Tech Won't Save Us The Year in Tech w/ Jathan Sadowski & Brian Merchant
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Dec 24, 2025 
Jathan Sadowski, a Senior lecturer and author critical of tech power, joins journalist Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine. They reflect on tech’s troubling alliance with politics, particularly Trump's executive order cementing Silicon Valley's influence. The conversation dives into AI's labor impacts, including job losses and managerial overreliance. They also discuss Disney's controversial deal with OpenAI and the looming question of an AI bubble. Looking ahead, they share what to watch in tech and politics for 2026.
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Fringe Tech Politics Became Mainstream
- Fringe libertarian and reactionary Silicon Valley tendencies moved to the center, creating what Jathan Sadowski calls a techno‑fascist alignment.
- That fusion heightens contradictions and makes neutral positions untenable.
AI As Justification For Hollowing State Capacity
- AI was wielded to hollow out state capacity, used as justification for layoffs and administrative dismantling.
- That removal of bureaucratic knowledge creates long‑tail harms that are slow and costly to rebuild.
Media Companies Rolled Over For AI
- Media conglomerates chose partnership over resistance, exemplified by Disney's billion‑dollar deal with OpenAI.
- That deal signals legacy media will monetize IP to align with AI firms rather than block them.
