The majority of U.S. workers aren’t compensated anywhere near the value that they actually create for society, while the few who make the most money often work the least and contribute very little. Decades of neoliberal thinking has twisted one of the foundational American beliefs—the idea that hard work eventually reaps great rewards—into a celebration of g ... Show More
May 12
How the AI Oligarchy Went Hyperscale (with Tim Murphy)
The AI “cloud” sounds weightless. But behind every chat bot, every prompt, and every promise of a coming AI revolution is a massive physical footprint: hyperscale data centers consuming enormous amounts of land, electricity, water, and public subsidies. This week, Nick and Goldy ... Show More
38m 31s
Apr 28
Crypto, Cryptocurrency Scams, and the Illusion of Easy Money (with Ben McKenzie)
Crypto is back—new hype cycles, rising prices, and fresh promises that this time cryptocurrency is changing the financial system for good. But the questions haven’t changed: is this innovation or just another wave of speculation, scams, and financial fraud? That’s why we’re revis ... Show More
33m 20s
Feb 2022
Elizabeth Anderson, "Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don't Talk about It) (Princeton UP, 2019)
One in four American workers says their workplace is a "dictatorship." Yet that number almost certainly would be higher if we recognized employers for what they are-private governments with sweeping authoritarian power over our lives. Many employers minutely regulate workers' spe ... Show More
50m 1s
Nov 2021
The Case Against Loving Your Job
<p>The compulsion to be happy at work “is always a demand for emotional work from the worker,” <a href="https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/sarah-jaffe/work-wont-love-you-back/9781568589398/" target="_blank">writes Sarah Jaffe</a>. “Work, after all, has no feelings. Capitalism c ... Show More
1h 22m