Big Tech Is Taking Cues From Big Tobacco’s Playbook
Alongside tireless political lobbying, Big Tech has infiltrated the academic institutions studying and often promoting AI — with little regard for the potentially catastrophic downsides.
19168 Articles by: Zola Carr
Zola Carr is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, working on a dissertation on the development of experimental brain implants for psychiatric disorder.
The WGA Strike Is a Fight Against Silicon Valley’s Gigification of the Entire Economy
If the ongoing film and TV writers strike is successful, the Writers Guild of America could establish a model for how service sector, app-based gig workers can take on Silicon Valley.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Is Pleasant Enough in a Vanilla Pudding Sort of Way
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. is probably a nice, worthwhile coming-of-age movie. But it comes off as a bland fantasy film about a land peopled by smiling denizens in sunny dreamscapes who have such mild problems that they aren’t actually problems.
Turkey’s Election Offers a Glimmer of Hope for the Left
In Turkey’s election, oppositionist Kemal Kiliçdaroğlu hopes to end hard-right president Erdoğan’s two decades in power. But given Kiliçdaroğlu’s inconsistent defense of the Kurdish minority, he offers no catch-all solution to Turkey’s nationalist slide.
Germany Believes in Free Speech, but Not for Palestinians
This month, Palestinians mark the Nakba, the wave of ethnic cleansing that began their decades of displacement. But in Germany, trumped-up antisemitism allegations are being used to suppress the commemorations — showing that speech isn’t free for all.
Meet the Radical Right-Wing Group Seizing Power in Canada’s Conservative Heartland
Populist grievances are pushing Alberta, Canada’s most conservative province, further to the right. The activist group Take Back Alberta is working to escalate this trend.
Jane McAlevey’s Plan for How to Build a Fighting Labor Movement
As a longtime labor organizer, scholar, and writer, Jane McAlevey has repeatedly articulated how mass numbers of workers can organize, negotiate, strike, and change the world. In an extended interview with Jacobin, McAlevey reflects on her life and work.
The Military-Industrial Complex Has Never Been Worse
How bad has the military-industrial complex gotten? The arms industry donates tens of millions of dollars every election cycle, and the average taxpayer spends $1,087 per year on weapons contractors compared to just $270 for K-12 education.
Cory Doctorow Explains Why Big Tech Is Making the Internet Terrible
The internet is increasingly a miserable place to be. As Cory Doctorow explains, Silicon Valley CEOs and grifters are working hard to keep it that way.
The Proud Boys’ Conviction Is Big News. Their Role as FBI Informants, Not So Much.
Almost none of the reports about Thursday’s conviction of four Proud Boys members mentioned the fact that the far-right group was riddled with FBI informants. But this kind of law enforcement collusion with the far right is a profound threat to democracy.
Ireland’s Housing Crisis Is an Indictment of Irish Capitalism
A dysfunctional housing system is putting intense strain on Ireland’s social fabric as rents spiral out of control. The current malaise has deep roots in the structure of Irish capitalism, and radical reform is the only way to turn things around.
King Charles Is King of the World’s Biggest Tax Haven Empire
The glitz and glamour of Coronation Day will cover it up, but the tax havens of King Charles’s Britain aid and abet multinational corporations — enriching elites at the expense of everyone else.
Canadians Don’t Want Charles, or Anyone Else, to Be Their King
The British monarchy is a withered husk that should be put out of its misery.
Lula Is Working to Revive Brazil’s Democracy Against a Powerful Far-Right Bloc
Since taking office as president, Lula has had to navigate a treacherous path, facing a powerful ultraconservative bloc in Brazil’s national congress. The job of repairing state capacity while avoiding an economic downturn will test his skills to the limit.
Mainstream Media Doesn’t Care That the CIA May Have Helped Cause 9/11
In an obscure court filing, dozens of former FBI agents and others allege that an illegal CIA operation on US soil accidentally facilitated the 9/11 attacks. It should be a bombshell — if only anyone in the establishment would notice.
Asset-Manager Firms Are Taking Over the Social Infrastructure on Which We All Depend
Asset-manager firms like Blackstone have become hugely important players in global capitalism since the 2008 crash. They’re steadily taking control of the social infrastructure that’s essential for human life and using it to generate massive profits.
Oakland Educators Are Striking to Fix Austerity-Starved Public Schools
On Thursday morning, nearly 3,000 public school teachers and support staff in Oakland, California, went on strike. Educators say they’re striking to solve an austerity-driven crisis of understaffing and retention.
Brandon Johnson Should Meet the Threat From Private Capital Head On
Working-class reformer Brandon Johnson will soon be inaugurated Chicago’s next mayor, and already businesses are threatening to undermine his agenda. Johnson and the movement behind him should challenge those threats directly by asserting public control of capital.
Eric Adams Is Trying to Push More Austerity on New Yorkers Through His Executive Budget
The New York City budget newly proposed by Mayor Eric Adams had little democratic input from average residents in the city and features more massive cuts to desperately needed public programs like public education.
Fordham Graduate Workers Just Went on Strike for Their First Contract
Last week, graduate student workers at Fordham University in the Bronx went on a three-day strike in response, they say, to the administration’s refusal to bargain in good faith. Jacobin spoke to some of the grad workers.