Edward Ongweso Jr.

Edward Ongweso Jr., a Senior Researcher at Security in Context and co-host of This Machine Kills, dives into the political economy of technology. He addresses the rise of surveillance culture and its impact on marginalized communities. Ongweso critiques libertarian ideals while advocating for community engagement and mutual aid. He also explores the pitfalls of cryptocurrency and its effects on human relationships. With insights into journalism and politics, he emphasizes the need for collaborative approaches to societal challenges.

Join Robert Evans, a savvy podcaster from 'It Could Happen Here', Gare Davis, a thoughtful contributor, and Edward Ongweso Jr., a sharp tech writer, as they dive into the chaos of CES 2025. They humorously dissect the bizarre life of John McAfee and the absurdity of tech conventions. The trio reflects on AI's real impact on jobs, critiques the industry's repetitive trends, and shares frustrations about voice assistants. Expect witty anecdotes mixed with incisive commentary on the future of technology!

Edward Ongweso Jr., finance editor at Logics Magazine, joins to critique tech journalist Kara Swisher's industry narratives and flaws in access journalism. They discuss Swisher's rebranding attempts, NFT promotion, and biases in tech reporting. The podcast delves into the power dynamics in tech journalism, challenges of critiquing tech giants, and the importance of transparency in industry relationships.

In this engaging discussion, Edward Ongweso Jr, a Brooklyn-based writer and co-host of This Machine Kills, delves into the complexities of 'artificial intelligence.' He critiques how the term obscures corporate motivations and draws surprising parallels between modern technology and historic labor exploitation on plantations. The conversation reveals how surveillance capitalism evolved post-World War II, linking military and civilian innovations, and explores the authoritarian tendencies within Silicon Valley that threaten democratic values.

Paris Marx is joined by Edward Ongweso Jr. to discuss how the venture capital industry works, why the technologies it funds don’t deliver on their marketing promises, and how that’s once again being shown in the hype around AI. Edward Ongweso Jr. is a freelance journalist, co-host of This Machine Kills, and guest columnist at The Nation. You can follow Ed on Twitter at @bigblackjacobin.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:Edward wrote about the problems with venture capital and what the AI hype shows us about the industry for The Nation. Earlier this year, he wrote about the tantrum VCs threw after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse.Paris wrote about where Elon Musk’s vision for the X superapp comes from, why his Twitter rebrand isn’t going so well, and why ChatGPT isn’t a revolution.In 2020, Sam Harnett wrote about the problem with tech media’s coverage of the gig economy.Uber used to want to be the “Amazon for transportation” and the “operating system for everyday life.”TIME reported on how OpenAI lobbying watered down EU AI rules.Marc Andreessen wrote his pitch for “Why AI Will Save the World.”Support the show