System Crash

Paris is out this week, so we found another esteemed Canadian writer, activist, and tech critic to log in as System Crash's first-ever guest host: Cory Doctorow. Brian and Cory examine Elon Musk’s campaign of governmental destruction in Washington DC, how enshittification will continue to unfold in 2025, and what, if any, hope there is for us, the humans and the users.

Cory Doctorow is the author of many bestselling science fiction novels and works of nonfiction. His latest is Picks and Shovels, out February 18th from MacMillan. 

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Is the AI hype going to evaporate after Chinese startup DeepSeek shows it can do generative AI way cheaper than OpenAI, Anthropic, and big tech? AI watcher and tech PR guru Ed Zitron joins Brian and Paris to break down what the company has achieved and why it completely upends the assumptions the US AI boom was built on.

Ed Zitron is the host of Better Offline, CEO of EZPR, and writer of the Where’s Your Ed At newsletter.

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Trump’s back in office, Elon’s doing “awkward hand gestures,” and the oligarchy 2.0 is right behind them.

This week on System Crash, Paris and Brian welcome special guest Jacob Silverman to dive into the grotesque spectacle of Trump’s second inauguration, why he lined up the nation’s tech titans for the occasion, and where this Silicon oligarchy is headed. Jacob explains all four of Trumpworld’s crypto coins.

Jacob Silverman is the author of the forthcoming book “Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley” and the co-author of “Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casi...

Jason Koebler joins the show to chat with Paris and Brian about the looming TikTok ban (that got even less likely after we recorded) and what Mark Zuckerberg is really looking for from the Trump administration. Plus, the new Free the Feeds initiative, John Deere in the FTC’s crosshairs, and more bad AI news.

Mentioned this week:

Jason Koebler is a cofounder of 404 Media and cohost of the 404 Media Podcast.Paris wrote about Mark Zuckerberg’s embrace of the MAGA movement in Disconnect.Jason wrote about what Mark Zuckerberg is looking for from Donald Trump.Meta...

The new year has arrived, and luckily Mark Zuckerberg has started it by saving free speech! Brian and Paris break down the latest announcements from our benevolent social media overseer, what they signal about the tech oligarchy’s embrace of MAGA, and how they’re crushing any attempts to rein in their power. Plus, how Elon Musk is interfering in politics in Europe, ChatGPT Pro isn’t profitable, and more!

Mentioned this week:

Mark Zuckerberg is ditching fact checkers and Republican operative Joel Kaplan got a promotion to president of global affairs — the same guy who was stif...

Every month, Brian Merchant and Paris Marx will be digging into writings, worldviews and future visions of the tech titans shaping our lives, exclusively for Patreon supporters. To give you an idea of what that will sound like, the first bonus episode is free for everyone. To keep getting them, support the show at patreon.com/systemcrashpod.

In this episode, Brian and Paris dig into Sam Altman’s vision for the Intelligence Age he says we’re entering—or will enter if OpenAI gets the funding and data centers and power he wants—and explore what Marc Andreess...

After hearing from a very special guest, Brian and Paris consider: Is the US really about to ban TikTok? If nothing changes come January 19th, it will. We explain why Congress *really* moved to shut down the massive social media app, and what might happen next, now that the Supreme Court is getting involved and Trump's changed his mind. Plus, Elon Musk points his cash cannon at the UK, and Amazon goes on strike. 

Mentioned this week:

Shoshana Wodinsky explained why the data argument about TikTok makes no sense.Jacob Silverman wrote about Jeffrey Yass’ influence on...

Brian Merchant and Paris Marx are back with the very first guest of System Crash: Molly White! With Molly’s help, we walk through the biggest stories in the crypto world. We explore the resurgence of crypto, how its backers influenced the election and won Trump’s favor, what the crypto industry wants from the incoming administration—and how it plans to wield power. 

Mentioned this week:

Molly White is the creator of Web3 is going just great and Follow the Crypto.Paris wrote about the return of self-driving hype and its relationship to the broader AI bubb...

Brian Merchant and Paris Marx are back to celebrate ChatGPT’s second birthday while questioning how OpenAI is really doing as it embraces advertising and the rivalry between Sam Altman and Elon Musk continues to escalate.

Mentioned this week:

Brian has a new report out with the AI Now Institute: AI-Generated Business: AGI and the Rush to Find a Working Business Model,Paris co-authored a white paper to make an ambitious case for countries to reclaim their digital sovereignty. On Disconnect, he wrote about why it’s essential in shaky geopolitical times and in light of the...

The system is crashing, and we’re here to guide you through the wreckage. In the inaugural episode of System Crash, Brian Merchant and Paris Marx dig into how the alliance of Donald Trump and Elon Musk—along with his Silicon Valley cohort—is poised to transform both our politics and the tech world. Plus, how generative AI is trained on thousands of Hollywood scripts and why Bluesky gives us (a least a little) hope.

Mentioned this week:

Sam Biddle on how Trump is a win for tech’s “warrior class” in the Intercept.The Financial Times wrote...