Better Offline is a weekly show exploring the tech industry’s influence and manipulation of society - and interrogating the growth-at-all-costs future that tech’s elite wants to build. Combining narrative-form storytelling, one-on-one interviews and panel-based discussions, Better Offline cuts through the buzzwords and obfuscation of the tech industry, investigating and evaluating the schemes and scams of everyone from cryptocurrency scumbags to the greediest of the venture capital elite. Te ...
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Oligopoly Cover art photo provided by JJ Ying on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@jjying
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I express various ideas and directions I would take certain IPs. I also tend to give my opinion about mainstream entertainment, and how the oligopoly around expression-driven art limits our ability to enter the creative industry. *Listener Discretion Advised - Controversial Content/Swearing/Etc.* (Recommended Age: +17)
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No miniature wargamer ever has enough time, space, or money to pursue their games and hobby. We seek ways to use our miniatures and rule sets to get the most value for money.
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Exploring Solutions to Monopoly Problems Following forty years of laissez-faire antitrust enforcement and industry consolidation, the White House is considering a fundamental rethink of how to interpret, enforce, and rewrite antitrust law, and many questions remain unanswered for the antitrust community. On the heels of federal and state litigation against Google and Facebook, is Amazon next? Will the new administration put big agriculture, big banks, and big pharma in its crosshairs? Will t ...
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Smart, witty, and thoughtful political conversations that break from the limits of the 24-hour news cycle and the 280 character limit. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of the history and implications of the issues that shape us and our environment, anchored in discussions about public policy, and supported by research. Open to Debate is a space for agreeable disagreement based on the belief that such exchanges are essential to the health of our democracy.
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The 2020 Network, presented by Interac, is a single-subscribe podcast channel home to multiple shows dedicated to the #cdnpoli nerd in us all. The network features smart, curious, and entertaining conversations that go deeper than the headlines. Produced in-house at the Canada 2020 studios.
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Justin, Lanny and Greg discuss weekly about economics and how it applies to the real world. From news to personal anecdotes, this podcast aims to make economic knowledge more accessible and to go beyond the basic concepts learned in microeconomics classes. Cover made by @maxencelanglois.
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Algorithms and Oligopolies with Thomas Germain
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1:27:47
In the fourth live-to-tape episode of Better Offlive, Ed Zitron sits down with the BBC's Thomas Germain to talk about breaking up big tech, and how we can find hope in the hopelessness of multiple monopolies and algorithms. LINKS: Thomas Germain: https://x.com/thomasgermain vkgoeswild: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbKM5fcSsaEFZRP-bjH8Y9w Dan Ya…
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The Department of Justice V Google Ads: Part 1
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In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Jason Kint, CEO of DCN, to set the scene for Better Offline's coverage of the Department of Justice's second antitrust case against Google, one that alleges that "through Serial Acquisitions and Anticompetitive Auction Manipulation, Google Subverted Competition in Internet Advertising Technologies." This is t…
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How Google Cheated Their Way To Billions
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In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how Google used their monopolies over search and search advertising to scam advertisers - and why the entire tech industry should demand that Google is broken up and forced to compete like the rest of us. LINKS: http://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks Newsletter: wheresyoured.at Reddit: http://www.redd…
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How Monopolies Are Making Tech Worse
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A few weeks ago, a federal judge declared that Google has a monopoly over the search industry and text-based advertising. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how the many monopolies of big tech hurt you on a daily basis. LINKS: http://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks Newsletter: wheresyoured.at Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/betteroffli…
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Matt Stoller Explains Monopolies
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In this episode, Ed Zitron sits down with Matt Stoller, author of the BIG Newsletter and Research Director of the American Economic Liberties Project to explain what a monopoly is, why they're so pervasive, how America entered a "monopoly crisis," and what all of this means for Google, Apple, Meta, and the rest of big tech. Want to read the transcr…
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Big Tech Is The Enemy of Innovation
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As the AI bubble collapses, it's time for the tech industry to repent, and to recognize that the future cannot be decided entirely by four or five trillion-dollar firms that are no longer capable of innovation, only copying other people's ideas. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how the generative AI boom shows how little big tech cares …
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How The AI Bubble Bursts
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After a year of opulent spending, the markets have begun to sour on big tech's $200 billion bet on generative AI, unfortunately timing with the delay of Nvidia's new AI-specialized "blackwell" chips. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through the pale horses of the AI apocalypse - and what this means for the tech industry at large. LINKS: http://…
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There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Warhammer, Warlord Games, and Wargames Atlantic
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Back form a long break we spend some time talking about the upcoming NOVA Open 2024 and the prevalence of smaller scales in the major wargaming companies. The title is based off the Richard Feynman quote about the utility of atomic scale physics. I drew a direct correlation between game companies pushing down into the smaller scales instead of ever…
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Enzittification with Cory Doctorow & Brian Merchant
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1:53:25
In the third live-to-tape episode of Better Offlive, Ed Zitron is joined in-studio in Los Angeles by Cory Doctorow and Brian Merchant to talk about the forces that have turned the tech industry away from innovation - and how we might turn the tide against them. CORY DOCTOROW: https://pluralistic.net/ https://x.com/doctorow BRIAN MERCHANT: Blood In …
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The State of Tech Journalism with Kylie Robison and Mike Isaac
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In the second live-to-tape episode of Better Offlive, Ed Zitron is joined in-studio by the New York Times' Mike Isaac and The Verge's Kylie Robison to discuss the current state of tech journalism. KYLIE: https://x.com/kyliebytes https://www.threads.net/@kylie.robison MIKE: https://x.com/MikeIsaac https://www.threads.net/@mike_isaac?hl=en https://ww…
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Rot Economics with MIT's Daron Acemoglu
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In this episode, Ed Zitron sits down with famed MIT economist Daron Acemoglu to talk about the economics of the tech ecosystem, the ridiculousness of generative AI's promises, and the realities of tech's growth-at-all-costs ecosystem. Newsletter: wheresyoured.at Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/betteroffline Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at Ed's Social…
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Is Canada ready to get serious about tackling monopolies and oligopolies? A conversation with Denise Hearn
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Is Canada ready to get serious about tackling monopolies and oligopolies? You’ve heard it before, the old joke that Canada is three telecom companies in a trench coat. Or airlines. Or grocery stores. You’ve probably heard it here before. That’s because Canada has a monopoly and oligopoly problem – and it has for a long time. The United States has l…
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Open to Debate: Is Canada ready to get serious about tackling monopolies and oligopolies? A conversation with Denise Hearn
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44:04
Is Canada ready to get serious about tackling monopolies and oligopolies? You’ve heard it before, the old joke that Canada is three telecom companies in a trench coat. Or airlines. Or grocery stores. You’ve probably heard it here before. That’s because Canada has a monopoly and oligopoly problem – and it has for a long time. The United States has l…
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On Friday July 19, millions of Windows PCs entered a doom-loop that rendered them non-functional thanks to an update sent by a little-known company called CrowdStrike - and in this emergency Better Offline dispatch, Ed Zitron walks you through exactly what happened, why it's so bad, and why both CrowdStrike and Microsoft executives should face crim…
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The Academics That Think ChatGPT Is BS
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In a paper released earlier this year, three academics from the University of Glasgow classified ChatGPT's outputs not as "lies," but as "BS" - as defined by philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt in "on BS" (and yes I'm censoring that) - and created one of the most enjoyable and prescient papers ever written. In this episode, Ed Zitron is joined by academ…
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In conversation with Chief Crystal Smith: Update and Lessons from Haisla Nation
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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When the money gets nervous, so should you. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through a remarkable report from global investment bank Goldman Sachs where multiple economists call BS on the AI movement - and why it's time for the rest of the world to follow suit. LINKS: https://tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks Newsletter: wheresyoured.at Reddit: ht…
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Economic Growth for the Next Generations
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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How Shareholders Are Destroying The Tech Industry
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55:47
The shareholder supremacy has eaten the tech industry, driving private and public companies to chase unprofitable, unsustainable ideas like generative AI as a means of expressing eternal growth to the markets. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through how this destructive mindset has created an entirely new kind of manager - one disconnected fro…
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Building Long-term Sustainability
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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The Shareholder Supremacy
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34:05
In this episode, Ed Zitron tracks the history of the growth-at-all-costs rot economy to a court case in 1916 that established the Shareholder Supremacy, and set the terms for General Electric's Jack Welch to fundamentally break capitalism, an era where companies moved away from building lasting, sustainable companies that created things and instead…
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Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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In conversation with Seamus O'Regan: What does an anti-scab worker bill tell us about the state of labour in Canada?
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Canada has passed a law preventing federally-regulated businesses from using scab workers. Bill C-58 passed in June and marked a significant milestone in the progress of worker’s rights. That it passed is notable; that it passed unanimously in an era of increasingly toxic polarization is quite remarkable, and speaks to the moment that labour is hav…
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In conversation with Seamus O'Regan: What does an anti-scab worker bill tell us about the state of labour in Canada?
48:02
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48:02
Canada has passed a law preventing federally-regulated businesses from using scab workers. Bill C-58 passed in June and marked a significant milestone in the progress of worker’s rights. That it passed is notable; that it passed unanimously in an era of increasingly toxic polarization is quite remarkable, and speaks to the moment that labour is hav…
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I Will Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again Ft. Nik Suresh & Robert Evans
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45:06
A few weeks ago, an Australian tech worker called Nik Suresh wrote an evisceration of the current AI hype boom called "I Will F**king Piledrive You If You Mention AI Again." Ed Zitron and Robert Evans sat down to talk about the blog - and the wider problems that Nik sees in the tech industry at large. LINKS: Nik's blog: https://ludic.mataroa.blog/b…
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The Hidden Costs of Electric Utility Monopoly Power with John Farrell
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1:00:59
Co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and director of the Energy Democracy Initiative, John Farrell, discusses his recent report on the 100-year-old business model granting private exclusive power over the public resource of electricity. Learn about the abuses that come from allowing private monopoly power to control electricity, inc…
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Supporting Indigenous Innovation with Minister Mary Ng
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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Where Did Tech's Magic Go? Featuring Alex Cranz and Michael Fisher
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In a special live-to-tape episode of Better Offline, Ed is joined by The Verge's Alex Cranz and YouTube influencer Michael Fisher to talk about what they're actually enjoying in the tech industry - and why things don't feel quite as magical and exciting as they used to. https://www.youtube.com/@TheMrMobile https://www.theverge.com/authors/alex-cran…
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U.S. Case Study: Investing in Tribes, Investing in America
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annualEconomic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is at…
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The Onion Knight Ft. Ben Collins
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In April, The Onion was acquired by a new entity called Global Tetrahedron, revealed shortly thereafter to be a joint venture between billionaire Jeff Lawson and former NBC disinformation reporter Ben Collins, now its CEO. Ben joins Ed to talk about buying The Onion, keeping its Chicago roots, and how we can save digital media. See omnystudio.com/l…
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Regional Development and Self-Determination with Minister Dan Vandal
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32:29
On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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In Conversation: National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and Minister Patty Hajdu
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On May 29 and 30 in Ottawa, Canada 2020 hosted our annual Economic Reconciliation Summit: The Indigenous-led Economy 2024. This gathering brought together Indigenous leaders from across sectors and territories for a vital day of conversation and engagement to explore the balance between growth and sustainability, and ensure that reconciliation is a…
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Last week, Apple announced that they're integrating artificial intelligence into your iPhone and Mac in a stunningly demure and reserved presentation. In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through whether you should trust Apple - and how OpenAI agreed to the worst deal in tech history to integrate ChatGPT in the least-prominent way. EPISODE LINKS: h…
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I Didn't Hear No Bell: Warmachine, X-Wing, and Armada
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Every where I look I see dead games. We discuss Steamforged games consumption of Privateer Press in what some might say will be a rebirth of Warmachine, which we compare Asmodees euthanization of Star Wars X-Wing and Armada.Door James
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Sam Altman Is Dangerous To Silicon Valley
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In this episode, Ed Zitron walks through how Sam Altman's ridiculous promises about the future of artificial intelligence could be ruinous for Silicon Valley, and speaks with Bloomberg's Ellen Huet about how Sam Altman - a non-technical founder with little business success - accumulated so much power. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa…
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Sam Altman has used his power and influence to become a multi-billionaire with stakes in hundreds of startups, but behind the curtain, he's never run a successful company, fired from both Y Combinator and, briefly, OpenAI. In this episode, Ed Zitron digs into the history of Silicon Valley's most popular confidence man, and talks to the Wall Street …
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In this episode, Ed Zitron walks you through what happens when tech's growth-at-all-costs epoch begins to collapse, and how the only way to save Silicon Valley is to put power back in the hands of those who actually build things - and reject the management consultant mindset killing innovation. Episode Links: https://tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks …
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The Recent NAR Settlement and the Future of Residential Real Estate
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On this episode of Second Request, The Capitol Forum’s Teddy Downey speaks with CEO of REX, Jack Ryan, and RealClearMarkets Editor John Tamny about the recent settlement involving the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and its implications for the real estate industry and homeowners. Jack and John are the authors of a new book entitled Bringing…
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Antitrust Economics at a Time of Upheaval
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Hear the editors of the new book Antitrust Economics at a Time of Upheaval: Recent Competition Policy Cases on Two Continents discuss the recent resurgence and transformation in competition policy and economics in the US, the EU and the UK. Professors John Kwoka, Tommaso Valletti and Lawrence White talk to Capitol Forum Executive Editor Teddy Downe…
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Jason Kint on the US vs. Google Antitrust Trial
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CEO of Digital Content Next, Jason Kint, offers his analysis of the recently concluded Google trial proceedings. As one of the foremost authorities on digital media and tech policy, Jason offers invaluable insights into the implications and potential outcomes of this landmark case.
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