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Artwork for Blood in the Machine

Blood in the Machine

Brian Merchant
Google
Enshittification
Artificial Intelligence
New York City
Microsoft
Xbox
Cory Doctorow
Antitrust
Data Centers
Zenimax Online Studios

A podcast about Silicon Valley, AI, labor and power. www.bloodinthemachine.com

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes7Founded9 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureTechnology

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Artwork for Blood in the Machine

Latest Episodes

On July 6th, Microsoft announced that it was laying off 4,800 workers, largely from its Xbox gaming division. It’s now sadly routine in the tech industry; thousands of jobs gone in an instant, with little more than a corporate memo and some platitude... more

The year has been marked by the rise of open, widespread, and increasingly spirited backlash to AI, data centers, and big tech. As such, the stage was well set for the Summer of Ludd, a series of protests, performances, talks, and meetups in New York... more

While Google seems dead set on making their users hate their product, the courts in Europe are taking issue with their anti-competitive business practices. Meanwhile, the Summer of Ludd kicks off in New York and a new dating survey finds: It’s sexy t... more

The tech lobby spent $27 million on a single Congressional election in New York. OpenAI-backed Leading the Future spent $8 million on ads attacking Alex Bores, who vowed to rein in AI, in an effort to fire a warning shot—did it work? What does this m... more

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Recent Guests

Chris Hayes
Lead Services Programmer at id Software; long-tenured employee
id Software
Episode: Xbox workers speak out about layoffs, AI, and how big tech brought a crisis to gaming
Morgan Gowan
Senior Encounter Designer at CineMax Online Studios; bargaining committee member
CineMax Online Studios / Elder Scrolls Online
Episode: Xbox workers speak out about layoffs, AI, and how big tech brought a crisis to gaming
Autumn Mitchell
Senior Quality Assurance Tester Level 2 at Zenimax (publisher arm of the studio)
Zenimax Online Studios / QA Union organizing
Episode: Xbox workers speak out about layoffs, AI, and how big tech brought a crisis to gaming
Amanda Hanna-McCleer
Documentary filmmaker, activist, organizer involved in Summer of Ludd
Luddite movement / Summer of Ludd
Episode: The Luddites take New York
Paris Marx
Author, podcaster, journalist; host of Tech Won't Save Us; critic of Silicon Valley tech dominance
Tech Won't Save Us / Disconnect / Hyperscale
Episode: How and why to de-Google your life
Molly White
Technologist, journalist, author of Citation Needed; creator of Tech Influence Watch
Tech Influence Watch / Citation Needed
Episode: The AI industry is pouring hundreds of millions into US elections
Cory Doctorow
Author of Enshittification and long-time digital rights advocate
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Episode: How to dis-enshittify the world, with Cory Doctorow
Jacob Silverman
Author of It's Going to Look Backwards and Everything; author of Gilded Rage, Elon Musk and The Radicalization of Silicon Valley
Author/Scholar
Episode: Understanding the tech oligarchy and its gilded rage with Jacob Silverman

Host

Brian Merchant
Host with a focus on labor, tech power, and anti-monopoly perspectives; central voice behind the show's critical lens on Silicon Valley and AI-driven workplace shifts.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 13 ratings
  • Great content but

    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!

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    picsofyorkies
    United States25 days ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The host asks tough questions about tech power and labor, which is refreshing for the industry.
Content is timely and provocative, but some listeners crave more actionable takeaways.
Guests bring diverse perspectives from activism to journalism, enriching debates.
Production quality and audio balance are common topics for improvement.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#137
United States/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#63
Canada/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#167
France/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#197
Germany/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#47
Sweden/Technology
Apple Podcasts
#181
Spain/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Xbox workers speak out about layoffs, AI, and how big tech brought a crisis to gaming
Q: Can you talk a little about what it felt like inside the organization during the layoffs and how the union responded?
The guests describe instantaneous disconnection of communications, the two separate layoff groups, and the speed of the process, followed by a long, tense bargaining period and public sentiment from players and fans supporting the workers.
Xbox workers speak out about layoffs, AI, and how big tech brought a crisis to gaming
Q: So first, if you could introduce yourselves, starting with Morgan, can you tell us a little bit about where you work, what you do, and how you were impacted by this recent round?
Morgan Gowan introduces herself as a Senior Encounter Designer at CineMax Online Studios working on Elder Scrolls Online and outlines her bargaining role on the union, detailing how she and many coworkers were affected by the July layoffs.
The Luddites take New York
Q: What was the Summer of Ludd really about for people who weren't there?
It was about reclaiming agency, reuniting with each other in public spaces, and resisting the overbearing voice of major tech companies through embodied, participatory acts and performances.
How and why to de-Google your life
Q: What are the first concrete steps you recommend for someone trying to de-Google their life?
Start with non-essential services first, switch email to Proton, consider non-Google search engines outside the US, and gradually replace core tools like docs, calendars, and maps with privacy-respecting or open alternatives while maintaining a transition period to avoid disruption.
How and why to de-Google your life
Q: What inspired you to start moving away from Google and similar US tech services?
The guest explains a combination of moral, ethical concerns and a practical response to power consolidation, including distrust of how executives aligned with political actors and the desire to reduce reliance on a dominant platform that controls so many daily tools.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Blood in the Machine

What is Blood in the Machine about and what kind of topics does it cover?

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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Which podcasts are similar to Blood in the Machine?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Blood in the Machine:

1. Tech Won't Save Us
2. This Machine Kills
3. Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000
4. Podcast – Cory Doctorow's craphound.com
5. The 404 Media Podcast

How many episodes of Blood in the Machine are there?

Blood in the Machine launched 9 months ago and published 7 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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What guests have appeared on Blood in the Machine?

Recent guests on Blood in the Machine include:

1. Chris Hayes
2. Morgan Gowan
3. Autumn Mitchell
4. Amanda Hanna-McCleer
5. Paris Marx
6. Molly White
7. Cory Doctorow
8. Jacob Silverman

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