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

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781804297346]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://hyperscalebook.com]. * Cecilia and Paris worked on a white paper offering a roadmap to reclaiming digital sovereignty [https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10202865/]. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

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 [https://libraryfreedom.org]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * Click here [https://go.getproton.me/aff_c?offer_id=7&aff_id=12694&source=podcast&url_id=860] to get your first month of Proton Mail for just $1. * The Library Freedom Project has a ton of resources [https://libraryfreedom.org/resources/] on critically approaching technology. * Bangor Daily News wrote about librarians like Hannah helping patrons [https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/07/02/midcoast/midcoast-culture/maine-librarians-are-helping-patrons-resist-ai-joam40zk0w/] get AI off their devices. * Shout out to friend of the pod Brian Merchant and his book Blood in the Machine [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9780316487740]. * Learn more about the Luddite Club [https://www.theludditeclub.org]. * Learn more about the organization Libraries For The People [https://www.librariesforthepeople.org], 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 [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

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 [https://bookshop.org/a/18331/9781517917739], and co-creator of the documentary Machines in Flames [https://machinesinflames.com]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://hyperscalebook.com]. * Shout out to friend of the pod The Luddite Club [https://www.theludditeclub.org]. * This article by Saul Levin and Astra Taylor [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/08/ai-datacenters-democracy] discusses the growing bipartisan opposition towards data centers. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

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 [https://influence.citationneeded.news/] and Web3 is Going Just Great [https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/]. She writes the Citation Needed [https://www.citationneeded.news/] newsletter. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/797020/hyperscale-by-paris-marx/]. * Molly just wrote about Trump’s $1.4 billion crypto disclosure. [https://www.citationneeded.news/trumps-crypto-disclosure/] * Molly wrote about the crypto industry’s recent election spending [https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-106/]. * Molly also wrote about how the Citizens United decision [https://www.citationneeded.news/end-citizens-uniteds-tiffany-muller-on-fighting-big-money-in-politics/] is affecting elections today. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]

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 [https://aftermath.site] and makes Highlight Reel [https://www.youtube.com/@HighlightReel]. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/techwontsaveus]. Also mentioned in this episode: * You can now pre-order Paris’s new book Hyperscale [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/797020/hyperscale-by-paris-marx/]. * Chris mentioned the BC250, an e-waste machine [https://aftermath.site/bc250-steam-machine-budget-computer/] he’s written about recently. * Chris also wrote a review of the Steam Machine [https://aftermath.site/steam-machine-review-price/]. * Xbox [https://aftermath.site/xbox-price-increase-again-and-again/] and Apple [https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/apple-raises-prices-macbooks-ipads-memory-costs-skyrocket-2026-06-25/] both announced price hikes this month. * Stock prices for memory companies like SK Hynix [https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-koreas-sk-hynix-says-raise-29-bln-us-adr-listing-2026-06-24/] are hitting record highs. Support the show [https://patreon.com/techwontsaveus]