Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Jul 30, 2026

How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All—With Cecilia Rikap

Paris Marx talks to Cecilia Rikap about how networks of corporate power systematically influence global politics and the economy.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

How Cloud Giants Wield Their Power Against Us All w/ Cecilia Rikap / Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

As the power of big tech continues to grow, it's more important than ever to understand how these companies use infrastructure and intellectual monopolies to shape more than just the digital world. Cecilia Rikap joins Paris Marx to discuss how these networks of corporate power operate, including how they are systematically used to influence global politics, the economy, and how society views the world.

Cecilia Rikap is an Associate Professor at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and the author of The Rulers: Corporate Power in the Age of AI and the Cloud.

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US President Donald Trump, Open AI CEO Sam Altman, and Google DeepMind Demis Hassabis during a meeting of G7 members, partner countries, and artificial intelligence business leaders as part of the G7 summit in eastern France, on June 17, 2026.

(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)

As the power of Big Tech continues to grow, it’s more important than ever to understand how these companies use infrastructure and intellectual monopolies to shape more than just the digital world. Cecilia Rikap joins Paris Marx to discuss how these networks of corporate power operate, including how they are systematically used to influence global politics, the economy, and how society views the world.

Cecilia Rikap is an associate professor at University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose and the author of The Rulers: Corporate Power in the Age of AI and the Cloud.

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The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

Why Communities Want to Stop Flock Cameras w/ Jason Koebler / Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

No one is comfortable with police surveillance in the US, which is why there’s a bipartisan backlash to Flock cameras. Jason Koebler joins Paris Marx to discuss the rise of Flock, how their cameras are being pitched by right-wing politicians and police agencies, and how they’re being used to stalk residents from coast to coast.

Jason Koebler is a co-founder of 404 Media and co-host of the 404 Media Podcast.

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Paris Marx

Paris Marx is the author of Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech's Data Empires. He hosts the Tech Won’t Save Us podcast and writes the Disconnect newsletter.

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