Elon Musk has evolved far beyond a billionaire CEO. 

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According to political theorists Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff, Musk has created an entirely new ideology called “Muskism” — a system where technology companies merge with state power, AI shapes politics, and billionaires become more powerful than governments.

In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with Quinn Slobodian, co-author of the new book Muskism, to break down how Elon Musk’s worldview went from Silicon Valley optimism to tech authoritarianism. We discuss Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink, Neuralink, AI censorship, OpenAI, Grok, surveillance, DOGE, data centers, Silicon Valley’s shift toward defense tech, and why Musk’s influence now reaches into every part of society.

We also unpack:

• Elon Musk’s political transformation

• The rise of Muskism

• AI paranoia and “woke AI”

• Why Silicon Valley is embracing militarization

• Musk’s obsession with reproduction and population decline

• How SpaceX and Starlink could reshape global power

• The future of AI and surveillance capitalism

• Why tech billionaires are becoming impossible to escape

What happens if AI becomes smarter than humans at most jobs?

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Researchers, economists, and top AI executives are increasingly warning about the rise of a “permanent underclass”,  a future where millions of workers lose not just their jobs, but their economic value altogether. In this episode of Power User, I sit down with writer Jasmine Sun to unpack the terrifying idea that artificial intelligence could permanently reshape class, wealth, labor, and power in America.

We discuss OpenAI, Anthropic, AGI, automation, white collar layoffs, Silicon Valley ideology, AI job displacement, universal basic income, data center protests, populism, and whether society is prepared for what’s coming next.

Could AI destroy upward mobility? Will automation create mass unemployment? Are tech companies being honest about the future they’re building?

We cover:

The permanent underclass theory explained

Who is actually pushing this idea

OpenAI's shifting stance on job displacement

Leading the Future and AI lobbying

Why AI is different from past tech hype

Policy failures and democratic backlash

What China is doing differently

What workers should actually do now

#AI #Tech #Technology #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #AGI #OpenAI #Anthropic #SiliconValley #TechNews #JobAutomation #AIJobs #TechIndustry  

What’s really driving the growing backlash against AI and Silicon Valley?

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From burning data centers to celebrating an attack on Sam Altman’s house, the anti‑tech backlash has escalated. In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with journalist and author Brian Merchant to unpack the rise of anti AI sentiment, the growing anger toward Big Tech, and why public hostility toward companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google keeps escalating.

We discuss:

• Why the AI backlash exploded so quickly

• The connection between AI fear and distrust in capitalism

• Why people are protesting data centers

• The rise of anti tech politics

• AI doomers and effective altruism

• Sam Altman and Silicon Valley PR failures

• Whether AI companies created their own crisis

• How automation fears are shaping public opinion

• Why people feel powerless against Big Tech

• The future of AI regulation and resistance

Brian Merchant is the author of Blood in the Machine, a book about the original Luddites and the history of anti technology movements.

If you’re interested in AI, ChatGPT, Silicon Valley, automation, tech criticism, labor politics, or the future of the internet, we break down the cultural and political forces shaping the AI era.

Subscribe for more interviews and deep dives on AI, internet culture, media, tech, and politics.

Ben Shapiro’s Media Empire Is Collapsing

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For the last decade, Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire dominated the digital landscape. From Facebook to chart-topping podcasts, they seemed untouchable. But in 2025, the data tells a different story. With a 90% drop in YouTube views, massive layoffs, and the high-profile exit of CEO Jeremy Boreing, the "Conservative Disney" empire is crashing and burning.

The Bulwark's Will Sommer joins me on this week's episode of Power User to dive deep into the rise and fall of Ben Shapiro. We break down the explosive internal feud with Candace Owens, the catastrophic failure of his Hollywood ambitions, how a changing Facebook algorithm killed their traffic overnight, and what his fall reveals about the future of conservative media. 

We cover:

• The Daily Wire layoffs and financial struggles.

• Why Ben Shapiro is losing his audience to creators like Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson.

• The failure of "Anti-Woke" entertainment and the "Conservative Hollywood" dream.

• How the death of Charlie Kirk created a massive fracture in the MAGA movement.

• Why Ben Shapiro is irrelevant to Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

What if everything you've been told about technological progress is a lie?

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AI is changing society faster than ever, but resistance to technology is not new. For this week's Free Speech Friday I spoke with academic Thomas Dekeyser, author of Techno Negative, about the history of anti-technology movements, from the Luddites smashing machines in the Industrial Revolution to anarchist groups bombing computer companies in the 1980s.

We discuss AI, labor automation, surveillance, moral panic, Silicon Valley ideology, tech CEOs, machine breaking, environmental destruction, and why backlash against technology keeps returning throughout history. We also explore whether technological progress actually benefits ordinary people, or mainly serves corporations and power. Sometimes it's not what you think!

Topics include:

• Why anti-AI movements are growing

• Big Tech and labor exploitation

• AI moral panic and conspiracy theories

• Environmental costs of AI

• Surveillance and control

• The politics of technological progress

• Why people resist new technology

• Silicon Valley and deregulation

The Lie Created To Strip Your Rights Online

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In March, a CNN investigation into a "Global Academy" of 62 million men allegedly drugging and assaulting women broke the internet. But the most viral story of the year was built on a foundation of misleading statistics and bad journalism. 

Journalist Kat Tenbarge joins me to debunk the "62 Million Men" narrative. We dig into how this story was used to manufacture consent for dangerous new censorship laws and who is actually behind the movement to repeal Section 230.

In this video, we cover:

• Why the "62 million" figure is a misleading traffic stat, not a count of criminals.

• The connection between CNN’s reporting and far-right Christian nationalist groups like Exodus Cry.

• How the "Global Academy" branding was manufactured from a single interview quote.

• The real-world harm of FOSTA-SESTA and why new "safety" bills like KOSA actually endanger victims.

• How mainstream media organizations lobby against free speech to protect their own business interests.

Don't let emotional propaganda dictate tech policy. We look at the systemic failures of the legal system and why villainizing platforms instead of perpetrators is a losing battle for women's rights. If you’ve seen the “62 million men” claim, you need to watch this. 

Should AI be protected by free speech laws?

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In this episode of Free Speech Friday, I sit down with Corbin K. Barthold, Internet Policy Counsel at Tech Freedom, to discuss one of the most controversial legal papers of the year: "Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence."

While many are calling for strict AI regulation to prevent "AI psychosis" or the spread of misinformation, Corbin argues that AI outputs are a protected form of expression. If we allow the government to dictate what an LLM can and cannot say, are we inadvertently giving them the power to control our access to information?

In this video, we cover:

Why AI content qualifies as First Amendment protected speech.

The theories the government uses to justify censorship.

Analysis of recent tragic cases involving Character AI.

Why New York’s S7263 law might be "rank protectionism" for doctors and lawyers.

The progressive case for why we should actually want free and open AI.

#siliconvalley #tech #technology #internet #ai #artificialintelligence

There’s a hidden social hierarchy on the internet

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Is your Instagram "low class"? While we like to think of the internet as a universal playground, a new digital class war is emerging. From the way you use filters to the number of emojis in your bio, your digital habits are increasingly signaling your socioeconomic status to the world.

In this episode of Power User, I sit down with etymologist and cultural commentator Adam Aleksic to decode the hidden semiotics of "Low Class Instagram." 

We explore why billionaires keep their accounts private with 200 followers, why the "photo dump" has become a sophisticated narrative tool for elites, and how algorithms are siloing us into class-based bubbles.

We break down:

• The "Puppy Filter" Trap: Why technical illiteracy is the new class signifier.

• Billionaire Behavior: Why the ultimate luxury is being completely offline.

• Digital White Flight: Why elite users are fleeing Facebook and Instagram for "curated" spaces like Bluesky vs Substack.

• AI & Class: How your choice of LLM (Claude vs. ChatGPT) and even your font choice (Serif vs. Sans Serif) reveals your status.

• The Death of Anonymity: Why the "surveillance state" makes it harder for lower-class users to experiment with their identities.
  

[PATREON PREVIEW] Is Geese a Psyop? How the Music Industry Fakes Virality

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The Brooklyn band Geese has sparked a massive "industry plant" controversy in 2026 after their album Getting Killed and a sold-out tour led to accusations of being a digital "psyop".

While the music has received mainstream praise, fans became suspicious of how the band took over social media feeds almost overnight. This skepticism intensified after an interview at SXSW with Chaotic Good Projects, a marketing agency that uses armies of bots and TikTok accounts to force songs into virality.

Kristin Robinson is a journalist at Billboard who broke the story about Geese and Chaotic Good Projects. She joins me to discuss how meme pages are used by the music industry, how record labels manipulate online conversations and flood comment sections with positive messages, and how agencies can sway public perception of performances on SNL or Tiny Desk. 

As AI-generated music begins to top the iTunes charts, the line between authentic talent and engineered "slop" continues to blur. We discuss the truth behind the Geese situation, the evolution of viral marketing, and how the music industry is changing in the age of automation.

We discuss:

How viral music campaigns actually work

Why “industry plant” accusations keep happening

How platforms like TikTok shape what you hear

Whether AI artists could be the next big thing

The Billionaire Who Built a Private Surveillance State

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Sports arenas and concert venues are becoming high-tech surveillance "deep states." In this video, I dive into the explosive Wired report by Noah Shachtman and Robert Silverman that reveals how the owner of a ton of NYC concert venues and sports arenas uses facial recognition and private investigators to track, monitor, and ban anyone he deems an enemy.

From tracking trans women at Pride Night to banning lawyers and 14-year-old kids for social media posts, the level of surveillance at MSG, Radio City, and The Sphere is unprecedented. 

Is this the future of privacy for sports fans and concert-goers? I sat down with Noah Shachtman to discuss the chilling secrets of the new billionaire surveillance machine.

Full WIRED story: https://www.wired.com/story/madison-square-garden-jim-dolan-surveillance-machine

AI companies are secretly waging a massive PR campaign targeting women.

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In the past year, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta have launched an aggressive PR campaign to rebrand artificial intelligence for women, especially mothers and teen girls. Suddenly AI isn't an existential threat or a labor displacement machine. It's a "lifestyle accessory," a "creative tool," and your new girly best friend.

Kat Tenbarge of Spitfire News joins me to expose the AI "Hot Girl Economy" and how tech giants are using aesthetic trends to Trojan-horse AI into our daily lives. We cover everything from viral Studio Ghibli filters and the AI puppy photo craze, to how startups like Higgsfield are targeting fashion influencers. 

We discuss what this "AI girly pop era" is designed to distract you from: extreme labor displacement, massive energy consumption, and the tech industry becoming increasingly intertwined with the US War Machine.

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#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TechNews #ChatGPT #OpenAI #GoogleGemini #WomenInTech #HotGirlEconomy #KatTenbarge #TechIndustry #Pinkwashing #SocialMediaTrends