Tech Won't Save Us

The Long History of the US War on Iran w/ Spencer Ackerman

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781984879790] and the forthcoming book The Torture and Deliverance of Majid Khan. He also write the Forever Wars [https://www.forever-wars.com] 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 [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. 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 [https://www.youtube.com/@techwontsaveus]! * Spencer has written about the regime change in Iran [https://www.forever-wars.com/regime-change-in-iran-terms-and-conditions-apply/], and the targeting of data centers [https://www.forever-wars.com/when-the-war-goes-ai-the-data-centers-will-be-targets-f-engadgets-devindra-hardawar/] in the conflict. * Further reading on Iran’s ‘infrastructure war’ [https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/11/iran_threatens_us_tech_companies/]. * Here is the latest [https://time.com/article/2026/03/23/trump-postpones-strikes-iranian-power-plants-iran-threatens-persian-gulf/] on discussions [https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ce35wke27ynt?page=4] between the USA and Iran as of Monday March 23rd.

Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein w/ Ed Niedermeyer

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781948836128] and a co-host of the Autonocast [https://www.autonocast.com]. 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 [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Go to surfshark.com/SAVEUS [http://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 [https://niedermeyer.online/2026/02/10/musk-epstein-year-one/] with [https://niedermeyer.online/2026/02/20/musk-epstein-dubai-dreams/] Epstein. * Here’s more information on Juleanna Glover’s [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/13/how-a-top-dc-strategist-courted-jeffrey-epstein-00827448?nid=0000018f-3124-de07-a98f-3be4d1400000&nname=politico-toplines&nrid=c947b8ca-67dd-44e3-b6c6-b720d452e331] relationship with Epstein.

The Left Doesn’t Hate Technology w/ Gita Jackson

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 [https://aftermath.site]. 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 [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. 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 [https://aftermath.site/anthropic-claude-ai-leftist-technology/]. * Gita also wrote about downloading digital music [https://aftermath.site/digita-audio-player-snowsky-echo-mini-fiio-hyby/] onto a Snowksy Fiio Echo Mini. * Chris Person wrote about the Boox Palma eReader [https://aftermath.site/i-love-my-weird-little-phone-shaped-ereader/] as an alternative to Kindle. * Learn more about Mike Pondsmith [https://blackgirlnerds.com/from-cyberpsychos-to-netrunners-here-is-the-story-of-mike-pondsmith-the-true-mastermind-behind-cyberpunk/?fbclid=IwAR3FXZ4ne0Iy4xrbB0zoL0B_aa9O0Zf6pny7SQHo_w3KmK-8hzkkYg_f8Ng] and his Cyberpunk TTRPG. * Gita will one day get Paris to watch Frieren [https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GG5H5XQX4/frieren-beyond-journeys-end?srsltid=AfmBOoqjvcnG5JevUY6h-DznEZai1fEZG5crg8gR2Sv3gtmCsP6SrDvt].

Bill Gates and Jeffrey Epstein w/ Tim Schwab

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781250850102]. 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 [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. 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 [https://timschwab.substack.com/p/the-epstein-files-should-end-bill] over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. * Here is the interview [https://www.npr.org/2026/02/03/nx-s1-5697080/melinda-french-gates-reacts-to-ex-husband-bill-gates-being-mentioned-in-epstein-files] Melinda French Gates did with NPR * Here is the Wall Street Journal article [https://www.wsj.com/articles/bill-gates-apologizes-to-foundation-staff-over-epstein-ties-67f39ef5] covering Bill Gates apology to Gates Foundation staff for his relationship with Epstein

The Luddite Club is For Everyone w/ Amanda Hanna-McLeer & Lucy Jackson

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 [https://www.ludditeclubdoc.com] documentary. Lucy Jackson is an early member of the Luddite Club [https://www.theludditeclub.org]. 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 [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Go to surfshark.com/SAVEUS [http://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 [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/style/teens-social-media.html] article featuring the club * Amanda shouts out Brian Merchant’s book The One Device [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9780316546249] and Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781612198552] * The film discussed was John Carpenter’s 1988 sci-fi horror film They Live [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/]