31. Richard Wolff on Economic Futures in the Age of AI and the Decline of the American Empire

31. Richard Wolff on Economic Futures in the Age of AI and the Decline of the American Empire

Richard Wolff is an economist and professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Described by The New York Times Magazine as "America's most prominent Marxist economist," Wolff is known for his critiques of contemporary capitalism and his advocacy for alternative economic models, particularly worker-owned enterprises. Wolff is also a cofounder of Democracy At Work [https://www.democracyatwork.info/], a nonprofit that produces the program Economic Update with Richard D. Wolff [https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate].  His prominent publications include books like Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism [https://citylights.com/open-media-series/occupy-the-economy-barsamian-interviews/]; Contending Economic Theories: Neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian [https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262517836/contending-economic-theories/]; Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/483-democracy-at-work]; and Understanding Marxism [https://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-d-wolff/understanding-marxism/paperback/product-189py59w.html?page=1&pageSize=4].  Join us for a conversation on the state of the global economy, inequality, labor, and the enduring relevance of Marxist thought in the twenty-first century.  This episode was recorded on June 4, 2025. Follow Richard Wolff on X [https://x.com/profwolff?s=20], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@richard_wolff?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc], and YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/@RichardDWolff]. Follow Ramesh on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/utopias_podcast/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@utopias_podcast?lang=en], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/utopiaspodcast.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/RameshMedias], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Utopias_Podcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramesh-srinivasan-1081261a], and on his website [https://www.rameshsrinivasan.org/].  Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com [podcastutopias@gmail.com]. This podcast may contain explicit language and content that is not suitable for all audiences.

30. Douglas Rushkoff

Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires [https://wwnorton.com/books/survival-of-the-richest] and Team Human [https://www.teamhuman.fm/book], which is also the name of his podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/team-human-with-douglas-rushkoff/id1140331811]. Douglas was named one of the "world’s ten most influential intellectuals" by MIT. This conversation was recorded on June 6, 2025.  Follow Team Human on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/teamhumanshow] and X [https://x.com/teamhumanshow]. Follow Ramesh on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/utopias_podcast/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@utopias_podcast?lang=en], Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/utopiaspodcast.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/RameshMedias], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Utopias_Podcast], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramesh-srinivasan-1081261a], and on his website [https://www.rameshsrinivasan.org/].  Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com [podcastutopias@gmail.com]. This podcast may contain explicit language and content that is not suitable for all audiences.

29. Ethan Zuckerman

Ethan Zuckerman is a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he teaches public policy, communication and information. He founded the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure, an organization that studies the civic and social role of internet platforms, and advocates for approaches to digital infrastructures that treat platforms as public goods, not purely as profit-making ventures. He is the author of Mistrust: Why Losing Faith in Institutions Provides the Tools to Transform Them [https://bookshop.org/p/books/mistrust-why-losing-faith-in-institutions-provides-the-tools-to-transform-them-ethan-zuckerman/b6beeacd22833cde?ean=9781324002604&next=t&next=t&source=IndieBound] and Digital Cosmopolitans: Why We Think the Internet Connects Us, Why It Doesn't, and How to Rewire It [https://bookshop.org/p/books/digital-cosmopolitans-why-we-think-the-internet-connects-us-why-it-doesn-t-and-how-to-rewire-it-ethan-zuckerman/77934d0a74b70858?ean=9780393350326&next=t&next=t&source=IndieBound]. This conversation was recorded on April 18, 2025 Follow Ethan on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/ethanz.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/EthanZ?s=20], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-zuckerman-16a4618b], and his website [https://ethanzuckerman.com]. Follow Ramesh on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/utopiaspodcast.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/RameshMedias], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Utopias_Podcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/utopias_podcast/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@utopias_podcast?lang=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramesh-srinivasan-1081261a], and his website [https://www.rameshsrinivasan.org/]. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. This podcast may contain explicit language and content that is not suitable for all audiences.

28. Yanis Varoufakis

Yanis Varoufakis is a renowned Greek economist and bestselling author. He served as the Minister of Finance in Greece and co-founded the political party Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25). His books include Another Now [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/696968/another-now-by-yanis-varoufakis/] and Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/751443/technofeudalism-by-yanis-varoufakis/]. This is Yanis’ second time coming on the show. This conversation – moderated by CNN Arabic Editor-in-Chief Caroline Faraj – was featured at Web Summit Qatar on February 3, 2026.  Learn more about Yanis [https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/] and Caroline [https://www.cnn.com/profiles/caroline-faraj]. Follow me on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/utopiaspodcast.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/RameshMedias], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Utopias_Podcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/utopias_podcast/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@utopias_podcast?lang=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramesh-srinivasan-1081261a], and on my website [https://www.rameshsrinivasan.org/].  Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. This podcast may contain explicit language and content that is not suitable for all audiences.

27. Kaiser Kuo

Kaiser Kuo is the founder and host of Sinica Podcast. He is a journalist for Beijinger magazine and a senior manager in public communications at Baidu. Kaiser also cofounded the Chinese rock band Tang Dynasty. Tulin Chang Maltepe joined me as a co-host for this interview. Tulin is a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Public Affairs with a minor in Chinese Languages and Cultures. She is also the Director of Outreach for the show.  This conversation was recorded on November 14, 2025. Follow Kaiser on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/kaiserkuo.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/KaiserKuo?s=20], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kaiser_kuo?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaiserkuo/]. Follow me on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/utopiaspodcast.bsky.social], X [https://x.com/RameshMedias], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Utopias_Podcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/utopias_podcast/], TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@utopias_podcast?lang=en], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramesh-srinivasan-1081261a], and on my website [https://www.rameshsrinivasan.org/].  Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. This podcast may contain explicit language and content that is not suitable for all audiences.