to bring on a producer to help make the show. Help us hit our goal by joining on Patre...2022-04-281h 03
This Machine Kills*Unlocked* – 151. Sharecropping by Another GameWe are unlocking a premium episode in which we discuss Ed’s new reporting on the political economy of play-to-earn games, focusing on Axie Infinity and its super-exploitative system of “managers” and “scholars.” Surprise, surprise – the technological and financial foundation of Axie Infinity is just a house of cards built on a bed of sand. Its failure is inevitable. The question is: how much damage will it do along the way?
Some stuff we reference:
••• The Metaverse Has Bosses Too. Meet the ‘Managers’ of Axie Infinity | Ed Ongweso Jr. https://www.vice.com/en/article/88g3ag/the-metaverse-has-bosses-too-meet-the-managers-of-axie-infinity
••• Miami Mayor Unveils Laser Eyes Robot Bul...2022-04-201h 09This Machine KillsPatreon Preview – 151. Sharecropping by Another GameWe discuss Ed’s new reporting on the political economy of play-to-earn games, focusing on Axie Infinity and its super-exploitative system of “managers” and “scholars.” Surprise, surprise – the technological and financial foundation of Axie Infinity is just a house of cards built on a bed of sand. Its failure is inevitable. The question is: how much damage will it do along the way?
Some stuff we reference:
••• The Metaverse Has Bosses Too. Meet the ‘Managers’ of Axie Infinity | Ed Ongweso Jr. https://www.vice.com/en/article/88g3ag/the-metaverse-has-bosses-too-meet-the-managers-of-axie-infinity
••• Miami Mayor Unveils Laser Eyes Robot Bull Statue at Bitcoin Conference https://www.vice...2022-04-1006 min
VICE News ReportsIs a Crypto-Utopia Possible?The dream of a crypto-powered utopia is nearly as old as Bitcoin itself. Motherboard reporter Edward Ongweso Jr. takes us through the wild visions for Cryptoland, pitched as the world’s first crypto-society, supposedly bound for an island in the Pacific. And explains why some are calling it colonialism 3.0.This episode was reported by Motherboard’s Edward Ongweso Jr. and produced by Jen KinneyVICE News Reports is hosted by Arielle Duhaime-Ross and produced by Sophie Kazis, Jen Kinney, Steph Brown, Sam Eagan, and Adreanna Rodriguez. Our senior producers are Ashley Cleek, Adizah Egha...2022-03-1726 min
Party GirlsCultural Marxism: Dune w/ Edward Ongweso Jr and Aaron ThorpeJamie and Jorge are joined by guest Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) and RETURNING HOST Aaron Thorpe (@paradoomer) to discuss the science fiction epic and pop culture phenomenon Dune. Tune in to hear the diametrically opposed opinions of Edward, who loved this movie, and Aaron, who hated this movie! Is Edward right and is this movie is a masterpiece? Or is Aaron correct that this movie should be fought in a fight?
DISCLAIMER: There are massive spoilers for this movie and the Dune franchise in this episode. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!
Check out Edward's podcast and...2022-03-021h 37
The FlashpointCrypto commodification of everything (with Edward Ongweso)Are NFTs and crypto really a “thing” now or is it all a hustle? Edward Ongweso joins me to talk about the digital economy.
Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available at callin.com2022-02-1556 min
This Machine KillsPatreon Preview – 136. NFT: ‘Nother Financialization TacticWe dig into the complete disaster that is the NFT ecosystem before zooming out to discuss how the real promise and purpose of NFTs is as an instrument for total financialization of everything. Turning every piece of data about any little thing into a commodity that can then be securitized, collateralized, and speculated with. Contained within this little dumb oddity is the seeds for a world designed and defined by fictitious capital – which firms like a16z are doing their damndest to make grow.
Some things we reference:
••• The NFT Ecosystem Is a Complete Disaster | Edward Ongweso Jr. https://www.vice.com...2022-02-1209 min
This Machine Kills128. – The Year of Magical Thinking (ft. Wendy Liu)Kicking off the new year, we are joined by returning champion Wendy Liu – author of Abolish Silicon Valley – to look back on all the very dumb things the tech sector has forced us take seriously in 2021. We talk about how free flowing capital has both created and accelerated a world built on sand. Where all the vaporware, bullshit, and grifts of things like NFTs, DAOs, and web3 seemingly come from nowhere and become all we can talk about. We wrap up with our hopes that 2022 will be a year that proves one thing: the luddites were right.
• Follow Wendy: twitter.com/de...2022-01-121h 14
The FlashpointGhislaine Maxwell Guilty On Five of Six Counts (with Edward Ongweso)I was joined by reporter Edward Ongweso to review the year in tech, but then the Ghislaine Maxwell verdict dropped and we pivoted to that.
Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available at callin.com2021-12-301h 08
The MachinistCryptocurrency w/ Edward Ongweso Jr & Jacob Silverman Podcast: The Dig (LS 60 · TOP 0.1% what is this?)Episode: Cryptocurrency w/ Edward Ongweso Jr & Jacob SilvermanPub date: 2021-12-16Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationEdward Ongweso Jr. and Jacob Silverman on cryptocurrency, NFTs, Elon Musk, the metaverse, meme stocks, and techno-utopianism amid the crushing reality of our neoliberal hellscape. The first in a two-episode series on crypto.
Read Dan's new essay on border control politics: nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/border-crises/
Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDigThe podcast and artwork embedded on...2021-12-212h 13
Jacobin RadioDig: Cryptocurrency w/ Edward Ongweso Jr & Jacob SilvermanEdward Ongweso Jr. and Jacob Silverman on cryptocurrency, NFTs, Elon Musk, the metaverse, meme stocks, and techno-utopianism amid the crushing reality of our neoliberal hellscape. The first in a two-episode series on crypto. Read Dan's new essay on border control politics: nplusonemag.com/online-only/online-only/border-crises/Support The Dig at Patreon.com/TheDig See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.2021-12-162h 13
Working PeopleCA Rideshare Driver Strike (w/ Ahmad Moss)On Wednesday, July 21, across California, rideshare drivers with Rideshare Drivers United are going on a one-day strike against the exploitative practices of tech giants Uber and Lyft (which have only gotten worse since the passage of Prop 22 in November), and to demand Congress pass the PRO Act. We talk with Ahmad Ibrahim Moss, a rideshare driver in San Francisco, about how drivers' pay, conditions, and work experience has changed since the passage of Prop 22 (and before), and we talk about the dark truth at the center of the "gig economy." Additional links/info below... Ride...2021-07-2145 min
This Machine Kills82. Crisis in the Gig MillsFurther notes toward a ruthless criticism of digital capitalism — we lay out how the inherent contradictions of the “gig economy” are starting to slip into crisis, the need to recognize and reject the propaganda that has been embedded in our everyday way of thinking and talking about these companies, and the creative accounting practices they use to cover up the absence of value and instances of death. 200 years ago, the Luddites smashed the gig mills used by capital to rob them of autonomy. They did not set out to create a more humane version of machinic dispossession. Today, the task before...2021-06-301h 18
The Arts of TravelEdward Ongweso Jr: Peter Thiel & The Post-Capitalism of Tech's Far RightWe conclude our conversation with Vice's Edward Ongweso Jr. by looking at Peter Thiel's role in bankrolling Uber as the 'Tip of the Spear' for rolling back labor laws, workers' rights and Unions. All in the name of creating a 'Post-capitalist' future of monopoly, dominance and control.
We also discuss the shocking (and shockingly underreported) collaboration between Jackson, Mississippi's Mayor Chokwe Lumumba and Amazon's Ring program. Why is the leader of 'Cooperation Jackson', working with Jeff Bezos? Listen to find out.
Lastly, we offer a brief post-mortum on the failure of Proposition 22 and what new batt...2021-06-2751 min
Eat The RichEp 081 - Bill Gates with Edward Ongweso Jr.Man, breakups are the worst, right? At least when your marriage is on the rocks and you're about to lose half of your billions of dollars, you can always reach out to a certain private island owning, convicted sex offender friend.
This week, Edward Ongweso Jr. (@bigblackjacobin) of the This Machine Kills podcast (@machinekillspod) joins us again to discuss Microsoft founder, tech pirate, and all-around creep, Bill Gates.2021-06-182h 06
The AntifadaEp 141 - The Long March Through The Applications w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.Jamie and Sean are joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. (@bigblackjacobin), staff writer at Motherboard and co-host of This Machine Kills (@machinekillspod), for a discussion of all things tech. Rather than freeing us from drudgery, technology has been used by capitalists to make things worse for the vast majority of humanity. How did we get here? How can workers fight back? What does it mean to be a 21st century Luddite? How does this relate to police abolition? Plus: Edward's answer to Andy's Twitter poll about turning off the internet.
Outro music: Chumbawumba - the Triumph of General...2021-04-281h 14
This Machine Kills62. Amazon, Vanguard of Class War (ft. Alex N. Press)To conduct a post-mortem investigation on the Amazon warehouse union vote in Bessemer, Alabama, we’re joined by Alex N. Press—staff writer for Jacobin and one of our favorite labor reporters. As Alex wrote recently, “In the United States, every step of the unionization process is stacked against workers. It is a miracle that anyone ever unionizes.” We discuss the militancy of capital, the organizing conditions of labor today, and the battle for building worker power. The deck was stacked. We lost this fight. But the class war wages on.
Follow Alex: https://twitter.com/alexnpress
Read Alex: https://www.jaco...2021-04-211h 29
Struggle SessionCulturally Black - Coming 2 America w/ Briahna Joy Gray, Trevor Beaulieu, and Edward Ongweso Jr. [Trailer]Hear the full episode at sesh.plus or patreon.com/strugglesession On this special podcast event Leslie, Briahna Joy Gray (Bad Faith), Trevor Beaulieu (Champagne Sharks), and Edward Ongweso Jr. (This Machine Kills) come together to discuss Coming 2 America. Track: Mass Potential - Miami Heat - twitter.com/MassPotential ★ Support this podcast ★ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/struggle-session--5842028/support.2021-03-2601 minStruggle SessionCulturally Black - Coming 2 America w/ Briahna Joy Gray, Trevor Beaulieu, and Edward Ongweso Jr. [Trailer]Hear the full episode at sesh.plus or patreon.com/strugglesession On this special podcast event Leslie, Briahna Joy Gray (Bad Faith), Trevor Beaulieu (Champagne Sharks), and Edward Ongweso Jr. (This Machine Kills) come together to discuss Coming 2 America. Track: Mass Potential - Miami Heat - twitter.com/MassPotential ★ Support this podcast ★ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/struggle-session--5842028/support.2021-03-2601 min
This Machine Kills50. King of SPACs v. HindenburgCold open: Chamath, Clover, CNBC https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/video/chamath-palihapitiya-addresses-some-concerns-surrounding-clover-health-spac/vp-BB19KRae
SPACs are blowing up. Everywhere you turn, it’s SPAC this, SPAC that. What the frack is a SPAC? After an explainer on this cool new financial innovation, we dive into a juicy story of a SPAC in action – SPACtion, if you will – Clover Health. This hot new insurtech company is being taken public by a SPAC sponsored by Chamath Palihapitiya, famed venture capitalist, wannabe California governor, so-called King of SPACs. But as a long, in-depth report by Hindenburg Research details, could Clover Health be riddle...2021-03-101h 21
The Arts of TravelEdward Ongweso - Proposition 22, Gig Economics & why Obama Liberals support Far-Right Capitalists (Part 1)I spoke to Edward Ongweso Jr. of Vice for a two-part interview on Proposition 22, the gig economy and the devastating effects it will have on labor in both in the US and globally.
In Part 1 we discuss the propaganda, strategy and money behind proposition 22. We also discuss why so many ex-Obama officials teamed up with Gig Economy capitalists.
Why are those whose claim to represent progress, condemning black and brown Americans to a near-feudal existence at the feet of Uber, Lyft and other Gig Economy monopolists? Edward explains all this and more in a fascinating tw...2021-03-011h 03
Left ReckoningEpisode 5 - The Chicago Teacher's Strike & Section 230 & You ft. Edward Ongweso Jr & Kenzo ShibataSupport the show at patreon.com/leftreckoning to access the weekly postgame show and more bonus content.OpeningClass rootedness vs. class focusedMAS vs. SyrizaBernie on political educationEdward Ongweso Jr (@Bigblackjacobin) of the This Machine Kills podcast and a writer for Vice's Motherboard gives us a primer on Section 230: Last summer, Trump hit us with the all-caps “REPEAL SECTION 230!!!” tweet. Biden also said it should also be revoked but not the dumb way Trump wanted to do it. What is it/ why is it so important re: inter...2021-02-051h 36
This Machine Kills40. The Boardroom of Global Capitalism{The first 15 minutes or so of this episode is a little glitchy, but it gets better} We could have done a full episode about the GameStop affair, but there’s already so many good (and bad) explainers and analysis of that, so let’s talk about the real winners in an economy where the line just keeps going up forever: index funds and passive investment. We talk through the operations of indexation, one of the most important – and hugely overlooked – trends in the modern financial system, and discuss what John C. Coates calls the Problem of Twelve: “The likelihood that in the nea...2021-02-041h 23
Michael and UsPREVIEW - Exit Through the Gamestonk w/ Edward Ongweso JrPATREON EXCLUSIVE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/interview-exit-w-47079354
We all got a kick out of watching the Redditors beat the hedge funds. But can finance be democratized within the framework of capitalism? That answer may not surprise you! Luke talks to Edward Ongweso Jr., a labor and technology reporter at Motherboard and cohost of the This Machine Kills podcast, about the Robinhood trading app and the implications of l'affaire Gamestop.2021-02-0402 min
Waypoint RadioEpisode 374: Diamond Paws Diamond ClawsThe GameStop situation has ... escalated since we last checked in on it. So this week we have Motherboard staff writer Edward Ongweso Jr, who's done some stellar reporting on what is actually going on behind the Redditors and the public breakdowns from hedge fund managers, to discuss who is really benefiting from this situation and consider if it's even possible for the "house" to lose. After the break, Austin checks in with the world of assassination, and has a heaping of praise fort Hitman III's Berlin level (as Cameron Kunzleman has for the site). Edward and Rob continue to...2021-02-021h 22
POWER REPORT with dan from the internet#19 - The Future Beyond Big Tech [feat. Edward Ongweso, Jr.]Disrupt the way you think about big tech and its role in politics and society. Dan does an interview episode with VICE + Motherboard journalist Edward Ongweso, Jr to discuss everything about big tech that no mainstream media outlet would ever touch: Unions vs. Tech Executives, Silicon Valley's revolving door with government, and reimagining the gadgets that run our modern lives.Timecodes: 0:00 - Cold Open3:21 - Workers Take On Big Tech34:38 - Trust Or Bust1:07:23 - The Better FutureFollow Edward Ongweso, Jr. on Twitter:https://twitter.com/b...2021-01-241h 35
Working People2020: A Year to Remember & ForgetWell, that was ... quite a year. From the COVID-19 pandemic and the presidential election to mass protests against police violence and worker actions around the country, it's hard to even remember all that we went through in 2020. Luckily, right before New Year's Eve, we got together with four of the best young labor journalists around—Edward Ongweso Jr., Juliana Feliciano Reyes, Lauren Kaori Gurley, and Michael Sainato—to talk about the lessons we took away from the past year, and about what lies ahead. Additional links/info below... Edward's Vice author page and Twitter page Edw...2021-01-131h 19
The Nomiki Show1/12/21 - Impeaching Trump is Essential - w/ Hector Oseguera + Akela Lacy, Edward Ongweso, Jr.Today, Nomiki explains why impeaching Trump is so important. Then, anti-money laundering expert Hector Oseguera describes how the US government will likely dig into the finances of last week’s insurrectionists. And later, Akela Lacy of the The Intercept and Motherboard 's labor reporter Edward Ongweso, Jr. discussion of what happened last week at the Capitol cannot be divorced from a discussion about the power of big tech, and the algorithms they weild.
http://www.patreon.com/thenomikishow » We need your help to keep providing free videos! Make sure to click Like & Subscribe! And we encourage you to...2021-01-131h 13
Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron MatéSurveillance in Tech, 'Biracial Commercials,' and Obama's Drones with Edward Ongweso JrVice writer Edward Ongweso Jr joins the show to discuss surveillance by tech companies, Biden's 'Biracial Commercial' thoughts, the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Google, and more. Matt breaks down a recent piece from his substack, 'TK Media,' about the flailing efforts by democrats to pass the Covid relief package.Merch Link: https://teespring.com/stores/useful-idiotsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.usefulidiotspodcast.com/subscribe2020-12-181h 30
Useful Idiots with Katie Halper and Aaron MatéSurveillance in Tech, 'Biracial Commercials,' and Obama's Drones with Edward Ongweso JrVice writer Edward Ongweso Jr joins the show to discuss surveillance by tech companies, Biden's 'Biracial Commercial' thoughts, the DOJ's antitrust lawsuit against Google, and more. Matt breaks down a recent piece from his substack, 'TK Media,' about the flailing efforts by democrats to pass the Covid relief package.
Merch Link: https://teespring.com/stores/useful-idiots
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/useful-idiots-with-katie-halper-and-aaron-mate/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy2020-12-181h 30
Eat The RichEp 057 - Biden's Cabinet Picks with Edward Ongweso Jr.These people have selflessly dedicated their lives and careers to their passion of public service.
Sorry, you mean Biden's cabinet? Oh no they're just all from the same hedge fund.
This week, Edward Ongweso Jr. (@bigblackjacobin) joins us to go through Biden's cabinet picks and their various maladies.2020-12-151h 35
This Machine Kills23. The Great Decoupling (patreon teaser)We continue our discussion on Huawei by laying out the ways that network infrastructure has become a site for proxy battles as the US/UK and China pursue different agendas for national security and industrial policy.
Subscribe to hear more analysis and get more premium episodes every week! patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-11-2807 min
This Machine Kills22. Huawei or the HighwayTime to get into the 5G! Well, okay, the international political economy of 5G and the new Cold War with China. We trace the history and expansion of Huawei—a hugely important, but greatly misunderstood (and badly analyzed), company at the center of next-gen communication technologies—and its role in the global development of the telecom industry since the 1980s. This episode is kinda information dense, but a focused analysis of Huawei is crucial for figuring out pressure points or fault lines in the global system. 5G won’t cause covid, but will it cause communism?! (Nah, it’s state capitali...2020-11-251h 27
This Machine Kills21. Military-Civil Fusion (patreon teaser)“Technological superiority is a prerequisite for ethical superiority.” These words by Palmer Luckey, founder of Anduril Industries, encapsulate a dangerous philosophy underpinning how the bloodless ghouls in the tech sector aim to integrate their systems and ideologies into the military-industrial complex. Michael joins us again to discuss the deep technological, ethical, and political contradictions that undermine their claims to superiority of any kind. As Luckey and his ilk create and operate the machinery of American imperialism, we must reject their claims to superiority and their ascension up the chain of command.
Subscribe at patreon.com/thismachinekills to help support TMK and...2020-11-2106 min
Physical AttractionSoftbank's Singularity with Edward Ongweso Jr. of This Machine Kills PodcastTo close our series on Softbank's Vision Fund, I interviewed tech journalist and scholar Edward Ongweso Jr. of "This Machine Kills" podcast about Softbank, the corrosive nature of VC on the tech sector and our society, and the Vision that Masoyoshi Son really dreams of... along with whether it will all fall apart, and how we can build a society that uses technological innovations in a less destructive way.2020-11-191h 44
This Machine Kills20. War by Other Nerds (ft. Michael Richardson)We jump into the abyss of Anduril Industries—one of the most actually evil, yet little known, technology companies in existence today—and Palmer Luckey, its ultra right-wing founder and Peter Thiel acolyte. To help us discuss how Silicon Valley is bringing its brand of innovation and disruption to the military-industrial complex, we’re joined by Michael Richardson, a senior research fellow at the University of New South Wales and expert on the cultural politics of military technology and drone warfare.
• Read Michael’s excellent essay on the politics of drone warfare and drone witnessing: The Testimony of Drones https://sydneyrevi...2020-11-181h 13
This Machine Kills19. Power and Politics at the Endless Brunch (patreon teaser)We discuss the aftermath of the election, including the banner year for the tech sector, the power dynamics of a Biden/Harris administration, the dynastic conspiracy of interests in San Francisco politics, the risks of a disengaged polity, and the need for an active left.
Subscribe at patreon.com/thismachinekills to help support TMK and hear premium episodes every week!
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-11-1307 min
Diversity HireEpisode 20 - Abolishing Tech with Edward Ongweso Jr.Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyHello and welcome to our 20th episode of Diversity Hire. Today's guest is tech writer and Vice/Motherboard staffer Edward Ongweso Jr. We talked to Edward about living a post-Prop 22 world, his winding path to the media which includes stops in labor organizing, politics, and other random gigs, the ways in which hollowness of diversity in the media overlaps with the tech industry, how to center tech reporting on workers, and much more. Kevin and Arjun also talked about what they did the day Biden...2020-11-131h 03
This Machine Kills18. Antitrust in the Aftermath (ft. Marshall Steinbaum)We’re joined by economist Marshall Steinbaum for a post-mortem on the election results as we work through some critical questions: What comes next? What does a Biden/Harris administration hold for the future of technology policy, labor organizing, and the American economy? What is to be done? How can aggressive antitrust action help stop the bleeding from Prop 22 and put workers on the offensive against capital? All this and more as Marshall lays out the terrain of the uphill battle ahead of us.
Follow Marshall on twitter: twitter.com/econ_marshall and check out his work: https://marshallsteinbaum.org/
Su...2020-11-111h 31
This Machine Kills17. The Final Phase? (patreon teaser)We enter Phase 3 in our analysis of the urbanization of technology capital. Planetary platforms like Alphabet and Amazon have reached the point where they possess the power and desire to do more than just provide services or consult on managerial changes. Tech companies struggle against the last remaining binds that limit their full ascension to sovereignty. We have a future to win – or lose.
Subscribe at patreon.com/thismachinekills to hear this and more premium episodes every week!
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-11-0706 min
This Machine Kills16. Who Owns the Future City?Cold open: The Ballot or the Bullet
So obviously this was recorded before the election, but our topic for this week’s episode is the exact analysis you need to understand how something like Prop 22 could pass in a landslide. We dive into the rise of smart/platform urbanism by guiding you through the urbanization of technology capital over three phases, each one grabbing more power: oversight of city governance, operation of city services, and ownership of city space.
This episode builds on two academic articles Jathan recently wrote on platform urbanism. Here’s paywalled links, which you can unlock by p...2020-11-041h 28
This Machine Kills*UNLOCKED* 15. The Extermination (of) ImaginationWe’re unlocking the Patreon episode this week to give you a taste of that premium content. Subscribe at patreon.com/thismachinekills to hear more premium episodes every week!
We continue the conversation about Aaron Benanav’s book by getting into how fictitious capital is not only breaking from, but totally consuming, reality. Accelerating us deeper into an economy built on immiseration and a society based on extermination. We have no choice but to recapture the utopian imagination from capital and reassert our capacity for socialist innovation. Come with me / and you’ll see / a world of pure imagination.
Hosted by Jat...2020-10-291h 10
This Machine Kills14. Deus Ex Growth Machina (ft. Aaron Benanav)We’re joined by Aaron Benanav, author of Automation and the Future of Work, to discuss his excellent and necessary analysis of what the automation discourse gets wrong, the economic history that has led us to where we are now, and the science fiction and utopian ideas that should inspire a post-scarcity world—a world which is not only possible but necessary.
Grab a copy of Aaron’s book: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3717-automation-and-the-future-of-work and follow him on twitter: https://twitter.com/abenanav
Subscribe to TMK on patreon for access to premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thisma...2020-10-271h 34
This Machine Kills13. - TMK Origins (teaser)In our first Patreon premium episode, the TMK boys get loose and personal while talking about our political origin stories. We chat about our weird and twisting paths to where we are now, drop some bombshells about how our lives could have been totally different, how we got radicalized through music and sci-fi, and why dialectical materialism always leads to the most correct takes. Thanks for subscribing!
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-10-2404 min
This Machine Kills12. The E-CONomy (ft. Danielle Carr)Cold open: Channel surfing
We’re joined by Danielle Carr, who wrote a killer essay debunking the myth of Neuralink and Elon Musk, to talk about the broader political economy of shitty "science” and shittier "innovators" that have captured the collective imagination. As Danielle writes, “Technology critique should not buy into the hyped fantasies people like Elon Musk peddle. [...] What we have to worry about is something much more disappointing—that the future will look like the present, only more so. In that way, Musk is right: the future is already here.”
Check out Danielle’s essay in the Baffler: https://theb...2020-10-211h 28
The Nomiki Show9/24/20 - BONUS - Chris Rabb, Edward Ongweso Jr.Chris Rabb has represented the 200th District (Philadelphia County) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2017. He is also a board member of Friends of the Wissahickon and Race Forward and has also been on the faculty of the Institute for Strategic Leadership at Drexel University's Bennett S. LeBow College of Business. He has been a fellow at Demos, the Poynter Institute, and the German Marshall Fund of the United States
Edward Ongweso Jr. is a writer on the labor and technology beat for @Motherboard by @VICE . He is also the co-host with Jathan Sadowski of the...2020-10-2012 min
The Nomiki Show9/24/20 - Joe Sanberg, Chris Rabb, Edward Ongweso Jr.Joe Sanberg is the leading advocate for California’s new Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income families, including lobbying California to pass the credit and creating CalEITC4Me in 2015 when the state didn’t allocate enough money for outreach. He is the co-founder of https://www.aspiration.com/
Chris Rabb has represented the 200th District (Philadelphia County) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2017. He is also a board member of Friends of the Wissahickon and Race Forward and has also been on the faculty of the Institute for Strategic Leadership at Drexel University's Bennett S. LeBo...2020-10-2055 min
This Machine Kills11. Anonymous AuthorityCold open: Crazy Currency with Jack Jammer
We enter the “parliament of extrastatecraft” and discuss the actually existing world order — we're talking the techno-politics of standardization, the transnational institutions that establish the rules and structures for essentially everything, and the geopolitical struggle between the US and China over who will wield the technocratic power of standards setting.
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-10-141h 51
Working PeopleThis Could Change Everything (w/ Veena Dubal)Everyone who is a worker or who cares about workers should pay attention to Prop 22 in California and understand the potentially devastating impact it could have. Professor Veena Dubal joins us on the show to talk about why. Additional links/info below... Veena's faculty page and Twitter page Sarah Ashley O'Brien, CNN Business, "The $185 Million Campaign to Keep Uber and Lyft Drivers as Contractors in California" Alexander Sammon, The American Prospect, "How Uber and Lyft Are Buying Labor Laws" Edward Ongweso Jr., Vice, "Uber, Lyft Give California GOP Millions While Fighting Driver Reclassification" Veena Dub...2020-10-0935 min
This Machine Kills10. This Movie Kills: A Scanner DarklyCold open: What does a scanner see?
Welcome to the first installment of This Movie Kills! This week we discuss the film A Scanner Darkly (2006), an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel. What do you get when you shake together drug psychosis, police paranoia, distorted perception, atmospheric anxiety, and identity crisis? Bad vibes all around! Or, maybe just another day in “a world getting progressively worse.” The story is from the seventies, the movie feels like the 90s, but the themes are all about today.
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Produc...2020-10-081h 22
Citations NeededEpisode 120: 30 Under 30 Lists and the Problem with Our Youth-Obsessed 'Success' NarrativesEvery year, a series of highly anticipated listicles of "successful" and "influential" people hailed for their accomplishments surface in corporate media. Forbes reveals the most successful 30 people under the age of 30, and Fortune hails the most successful 40 Under 40. Meanwhile, other business outlets like TechCrunch, Fast Company and CNBC seek a taste of the hype with their own spinoffs. Each time one of these lists is published, a flurry of meta-press ensues. CNN, BBC, and The Los Angeles Times run pieces fawning over these high-profile lists, cementing their status as career launchers within the worlds of tech, politics...2020-09-301h 14
This Machine Kills9. Domination EcosystemCold open: TMK x SoftBank
Main show: Sure you might know all about Amazon’s extensive network of hellish warehouses, its horrendously exploitative labor conditions, its cynical partnerships with the police, military, and intelligence agencies, its supervillain of a founder… but how much do you really know about the Amazon ecosystem of surveillance and control? Have you been able to keep up with the seemingly impossible task of tracking every move of every tentacle of the everything store? Let’s get down to business.
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jer...2020-09-291h 41
This Machine Kills8. VC Mindset (ft. Wendy Liu)Cold open: Bro, have you heard about this new startup called GOO_LOG?
Main Show: We’re joined by Wendy Liu (twitter.com/dellsystem), author of Abolish Silicon Valley, to dissect the system of venture capital that holds immense influence over what counts as innovation, why technology is created, and who gets to reap the benefits. Chances are – unless you have an invite to the ultra exclusive clubhouse – it isn’t you. But here’s the thing, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are alternatives.
Grab a copy of Wendy’s excellent book – Abolish Silicon Valley: How to Liberate Tech...2020-09-231h 45
CYBERInside the Fictitious World of Uber PropagandaIt’s been a pretty bad PR year for the world’s most popular ride-share app… And unsurprisingly it has poured money into good news stories, to kick up warm fuzzy feelings about a company that has been found, time and again, to not care very much about its drivers.Enter a CNBC paid partnership story about an UberEats driver who is about to make 100k a year. The American Dream, right? Not so, says Motherboard reporter Edward Ongweso who broke down the falsities of this rather suspect piece of news. Ho...2020-09-1728 min
This Machine Kills7. Black Hole SonCold open: 1 trillion dollar glitch
Main show: It’s finally time to formally introduce the king of kings into TMK canon, into the pantheon of parasites and villains who seek to control the world. We’re talking SoftBank and its founder Masayoshi Son, the only true accelerationist with the fortitude and fortune to actually force us into the post-capitalist singularity.
Here’s the excellent article we discuss on data assets and meta-platforms, by van Doorn and Badger: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/anti.12641
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jer...2020-09-151h 27
Ironweeds62 - Storm the Data Centers feat. Edward OngwesoThis week we’re #blessed to be joined by Ed Ongweso of This Machine Kills podcast. We talk big tech, venture capital, and what data collection would look like under a true government of the people. For our wildflower, Britney Spears appears to support her devoted fans of the #freebritney movement.
Please sign the petition to save indigenous land in Troy NY!: https://www.change.org/p/troy-city-council-save-1011-indigenous-land-and-last-waterfront-forest-in-troy-ny?utm_content=cl_sharecopy_24250622_en-US%3A4&recruiter=12961241&recruited_by_id=93256e10-cb89-11e5-b0be-0960f30a1c9a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copy...2020-09-101h 38
This Machine Kills6. Life-as-a-Service (ft. David A. Banks)Cold open: The 79-year-old CEO of AliUber and Senator from California Elizabeth Holmes has announced...
Main show: We’re joined by David A. Banks (https://twitter.com/DA_Banks), editor-at-large for Real Life and co-host of the Ironweeds podcast (https://twitter.com/ironweedspod), as we take a tour of the subscription economy where nobody owns anything, platforms control access to everything, monopoly rents are extracted everywhere, and the we have no choice but to sign up for Life-as-a-Service.
Big thanks to David for writing the script to this week’s cold open and to Britney Gill, co-host of Ironweeds podcast, for...2020-09-091h 43
This Machine Kills5. The Palantir ReformationCold open: Alex Karp’s manifesto of futurism.
Main show: Ring the stock exchange bell: Palantir is going public! We do a deep dive into Palantir’s S-1 filing and uncover an emerging schism in Silicon Valley. This episode gets dark as we trace the deep political and philosophical connections between Fascist Futurism and Palantir’s vision of techno-nationalism. You thought this company was evil before? Well buckle up.
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).
Some episode references:
Registration Statement on Form S-1 | Palantir Techno...2020-09-011h 57
This Machine Kills4. Zuboff is a PSYOPEpisode now remastered so it sounds 1000x better!
Cold open: Agent Zuboff receives her mission.
Main show: We politically cancel Shoshana Zuboff, author of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, for advancing / mainstreaming a reactionary critique. Surveillance capitalism is not a “rogue mutation” of a normal capitalism. Surveillance is not the scapegoat that needs to be sacrificed so we can maintain a good version of consumption and commodification. We let you in on a little secret—one that Zuboff’s work is designed to obscure—the real horrors have been coming from inside capitalism all along.
Morozov’s article on Zuboff’s bad analysis...2020-08-251h 28
This Machine Kills3. Exploitation Über AllesCold open: You come at the king, you best not miss.
Main show: We're locked and loaded with stacks of earnings reports. We've got Uber's finances in our sites. We take aim at the economic underpinning of this lobbyist with an app. It's time for some Uber theory, baby.
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-08-191h 20
TRASHFUTUREOperation Clippy feat. Edward Ongweso JrOh, the UK has an algorithm that reinforces class hierarchy and suppresses social mobility in the education system? Weird how that happens--surely that's not the point! To discuss this, we’ve brought on tech journalist Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) of the This Machine Kills podcast (@machinekillspod) to discuss it with Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), and Alice (@AliceAvizandum). We also discuss the UK’s fixation on murdering asylum seekers in the English Channel, as well as a Niall Ferguson article about how TikTok is ‘digital fentanyl.’ You will love it.
If you want access to our Patr...2020-08-181h 39
TRASHFUTUREOperation Clippy feat. Edward Ongweso JrOh, the UK has an algorithm that reinforces class hierarchy and suppresses social mobility in the education system? Weird how that happens--surely that's not the point! To discuss this, we’ve brought on tech journalist Edward Ongweso Jr (@bigblackjacobin) of the This Machine Kills podcast (@machinekillspod) to discuss it with Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), and Alice (@AliceAvizandum). We also discuss the UK’s fixation on murdering asylum seekers in the English Channel, as well as a Niall Ferguson article about how TikTok is ‘digital fentanyl.’ You will love it.
If you want access to our Patr...2020-08-181h 39
This Machine Kills2. Safeguardin' ASSets (ft. Shoshana Wodinsky)Cold Open: A message from Mr. Clean Networks.
Main Show: We're joined by Shoshana Wodinsky (https://twitter.com/swodinsky) who helps us breakdown the emerging digital cold war between the US and China. We get into the lunatics who are making policy and writing columns about the coming Chinese Cyber Imperium. Plus, we descend into the abyss of the American Mind.
Read Shoshana's excellent article: https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/08/it-doesnt-matter-who-owns-tiktok/
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (https://twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (https://twitter.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (https://twitter.com/braunestahl).2020-08-121h 30
This Machine Kills1. Tech Lives MatterWelcome to This Machine Kills! Hello friends and enemies.
It's episode one and what a better way to kick things off than by diving into the policing-industrial complex. We get into the intimate crossovers between the tech sector and police departments. And the bizarre similarities between the pathetic goons who spend their days defending Blue Lives and Tech Lives. It's a big party full of the worst people on the planet!
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (twitter.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (twitter.com/bigblackjacobin), production by Jereme Brown (twitter.com/braunestahl)2020-08-081h 23Tech Won't Save UsTech Giants Don't Care About Black Lives w/ Edward Ongweso Jr.Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss how the labor practices, tech products, and global supply chains of tech companies prove they don't care about Black lives — regardless of what they've said in recent statements. Edward also explains why we should defund the police.Edward Ongweso Jr. is a staff writer at Vice. He recently wrote about tech companies' response to Black Lives Matter and what it would mean to defund the police. Follow Edward on Twitter as @bigblackjacobin.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wid...2020-06-1141 min