Tech Won't Save Us29 Sep 2022

Why Google’s Toronto Smart City Failed w/ Josh O'Kane

Paris Marx is joined by Josh O’Kane to discuss how Sidewalk Labs decided to build a city “from the internet up” in Toronto, the concerns that existed with the project, and why it ultimately fell apart.Josh O’Kane is an award-winning technology reporter at the Globe and Mail and the author of Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy. Follow Josh on Twitter at @joshokane.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. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode: An excerpt of Josh’s book was published in the Globe and Mail. Josh wrote about how Canada’s Liberal government under Justin Trudeau isn’t as friendly with tech companies as it was earlier in its time in power. Around the time of Sidewalk Toronto, opponents were able to defeat Amazon’s HQ2 project in New York, Google’s Berlin startup hub, Apple’s planned central Stockholm store, and its planned store in Melbourne’s Fed Square. Bianca Wylie was one of the prominent critics of the project, and was called the “Jane Jacobs of the smart city.” In 2019, documents leaked showing Sidewalk Labs wanted a lot more power and access to more land than was agreed upon, and that further fueled opposition. In May 2020, Wylie wrote about the cancelation of the project and the lessons that should be learned. Support the show

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(344)

Digital Redlining in the Frictionless Society w/ Chris Gilliard

Paris Marx is joined by Chris Gilliard to discuss how decisions by powerful institutions over how to implement new technologies in cities, education, health, and more have the effect of creating a for...

1 Apr 202149min

Elon Musk Isn’t Saving Humanity w/ Manu Saadia

Paris Marx is joined by Manu Saadia to discuss the roots of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos’ visions for space, and why they serve the billionaires’ need for control, not the betterment of humanity.Manu Saad...

25 Mars 202151min

How Britain Killed its Computing Industry w/ Mar Hicks

Paris Marx is joined by Mar Hicks to discuss why we need to know the history of tech and how the British history of sexism and colonialism in computing has lessons for the present-day US tech industry...

18 Mars 202154min

Is Bill Gates a “Good” Billionaire? w/ Tim Schwab

Paris Marx is joined by Tim Schwab to discuss how Bill Gates wields his wealth to shape public policy, the many conflicts of interest of Bill and his Foundation, and how legitimate criticism of power ...

11 Mars 202153min

How Algorithms Are Transforming Work w/ Callum Cant

Paris Marx is joined by Callum Cant to discuss the UK Supreme Court ruling that Uber drivers are workers, his experience organizing as a Deliveroo worker, and how algorithmic management is transformin...

4 Mars 202156min

Why We Need a Luddite Politics of Tech w/ Gavin Mueller

Paris Marx is joined by Gavin Mueller to discuss who the Luddites really were, what they can teach us about how we think about technology today, and why they show the need for a decelerationist politi...

25 Feb 202155min

Australia’s Plan to Make Tech Pay for News w/ Lizzie O’Shea

Paris Marx is joined by Lizzie O’Shea to discuss how Australia’s plan to make Google and Facebook pay news publishers entrenches a data-extractive business model and aligns the interests of tech giant...

18 Feb 202145min

How Indonesian Gig Workers Are Organizing w/ Rida Qadri

Paris Marx is joined by Rida Qadri to discuss how gig workers in Jakarta created networks of mutual aid in the face of a lack of support from companies and the government, and how their experiences sh...

11 Feb 202154min