Tech Won't Save Us

The Frictionless World of Silicon Valley w/ Anna Wiener

Paris Marx is joined by Anna Wiener to discuss her journey into the tech industry, how Silicon Valley’s desire for a “frictionless” world is affecting culture, and why it’s important to analyze Substack’s claims about the future of journalism. Anna Wiener is the author of “<a href="https://www.mcdbooks.com/books/uncanny-valley">Uncanny Valley</a>” (available in paperback on <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781250785695">Bookshop</a>) and a contributing writer at the New Yorker. Follow Anna on Twitter as <a href="https://twitter.com/annawiener">@annawiener</a>. Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (<a href="https://twitter.com/techwontsaveus">@techwontsaveus</a>) and host Paris Marx (<a href="https://twitter.com/parismarx">@parismarx</a>) on Twitter, and support the show on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus">Patreon</a>. Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at<a href="https://harbingermedianetwork.com"> harbingermedianetwork.com</a>. Also mentioned in this episode:Read Anna’s articles on <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/is-substack-the-media-future-we-want">Substack</a>, <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/trump-twitter-facebook-and-the-future-of-online-speech">Section 230</a>, and <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/the-floating-utopia-of-salesforce-park">Salesforce Park in San Francisco</a>.Ava Kofman, Francis Tseng, and Moira Weigel explain how Amazon self-publishing has become <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-hate-store-amazons-self-publishing-arm-is-a-haven-for-white-supremacists">a haven for white supremacists</a>.Venture-capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz wrote about what they see as the “<a href="https://a16z.com/2019/10/08/passion-economy/">passion economy</a>.”<a href="https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus" rel="payment">Support the show</a>

Silicon Valley wants to shape our future, but why should we let it? Every Thursday, Paris Marx is joined by a new guest to critically examine the tech industry, its big promises, and the people behind them. Tech Won’t Save Us challenges the notion that tech alone can drive our world forward by showing that separating tech from politics has consequences for us all, especially the most vulnerable. It’s not your usual tech podcast.