We're talking about the iPad commercial, German anti-Tesla activists, AI dating concierges, underwater internet cables, and the deep sea bourgeoisie.Cargo Cult által

We discuss the "Friends of the IDF" in leadership roles at Interscope (Kendrick’s label), UMG (Drake’s label and Interscope’s parent company), NBC Universal (UMG’s parent company), and Comcast (NBC Universal’s parent company). We apologize for our tardiness and for this cop-out pop culture ep. We both had crazy schedules the last couple of weeks (o…

We talk about central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), which will enable a new level of financial surveillance and social control. And we’re joined by John F O’Donnell, a guy with horrible karaoke etiquette. We promise we're not a con op lim hang !!! - - Kitty History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Lvv1f5Qu4 Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act …

We talk about Israel’s automated kill lists generated by an “AI” assassination machine named Lavender and Amazon’s automated checkout experience called “Just Walk Out.”Cargo Cult által

Talking about Truth Social and killer robots.Cargo Cult által

Boeing has certainly helped kill people in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. But did it also kill a Southern funcle? Fasten your seatbelt, because this Boeing story has it all. Plane crashes, union busting, offshoring, whistleblowers, and a mysterious parking lot death. We also talk about the Justice Department’s new lawsuit against Apple for monopol…

Here we discuss the TikTok ban and Clearview AI, a US company with a database of more than 40 billion facial images from the public internet. We also listen to big tech kingmaker Peter Thiel explain why artificial intelligence and facial recognition are "kind of communist." And we're joined by Pat Burtscher (https://www.instagram.com/patburtscher/)…

We explore Reddit’s journey from online community to data business. We also cover NYT suing OpenAI for copyright infringement and Google laying off a group of striking contractors. RIP Aaron SwartzCargo Cult által

They say the next dystopian surveillance technology will be launched by a gay CEO ... Really makes you feel like part of history.Cargo Cult által

In Part 2 of this series on Neuralink and the brain-computer interface (BCI), we discuss the current human trials for the N1 implant, FDA commissioner Robert Califf, and key figures in the movement of transhumanism such as Julian Huxley (President of the British Eugenics Society), Ray Kurzweil (Director of Engineering at Google), and Zoltan Istvan …

Founded in 2016, Neuralink has developed a device that can implant ultra-thin threads inside the brain. The threads connect to a custom-designed chip with electrodes that can read data from groups of neurons. It’s a yarmulke homie no cap. In Part 1 of this series on Neuralink and the brain-computer interface (BCI), we explore the cruel and unusual …

Fortune Tellers and Cameos are in. Sam Altman and Tom's Toothpaste are out. Welcome to Season 2. Send your burning questions to cargocultpod@gmail.com. Video version of this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEigSNxHwcUCargo Cult által

This one is about having feelings for "AI." We look into Replika, the company whose chatbot was in the news because it encouraged a 19-year-old to become an assassin. Then we learn about InflectionAI, the second-best-funded generative AI startup (behind OpenAI) whose owners want to create "personal AI for everyone."…

We debate the viability of solar geoengineering and learn about the Drapers, a "venture capital family" with a pretty racist and eugenicist history. Then, we try to figure out how a Silicon Valley-based robot pizza company called Zume failed to turn a profit.Cargo Cult által

On this 4th of July, it's time to meet Palantir, a powerful and Patriotic software company that helps Western countries derive insights from their data and whose first client was the CIA. In this episode, we disclose the company's underreported origins, make fun of the eccentricities of its bipartisan founders, and cover its controversial work with…

We consider how the gamification of love affects our sanity and the shape online dating might take in the future. We also investigate how Match Group (parent company of Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid, and more) dominates the dating app industry and discover a new conservative-only dating app funded in part by Peter Thiel. Then we investigate the bizarre an…

Netflix is raising prices, cracking down on password sharing, and adding an ad tier. Here we cover this sea of changes at the company, discuss why it's a target of the writers' strike, and investigate its founders, Marc Bernays Randolph and Reed Hoffman. This episode also includes a basic recap of the Netflix Black Mirror episode, "Joan is Awful." …

This episode covers the CIA's relationship with one of your favorite big tech companies, Google. In Part 2 of our series on In-Q-Tel, we track Google's journey from the Stanford University dorms to Davos. We also cover a few poignant flashpoints in the relationship between Google and the CIA, like trying to help overthrow the Syrian government in t…

We discuss In-Q-Tel, a strategic venture capital firm created in 1999 to invest in technologies that serve the mission needs of the CIA and the broader intelligence community, including the FBI, NSA, and DHS.Cargo Cult által

Did you know that SpaceX owes its life to the former head of In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital arm? In this episode, we explore Elon Musk's rocket ambitions and the imperialist origins of SpaceX's satellite business. We also discuss the destructive effects of SpaceX's recent 4/20 Starship rocket launch in Southern Texas.…

A global leader in enterprise software, Oracle is the second-largest software company in the world by revenue (behind Microsoft). This episode explains Oracle's role as the database of all databases and explores the company's relationship with the U.S. government. We also discuss Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison's recent run-in with the Hawaiian pol…

We chat about how robots are infiltrating the workforce in Japan, stealing jobs from baristas and caregivers alike. Then, we dive into Apple's recently announced wearable AR/VR headset (it looks like a pair of ski goggles) and explore the privacy implications of this new tech.Cargo Cult által

In this episode, you'll get to know all the chatbots, from Joseph Weizenbaum's 60s-era "therapist bot" named Eliza to today's infamous ChatGPT by OpenAI. And you might as well since one will probably be your boss soon.Cargo Cult által

A nation uploads itself to the Metaverse. The U.S. military develops stupid robots and terrifying insects. We discuss all this and react to TikTok e-girls (in face-altering filters), telling Zoomers to "man up" and join the army.Cargo Cult által

We can't stop talking about "The Line," the coming tech-centric smart city technically located on Saudi Arabian land but not governed by KSA law. In this episode, we look at some of The Line's weirdest features, including the unusual way younger residents will commute to school, and explain why Neom is more of an international capitalist project th…

Neom is a smart "gigacity" in Saudi Arabia that puts all other smart cities to shame. Here we look into designs for "The Line," one of Neom's cities that project spokespeople are heralding as the "future of urban living." We also dip their toes into the TikTok famous "world islands" conspiracy theory. At one point, Michele calls The Line “The Lime”…

We ask the burning question of our time: "Is TikTok sus?" Then, we learn how eBay executives stalked and blackmailed an elderly indie journalism power couple. This episode also includes ChatGPT's vision of a debate between a 9/11 conspiracy theorist and a "normal person."Cargo Cult által