Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Jan 23, 2026

Bring Back Meddling with Tech Hardware—With Chris Person

Paris Marx and Chris Person on the state of hardware in the tech industry, ways to undermine Microsoft’s software dominance, and how the AI boom makes electronics more expensive.

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.

Bring Back Meddling with Tech Hardware w/ Chris Person | Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

Paris Marx is joined by Chris Person to discuss the state of hardware and manufacturing in the tech industry, ways to hack your stuff, options to undermine Microsoft’s software dominance, and how the AI boom is making consumer electronics more expensive. Chris Person is a co-founder of Aftermath and makes Highlight Reel.

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

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

(Soumyabrata Roy / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Paris Marx is joined by Chris Person to discuss the state of hardware and manufacturing in the tech industry, ways to hack your stuff, options to undermine Microsoft’s software dominance, and how the AI boom is making consumer electronics more expensive. Chris Person is a cofounder of Aftermath and makes Highlight Reel.

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 Mass Layoffs Changed Working in Tech w/ Clarissa Redwine & JS Tan / Tech Won’t Save Us
byThe Nation Magazine

Not long ago, tech jobs were sought after for their security, benefits, wages, and the progressive values promoted by Silicon Valley companies. But now workers are barely hanging on. Clarissa Redwine and JS Tan join Paris Marx to discuss the state of worker organizing in the tech industry, including how it’s changed since the mid-2010s and where it needs to go from here.

Clarissa Redwine is a tech worker and labor activist. JS Tan is a PhD candidate at MIT and writes the Value Added newsletter. They are the authors of Against Tech Oligarchy: Worker Resistance in the World's Most Powerful Industry.

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

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

Subscribe to The Nation to Support all of our podcasts

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

More from The Nation

A commercial vessel is anchored off Yemen's coast at Bab al-Mandeb on September 12, 2026.

The Houthis Escalate the Red Sea Conflict, the Pentagon Releases a Report on Iran War Costs, the BRICS Summit Exposes Divisions The Houthis Escalate the Red Sea Conflict, the Pentagon Releases a Report on Iran War Costs, the BRICS Summit Exposes Divisions

Danny and Alex Jordan unpack the week’s global news, from Iran, Yemen, and Gaza to Russia-Ukraine, US sanctions policy, Brazil, and Sweden.

Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison

Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House on July 25, 2024, in Washington, DC.

The Biden Administration’s Complicity in Gaza—With Akbar Shahid Ahmed The Biden Administration’s Complicity in Gaza—With Akbar Shahid Ahmed

Danny and Derek welcome back Akbar Shahid Ahmed, diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Sun and author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War on Gaza,…

Podcast / American Prestige

The Paramount logo is displayed on a water tower at the Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California.

The Supremes Say “No” to Trump on Mail Voting—Plus, the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight The Supremes Say “No” to Trump on Mail Voting—Plus, the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight

 David Cole analyzes the court’s ruling on voting by mail, and Rashad Robinson comments on the battle to block Paramount’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Jon Wiener

Attendees react as US Vice President Kamala Harris concedes to Donald Trump on November 6, 2024.

Overcoming the Left’s Politics of Powerlessness—With Yotam Marom Overcoming the Left’s Politics of Powerlessness—With Yotam Marom

Yotam Marom joins Fighting Fascism to discuss the left’s relationship to power, leadership, and strategy—and how movements can overcome the habits that hold them back.

Canada-US Trade War Escalates, Houthis Seize Yemeni Port, Report Says Netanyahu Ignored 10/7 Warnings

Canada-US Trade War Escalates, Houthis Seize Yemeni Port, Report Says Netanyahu Ignored 10/7 Warnings Canada-US Trade War Escalates, Houthis Seize Yemeni Port, Report Says Netanyahu Ignored 10/7 Warnings

I, for one, welcome our new AI overlords. In this week’s news: the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms last month was tied for the hottest ever recorded (0:52); the Hou…

Podcast / American Prestige

The Supremes and the Ballroom. Plus, the Dems and the Senate.

The Supremes and the Ballroom. Plus, the Dems and the Senate. The Supremes and the Ballroom. Plus, the Dems and the Senate.

Robert Weissman analyzes the Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump’s White House ballroom, while John Nichols surveys the battle for control of Congress in the midterms.

Jon Wiener

x