Tech Won't Save Us

How Spotify Remade the Music Industry w/ Liz Pelly [Replay]

Paris Marx is joined by Liz Pelly to discuss how Spotify changes how we listen to music and the broader impacts it has on the wider music industry. This episode previously aired in February 2025. Liz Pelly is a music journalist and the author of Mood Machine. [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781668083505] 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. Production for this episode was originally by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: * Shout-out to the book The People’s Platform [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/212898/the-peoples-platform-by-astra-taylor/9780307360342] by Astra Taylor * You can read an excerpt [https://harpers.org/archive/2025/01/the-ghosts-in-the-machine-liz-pelly-spotify-musicians/] of Liz’s book in Harper’s. * The CEO of Suno AI said people “don’t enjoy [https://futurism.com/suno-ai-ceo-making-music]” making music. * The Edmonton Public Library [https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/sing-it-edmonton-library-releases-free-album-for-children-by-local-artists/] was mentioned for spearheading some cool projects featuring local musicians - combat capitalism by supporting the cool projects operating out of your own local library! * Hoopla [https://www.hoopladigital.com] works with local libraries to share music (and Libby [https://libbyapp.com/interview/welcome#doYouHaveACard] partners with libraries to share audiobooks)

The Year in Tech w/ Jathan Sadowski & Brian Merchant

Paris Marx is joined by Jathan Sadowski and Brian Merchant to reflect on the year in tech, discuss the worst people in Silicon Valley, and share what they’ll be keeping an eye on in 2026. Jathan Sadowski is the author of The Mechanic and the Luddite [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9780520398078], co-host of This Machine Kills, and a Senior Lecturer at Monash University. Brian Merchant [https://brianmerchant.org/] is the author of Blood in the Machine [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/] and writes a newsletter [https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/] of the same name. 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: * Visit Francesca Bria’s useful Authoritarian Stack [https://authoritarian-stack.info] * Trump signs an executive order [https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmddnge9yro] to keep states from implementing their own AI legislation * The Trump administration is gutting the Department of Education [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/trump-administration-sets-out-massive-education-department-restructuring-plan-00656464], climate science programs [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-moves-to-dismantle-national-climate-research-lab-in-colorado], and public health [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/trump-science-war-public-health-experts] * Disney and OpenAI [https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/disney-openai-1b-deal-star-wars-marvel-9.7011798] have reached a billion dollar deal * Bernie Sanders calls for a moratorium [https://www.pcmag.com/news/sen-bernie-sanders-heres-why-we-need-to-halt-ai-data-center-construction] on AI data centre construction

How Effective is Australia’s Social Media Age Limit? w/ Cam Wilson

Paris Marx is joined by Cam Wilson to discuss the new social media age limit in Australia, including how successful the rollout has been so far and the missed opportunities of taking a more nuanced regulatory approach. Cam Wilson is an associate editor at Crikey [https://www.crikey.com.au/author/cam-wilson/] and writes The Sizzle [https://thesizzle.com.au] newsletter. He’s a co-author of Conspiracy Nation [https://publishing.hardiegrant.com/en-au/books/conspiracy-nation-by-cam-wilson/9781761153570]: Exposing the Dangerous World of Australian Conspiracy Theories. 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: * Cam wrote about his experience reporting on the social media age limit debate [https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/10/cam-wilson-teen-social-media-ban/] and the removal of the exemption framework [https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/07/24/teen-social-media-ban-change-secret-deal/]. * Paris wrote about his thoughts on social media age limits and the need for much more comprehensive regulations [https://disconnect.blog/social-media-causes-more-harm-than-good/] on social media. * 64% of US teens are using chatbots [https://gizmodo.com/64-of-teens-say-they-use-ai-chatbots-as-mental-health-concerns-mount-2000697981] daily. * Submit questions to Paris for an upcoming mailbag episode at mailbag@techwontsave.us [mailbag@techwontsave.us] * Patreon supporters can join the year-end livestream this Friday, Dec 19 at 6PM ET

Europe’s Subservience to the United States w/ Ben Wray

Paris Marx is joined by Ben Wray to discuss the Europe’s capitulation to pressure from the United States on Nexperia, as well as on digital protections and labor rights that could have big implications for the future of work. Ben Wray is a researcher specializing in the platform economy. He writes the Gig Economy Project newsletter [https://braveneweurope.com/gig-economy-project] and his most recent report for the ETUC is called Uberisation [https://www.etuc.org/sites/default/files/publication/file/2025-12/Strategic%20Foresight_Uberisation%20-%20Trade%20Union%20Manual_ETUC.pdf]. 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. Today’s sponsors are ExpressVPN and ⁠Aura Frames. Get four months free by visiting ExpressVPN.com/TWSU [https://expressvpn.com/twsu]. Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at ⁠https://on.auraframes.com/PARIS⁠ [https://on.auraframes.com/PARIS]. Promo Code PARIS Also mentioned in this episode: * Ben wrote about the brief attempt by the Dutch to nationalize Nexperia [https://jacobin.com/2025/11/netherlands-china-nexperia-us-trade]. * In leaked documents [https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/10/uber-investigation-global-expansion-00044914] from 2012-2017 Uber executives recognize their own illegal activity and refer to themselves as ‘pirates’. * Spain recently ordered Meta [https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/meta-spain-ami-news-advertising-gdpr-eu-data] to pay €479m fine for breaching EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Europe is Gutting Its Tech Regulations w/ Aline Blankertz

Paris Marx is joined by Aline Blankertz to discuss how right-wing governments and international corporations in the European Union are pushing to gut tech regulations with the goal of boosting AI development in hope of improving economic growth and geopolitical standing. Aline Blankertz is a cofounder of Structural Integrity [https://www.structural-integrity.eu]. 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. Today’s sponsor is ⁠Aura Frames. Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/PARIS [https://on.auraframes.com/PARIS]. Promo Code PARIS Also mentioned in this episode: * Aline wrote about how the sovereignty discussion was progressing at a recent summit in Europe [https://www.techpolicy.press/at-the-sovereignty-summit-europe-put-startups-on-stage-and-kept-big-tech-in-control/]. * Aline mentioned an upcoming conference tying together different activist movements that listeners may find interesting: Cables of Resistance [https://cableresist.de]. * Learn more [https://www.structural-integrity.eu/regulation-disenchantment/] about the EU’s Digital Omnibus [https://verfassungsblog.de/the-omnibus-package-of-the-eu-commission/] regulation proposal. * The Draghi Report [https://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/draghi-report_en] examines EU competitiveness. * France and Germany [https://presse.economie.gouv.fr/france-and-germany-join-forces-with-mistral-ai-and-sap-se-to-launch-a-sovereign-ai-for-public-administration/] are partnering up to utilize AI in public administration * Shoutout to the book Vulture Capitalism [https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Vulture-Capitalism/Grace-Blakeley/9781982180867] by Grace Blakeley. * Here’s the latest in OpenAI’s ongoing litigation [https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/openai-says-dead-teen-violated-tos-when-he-used-chatgpt-to-plan-suicide/]. * Macron and Merz spoke out against authoritarianism [https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-democracies-danger-warn-friedrich-merz-emmanuel-macron/], in particular calling out a lack of national control over social networks. * Some governments [https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250613-we-re-done-with-teams-german-state-hits-uninstall-on-microsoft] are pushing back [https://www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/denmark-now-germany-is-the-public-sector-migrating-away-from-the-microsoft-suite/] and disconnecting [https://www.techradar.com/pro/the-international-criminal-court-is-ditching-microsoft-software-for-an-open-source-alternative]from US tech giants.