The Corruption of Open Source w/ tante

Tech Won't Save Us

#Books #Arts #News #Paris Marx #Technology #Tech Criticism #Future #Tech #Silicon Valley #Tech News #Politics #Social #Critics

34:01

I think you could probably go back and track the stages of grief, probably that is what I went through. But I think if you do it right, you end up at acceptance. And that's where I ended up. And that's not to say that I've fully accepted the idea that the golden toad is extinct. Personally, I do still hold out hope that it could still be out there in those forests." - Trevor Ritland This conversation is with Trevor Ritland, who—along with his twin brother Kyle—authored The Golden Toad . The book chronicles their remarkable journey into Costa Rica’s cloud forest, once home to hundreds of brilliant golden toads that would emerge for just a few weeks each year—until, one day, they vanished without a trace. What began as a search for a lost species soon became something much more profound: a confrontation with ecological grief, a meditation on hope, and a powerful call to protect the natural world while we still can. Links: SpeciesUnite.com Kyle and Trevor: https://kyleandtrevor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureterm/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222249677-the-golden-toad Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Toad-Ecological-Mystery-Species/dp/163576996…

about a year ago 1:04:04

MP3•Episode home

Paris Marx is joined by tante to discuss troubling developments in the open source world as Wordpress goes to war with WP Engine and a new definition of open source AI doesn’t require being open about training data.
tante is a sociotechnologist, writer, speaker, and Luddite working on tech and its social impact.
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.
The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Transcripts are by Brigitte Pawliw-Fry.
Also mentioned in this episode:

tante wrote about the problem with the Open Source Initiative’s definition of open source AI.
Check out this link for the full breakdown on the Wordpress drama.
Wordpress changed its trademark guidelines on September 19 regarding the use of the WP abbreviation.
Tumblr and Wordpress started selling user data for AI training earlier this year.
A lot of the controversy around Richard Stallman started blowing up in 2019.

Support the show

299 episodes

The Corruption of Open Source w/ tante

Tech Won't Save Us

1,234 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

tante wrote about the problem with the Open Source Initiative’s definition of open source AI.
Check out this link for the full breakdown on the Wordpress drama.
Wordpress changed its trademark guidelines on September 19 regarding the use of the WP abbreviation.
Tumblr and Wordpress started selling user data for AI training earlier this year.
A lot of the controversy around Richard Stallman started blowing up in 2019.

Support the show

299 episodes

#Books #Arts #News #Paris Marx #Technology #Tech Criticism #Future #Tech #Silicon Valley #Tech News #Politics #Social #Critics

All episodes

Tech Won't Save Us

1
The Geopolitical Fight Over Huawei w/ Yangyang Cheng 54:05

5 days ago54:05

54:05

Paris Marx is joined by Yangyang Cheng to discuss how Huawei became one of the most powerful companies in China and how current geopolitical narratives distract from the issues at the heart of surveillance capitalism in the US and China. Yangyang Cheng is a Research Scholar in Law and Fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center. 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation . Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Yangyang wrote about how Huawei is emblematic of China’s capitalist model for China File . We also discuss Eva Dou’s The House of Huawei . Donald Trump discussed how the USA uses the same tactics the government accuses China of employing in bad faith. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
Chatbots Are Repeating Social Media’s Harms w/ Nitasha Tiku 53:48

12 days ago53:48

53:48

Paris Marx is joined by Nitasha Tiku to discuss how AI companies are preying on users to drive engagement and how that’s repeating many of the problems we’re belatedly trying to address with social media companies at an accelerated pace. Nitasha Tiku is a technology reporter at the Washington Post . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation . Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Nitasha wrote about how chatbots are messing with people’s minds . Paris wrote about Mark Zuckerberg’s comments about people needing AI friends . AI companies are facing ongoing lawsuits over harmful content. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
Brazil's Battle to Rein In Big Tech w/ Laís Martins 57:52

19 days ago57:52

57:52

Paris Marx is joined by Laís Martins to discuss the recent enforcement measures against tech companies like X and Rumble in Brazil, how the country is grappling with the overreach of US tech companies, and the wider discussion about tech policy in Brazil. Laís Martins is a technology reporter at The Intercept Brasil . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation . Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Laís has reported on Rumble's fight against the Brazilian Supreme Court as well as the decisions the Brazilian government is making to welcome AI data centers . Former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff was spied on by US intelligence services. The Brazilian government has long used and supported open source software. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
We All Suffer from OpenAI’s Pursuit of Scale w/ Karen Hao 51:18

26 days ago51:18

51:18

Paris Marx is joined by Karen Hao to discuss how Sam Altman’s goal of scale at all costs has spawned a new empire founded on exploitation of people and the environment, resulting in not only the loss of valuable research into more inventive AI systems, but also exacerbated data privacy issues, intellectual property erosion, and the perpetuation of surveillance capitalism. Karen Hao is an award-winning journalist and the author of Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Karen was the first journalist to profile OpenAI. Karen has reported on the environmental impacts and human costs of AI. The New York Times reported on Why We're Unlikely to Get Artificial General Intelligence Anytime Soon. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
The New Military Industry Complex w/ Sam Biddle 57:06

5 weeks ago57:06

57:06

Paris Marx is joined by Sam Biddle to discuss how Silicon Valley is shamelessly courting government military contracts, using tactics to silence employee dissent and normalize the situation to the public, and what it all means for the future of military geopolitics. Sam Biddle is a senior technology reporter at The Intercept . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Sam wrote about how defense tech companies sought to capitalize on Trump’s return to office and OpenAI’s embrace of nationalism . Trae Stephens was interviewed by Wired last year, where he made his comments about the military industrial complex. Meta and Anduril teamed up to provide VR and AR devices to the US military. Trump’s US Army appointee won’t give up his Anduril stock. Palantir’s CEO wrote the Defense Reformation report and Andreessen Horowitz launched an American Dynamism division. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
The Case for a Digital Detox w/ Casey Johnston 55:18

6 weeks ago55:18

55:18

Paris Marx is joined by Casey Johnston to discuss why she pared back on social media, made her smartphone much dumber, and what she learned about how bodies are treated online through her fitness journey. Casey Johnston is the creator of the She’s A Beast newsletter and author of A Physical Education: How I Escaped Diet Culture and Gained the Power of Lifting . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation . Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Casey wrote about her DIY Dumbphone Method and reducing social media use . Facebook reportedly detected when teenage girls deleted photos so it could serve them beauty ads. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
Generative AI is Not Inevitable w/ Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna 53:13

7 weeks ago53:13

53:13

Paris Marx is joined by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna to discuss the harms of generative AI, how the industry keeps the public invested while companies flounder under the weight of unmet promises, and what people can do to push back. Emily M. Bender is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at University of Washington. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Institute. They are the authors of The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: New York Magazine reported on the consequences of increasingly widespread use of ChatGPT in education. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
Elon Musk is Remaking the US Space Program w/ Tim Fernholz 1:00:57

8 weeks ago1:00:57

1:00:57

Paris Marx is joined by Tim Fernholz to discuss how Elon Musk’s influence in the White House is shaping the US Space Program, why he’s pushing NASA toward Mars instead of the Moon, and whether the Starship rocket is in trouble. Tim Fernholz is a senior reporter at Payload Space and the author of Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race . 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. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation . Production is by Kyla Hewson. Also mentioned in this episode: Tim wrote about Donald Trump’s NASA budget and Jared Isaacman’s confirmation hearing . The Wall Street Journal wrote about Elon Musk’s plans to get NASA to refocus on Mars . Trump’s proposed budget aims to cut NASA’s science budget by 47% as part of a larger 24% cut to the agency’s top-line funding. SpaceX’s Starship rocket is running into serious problems . Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
The Roots of Elon Musk’s War On Empathy w/ Julia Carrie Wong 52:20

9 weeks ago52:20

52:20

Paris Marx is joined by Julia Carrie Wong to discuss Elon Musk’s recent opposition to empathy, how it comes out of the Christian right, and the relationship it has to previous discussions of longtermism. Julia Carrie Wong is a features writer at The Guardian . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: Julia wrote about how the Christian right is reframing empathy as a threat to civilization. In 2017, she also interviewed Elon Musk about worker injuries at Tesla. In February, none other than Pope Francis pushed back on JD Vance’s use of a Christian theological concept to justify Trump’s inhumane immigration policies. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
How Brainrot AI is Upending the Internet w/ Jason Koebler 53:38

10 weeks ago53:38

53:38

Paris Marx is joined by Jason Koebler to discuss the economy behind AI slop generation, how people are building businesses on AI-generated images, and the wider consequences of their proliferation on social media. Jason Koebler is a cofounder of 404 Media and cohost of the 404 Media Podcast. 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: Jason wrote about how Brainrot AI is monetized on Instagram and the wider effects of AI slop on how we perceive reality. He also wrote about how whether the tech industry’s bet on Donald Trump is working out with Emanuel Maiberg. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
How Masayoshi Son Shaped the Tech Industry w/ Laleh Khalili 52:17

11 weeks ago52:17

52:17

Paris Marx is joined by Laleh Khalili to discuss Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, the structural factors that allowed him to build an empire, and the many ways he’s shaped the modern tech industry. Laleh Khalili is Professor of Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter and the author of Sinews of War and Trade and her forthcoming book Extractive Capitalism . 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: Laleh wrote a review of a new book about Masa. She also mentioned The Box by Marc Levinson and The Next Shift by Gabriel Winant. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
Digital Sovereignty in a Time of Rising Fascism 41:12

12 weeks ago41:12

41:12

Paris Marx is doing a solo episode this week to bring together some important issues that have been on his mind lately. This is a recording of a talk Paris gave in Auckland, New Zealand on how Silicon Valley’s alliance with Donald Trump forces us to reassess the politics of the internet and challenge our collective dependence on US tech as it embraces the project of American empire. 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: Paris co-wrote a white paper on digital sovereignty and has written about the need to challenge US tech in response to Silicon Valley’s alliance with Trump. Paris also mentioned the EuroStack and British Digital Cooperative report. Dark Times Academy offers courses on a wide range of topics. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
Can Europe End Its Dependence on US Tech? w/ Aline Blankertz 47:53

13 weeks ago47:53

47:53

Paris Marx is joined by Aline Blankertz to discuss whether Europe is going to finally make a serious push to end its dependence on US tech and how different European interests are trying to take advantage of those debates. Aline Blankertz is an economist working on digital policy. She currently works with Rebalance Now and was previously at Wikimedia Germany. 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: Aline published some thoughts on the push for tech sovereignty in Europe. Paris co-wrote a white paper on digital sovereignty last year and more recently argued the US needs to feel the consequences for its actions. If you want to apply to be the show’s producer, find more information here . Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
The Dirty Alliance Between Tech and the Oil Industry w/ JS Tan 53:06

14 weeks ago53:06

53:06

Paris Marx is joined by JS Tan to discuss his experience seeing first hand how Microsoft deployed its cloud and machine learning services to help Chevron extract more oil and gas, and the state of tech worker organizing around climate change. JS Tan is a PhD student at MIT, researching cloud computing in the US and China. He’s a a member of Collective Action in Tech and writes the Value Added 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 . The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Eric Wickham. Also mentioned in this episode: Read JS Tan’s “ Oil Is the New Dat a” piece in Logic Magazine. Support the show…

Tech Won't Save Us

1
DOGE Is Gutting the US Digital Service w/ Kate Green and Milo 52:43

15 weeks ago52:43