Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Nov 7, 2024

The Corruption of Open Source

On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us, tante on the troubling development of WordPress’s war with WP Engine.

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.

The Corruption of Open Source w/ tante | Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us, Paris Marx is joined by tante to discuss troubling developments in the open source world as WordPress goes to war with WP Engine and a new definition of open source AI doesn’t require being open about training data.

tante is a sociotechnologist, writer, speaker, and Luddite working on tech and its social impact.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

(Avishek Das / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)

On this episode of Tech Won’t Save Us, we’re joined by tante to discuss troubling developments in the open-source world as WordPress goes to war with WP Engine and a new definition of open source AI doesn’t require being open about training data.

tante is a sociotechnologist, writer, speaker, and Luddite working on tech and its social impact.

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.

The fight to Stop ICE—in Congress, and at the Super Bowl | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

The next two weeks Democrats in Congress will be working to use the budget to set limits on ICE-to require judicial warrants, masks off and body cameras on, and to set use of force standards. John Nichols, The Nation’s executive editor, will comment.

Also: The Super Bowl is by far the biggest entertainment event of the year in the US, and this Sunday the halftime show will feature Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who has been demanding “ICE Out!” How did the Super Bowl halftime show become the center of resistance to ICE? Dave Zirin, The Nation’s sports editor, will explain.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Your support makes stories like this possible

From Minneapolis to Venezuela, from Gaza to Washington, DC, this is a time of staggering chaos, cruelty, and violence. 

Unlike other publications that parrot the views of authoritarians, billionaires, and corporations, The Nation publishes stories that hold the powerful to account and center the communities too often denied a voice in the national media—stories like the one you’ve just read.

Each day, our journalism cuts through lies and distortions, contextualizes the developments reshaping politics around the globe, and advances progressive ideas that oxygenate our movements and instigate change in the halls of power. 

This independent journalism is only possible with the support of our readers. If you want to see more urgent coverage like this, please donate to The Nation today.

Paris Marx

Paris Marx is a tech critic and host of the Tech Won’t Save Us podcast. He writes the Disconnect newsletter and is the author of Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong about the Future of Transportation.

More from The Nation

US Capitol Police issue arrest warnings with a bullhorn as clergy with Faith in Action conduct civil disobedience in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building on January 29.

The Fight to Stop ICE—in Congress, and at the Super Bowl The Fight to Stop ICE—in Congress, and at the Super Bowl

John Nichols comments on Democrats’ work in Congress to limit ICE, and Dave Zirin explains how Bad Bunny will make the Super Bowl halftime show a center of resistance.

Jon Wiener

War Clouds Over Iran

War Clouds Over Iran War Clouds Over Iran

On The Time of Monsters: Amir Handjani on Trump’s new threats.

Jeet Heer

Elon Musk Profits Off Nonconsensual Deepfakes— With Kat Tenbarge

Elon Musk Profits Off Nonconsensual Deepfakes— With Kat Tenbarge Elon Musk Profits Off Nonconsensual Deepfakes— With Kat Tenbarge

Paris Marx and Kat Tenbarge discuss abusive deepfakes on X and how Elon Musk profits from the sexual exploitation of women and children.

Paris Marx

Donald Trump draws out the card of the United States during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on December 5, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Death Row Survivor Kenny Collins & Why We Should Boycott the World Cup Death Row Survivor Kenny Collins & Why We Should Boycott the World Cup

On the latest Edge of Sports.

Dave Zirin

Freezing ICE Funding in the Senate, plus Standing Together in Israel and Palestine

Freezing ICE Funding in the Senate, plus Standing Together in Israel and Palestine Freezing ICE Funding in the Senate, plus Standing Together in Israel and Palestine

Leah Greenberg of Indivisible talks about how to rein in ICE, and Sally Abed explains how Palestinians and Israeli Jews are Standing Together for peace and equality.

Jon Wiener

Traders work on the floor of the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) in New York.

The Rise of Shareholder Primacy, With Sean Delehanty The Rise of Shareholder Primacy, With Sean Delehanty

Danny and Derek speak with historian Sean Delehanty about the invention of shareholder value and the transformation of the American corporation in the late 20th century.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

x