France's Attempts to Attract Tech Investment

7min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The chapter discusses France's efforts to become a hub for tech investment, including Emmanuel Macron's initiatives. It highlights the challenges faced due to unfavorable tax policies and controversies surrounding Macron's approach. The chapter also mentions the support for cryptocurrencies and the concept of France becoming a 'unicorn nation', while addressing the crumbling public system and demographic challenges.

Paris Marx is joined by Nastasia Hadjadji to discuss Emmanuel Macron’s plan to run France like a start-up, how that justified a further dismantling of France's welfare state, and how his desire to create national tech champions is having domestic consequences.

Nastasia Hadjadji is a French journalist looking at tech from the lens of political economy and the author of “No Crypto. Comment Bitcoin a envoûté la planète.”

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:

Paris will be speaking in Auckland on February 18 in an event hosted by Tohatoha.
Emmanuel Macron aided Uber’s lobbying efforts as Economy Minister under the former Socialist government.
France worked hard to attract the crypto industry. Macron even took a selfie with Binance’s Changpeng Zhao, who’s now pled guilty to felony charges.
The group Technopolice documents police surveillance in France.
La Quadrature du Net campaigns against algorithmic video surveillance.
Louis Pouzin is considered to have almost created the internet.

Support the show