logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
37m 46s

Why the Robot Revolution is Our Fault

Vulture
About this episode
In recent years Amazon has quietly become one of the leaders in automation, reshaping its workforce of nearly 600,000 workers, and the way humans work with robots. We fear robots taking over the world, but do we understand just how we as consumers are making that future happen? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
Up next
Aug 2019
How Amazon Charmed Wall Street
When Amazon became a publicly traded company in 1997, it was losing money. And it wouldn’t turn a profit for years. So how did it convince Wall Street to do something unprecedented: Turn a blind eye to profit? And how did that help Amazon become one of the world’s most valuable c ... Show More
36m 27s
Aug 2019
Is Amazon Too Big? We Ask Its Sellers
Small businesses and major brands alike rely on Amazon but are increasingly ambivalent about selling on the platform. The Amazon Marketplace is a battle royale of millions of sellers and declining profit margins. Meanwhile, Amazon is building its own branded line of competing pro ... Show More
45m 5s
Sep 2019
'I love Amazon. Let’s break it up'
In the final episode of our season on Amazon, NYU professor and “Pivot” podcast co-host Scott Galloway tells Jason Del Rey that Amazon needs to be broken up - and which parts of the company should be spun off first. They discuss Amazon’s ultimate impact on us as consumers, who ar ... Show More
27m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2025
Amazon's Robot Takeover
<p>Over the past two decades, no company has done more to shape the American workplace than Amazon. In its ascent to become the nation’s second-largest employer, it has developed an aggressive corporate culture and pioneered using technology to hire, monitor and manage workers.</ ... Show More
26m 4s
Jun 2017
AI, Machine Learning and Human Creativity
<p>Just as manufacturing automation cuts into human jobs, the prospect of creative artificial intelligence raises the specter of robot writers, robot artists and robot musicians who never sleep and always agree with their patron. But paranoia aside, where will creative machine le ... Show More
1h 17m
May 2021
461. How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse
<p>It’s true that robots (and other smart technologies) will kill many jobs. It may also be true that newer collaborative robots (“cobots”) will totally reinvigorate how work gets done. That, at least, is what the economists are telling us. Should we believe them?</p><br/> <p>Hos ... Show More
48m 22s
Sep 2024
The Future of Robot “Servants”
The human world is increasingly 'assisted' by a pantheon of automations. Yet this emergent reality brings to bear fundamental philosophical quandries about the nature of not only the mind but the soul of things called 'artificial.' In tonight's episode, sponsored by Illumination ... Show More
1h 14m
Sep 2024
Are Robots Going to Take Over the World?!?!?
AI technology is super trendy, but can also be super scary! The 3D Printing Doctor not only makes really fun trinkets and videos with his machines, he is actually a real scientist who specializes in AI and robotics! We asked him if there was any real possibility of robots taking ... Show More
54m 17s
Nov 2021
Robot as Threat
When a robot goes bad, who is responsible? It’s not always clear if the user or the manufacturer is liable when a robot leaves the lot. Human behavior can be complex—and often contradictory. Asking machines to interpret that behavior is quite the task. Will it one day be possible ... Show More
23m 11s
Sep 2025
What Happens When Capitalism Doesn't Need Workers Anymore?
Imagine a world where AI outsmarts you at work—scary, right? From the Philippines to the US, AI is changing the economic landscape, increasing the GDP of rich nations (5.4% in the US) while putting millions of jobs at risk in developing countries. Will machines leave you behind, ... Show More
15m 29s
Mar 2023
How will AI change our jobs
On today's episode, Kate explains how AI might change our jobs. A 2021 poll found that 48% of Americans fear that automation will reduce the number of jobs, but is there really something to be afraid of? 
6m 54s