
A show about AI, labor, and power. Veteran tech journalist Brian Merchant chronicles the growing backlash and resistance to Silicon Valley and big tech. www.bloodinthemachine.com
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 15 | Founded | a year ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | TechnologySociety & Culture | |||

While billionaires and world leaders expound the dangers of all-powerful, “super intelligent” AI, the reality on the ground is that it's a tech product that’s only made possible by countless human beings, laboring for sometimes dollars a day, doing w... more
In a year rife with backlash to big tech, data centers, and AI, one company still manages to stand out: Flock Safety. Over the past decade, Flock has been building out a massive network of surveillance cameras across the nation. The images those came... more
End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor. Naomi Klein’s Newsletter, Patterns.Astra Taylor on BlueskyBlood in the Machine Newsletter: Brian’s Bluesky.Producer Ryan’s Newsletter: Ryan’s Bluesky.Articles mentioned in this episode:
The Automation... more
AI executives like Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have been forecasting an incipient AI jobs apocalypse for three years now. So where is it? Well it’s here, kind of. But instead of replacing tens of millions of workers, it’s mostly ... more
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If you are fed up to hear that Silicon Valley is synonymous with innovation, that their tech is all the progress we need, that their AI future is inevitable, you will love this podcast.
Brian Merchant demonstrates empathy for the people whose lives are cast into disarray by the extractive nature of the Silicon Valley model, which always makes it an enjoyable listen in spite of the topic.
Great guests and a brilliant catch up on the news at the beginning of each episode.
Thanks from the UK!
I love this guy and his POV, but the mixing of this pod is so bad! He’s kind of a low talker so you will have the volume up, but the episodes are interspersed with clips with the volume up so high I kept getting blasted in my headphones. Please work on this!
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #118 | |
Apple Podcasts | #71 | |
Apple Podcasts | #165 | |
Apple Podcasts | #77 | |
Apple Podcasts | #21 | |
Apple Podcasts | #30 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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Prolific conversations center on labor, technology power, and the economics of Silicon Valley. Across episodes, listeners hear firsthand accounts from game developers and union organizers about layoffs, AI's impact on work, and strategies for collective bargaining. Other frequent threads critique tech monopolies, data power, and platform governance, with guests offering historical and evaluative context on how labor, policy, and culture intersect in the digital era. A standout trait is the mix of on-the-ground organizing insight with sharp critiques of corporate tech strategy, making it a resource for both workers and policy-minded readers. Potential listeners will likely find the discussions timely for understanding worker organizing movem... more
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Blood in the Machine launched a year ago and published 15 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Blood in the Machine include:
1. Naomi Klein
2. Astra Taylor
3. Alex Hanna
4. Chris Gilliard
5. Gil Duran
6. Ed Zitron
7. Quinn Slobodian
8. Chris Hayes
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