Working Robots

governmentality

Technology giants like Facebook, Google and Amazon are often praised for the jobs they create and high salaries they offer. But that praise may be misplaced because my guests this week say the tech sector is also responsible for many Americans losing their jobs.

On this episode, I talk with Ariana Tobin of ProPublica about the investigation she and colleague Peter Gosselin published looking into IBM’s age discrimination against thousands of employees. And in the book chat, I speak with Andrew Yang—founder of Venture of America and U.S. Presidential candidate. He’s also the author of the new book, The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future.

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Guests:

Ariana Tobin is an engagement reporter at ProPublica, where she works to cultivate communities for their coverage. She was previously at The Guardian, where she was an engagement editor and, before that, she worked at WNYC, producing the technology-focused Note to Self podcast. Follow her on Twitter: @Ariana_Tobin

Andrew Yang is an entrepreneur, author and presidential candidate. In 2011 he founded Venture for America, a national entrepreneurship fellowship program that pairs recent graduates with startups. He’s the author of The War on Normal People in which he makes the case for implementing a universal basic income: $1,000 a month for every American adult, no strings attached. Follow him on Twitter: @AndrewYangVFA

Discussed on the show:

• Peter Gosselin and Ariana Tobin’s “Cutting ‘Old Heads’ at IBM” at ProPublica
• Andrew Yang’s The War on Normal People

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The governmentality podcast was produced and edited by Michele Zipkin. The show’s music was composed and performed by Jeremy Carlstedt.