Jacobin Radio Behind the News: Big-Tech War Profiteers w/ Susannah Glickman
Oct 27, 2025
Margaux MacColl, a tech and government reporter, dives into the world of Gen Z tech founders, exploring their health-obsessed habits and the alarming ease with which they create military tech like AI drones. Meanwhile, Susannah Glickman, a historian, critiques the emergence of new defense contractors like Palantir and Anduril, pointing out the pitfalls of privatization and the reliance on government funding. Together, they reveal a troubling intersection of technology, profit motives, and military power in today's society.
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Zoomer Founders' End‑Times Drive
- Gen Z tech founders are health-obsessed, nihilistic, and racing to get rich before AGI reshapes everything.
- They combine extreme work routines and biohacking with a belief that time is limited and wealth must be built fast.
Government Buyers Change Tech Culture
- Many startups now sell defense tech directly to the Pentagon, shifting incentives away from utopian consumer products.
- Selling to government reduces pressure to promote rosy visions and encourages militarized, pragmatic development.
Biohacking As Work Optimization
- Founders inject peptides, use Ozempic, and take nicotine patches to optimize work and longevity.
- They say biohacking is practical, aimed at working longer and gaining competitive advantage.
