Tech Won't Save Us - Elon Musk Unmasked: Creating the Genius Myth (Part 2)

Elon Musk is man, but he’s also a character that he crafted and which the media blew up to unimaginable scale. Without the media, Musk would not be the man he is today because that myth — and the way it exaggerated some of his traits and virtually hid others — was essential to his success. This is episode 2 of Elon Musk Unmasked, a special four-part series from Tech Won’t Save Us.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.

Also mentioned in this episode:

  • Science fiction author Annalee Newitz, CNBC.com journalist Lora Kolodny, Ludicrous author Edward Niedermeyer, freelance journalist Karl Bode, and Insider senior correspondent Linette Lopez were interviewed for this episode.
  • Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance, Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, The Founders by Jimmy Soni, and The PayPal Wars by Eric Jackson were the books cited.
  • A full transcript can be found on the show's official website.

Support the show

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Biden to Israel; Bombs to Gaza

With bombs falling in Gaza, President Biden traveled to Israel to make a show of support. But as meetings with allied government leadership around the region were canceled, is the president doing more harm than good?


Guest: Yousef Munayyer, Palestinian-American political analyst and writer and Senior Fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.


If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NPR's Book of the Day - ‘My People’ is a collection of stories – spanning decades – about Black America

Charlayne Hunter-Gault is a trailblazing journalist. The first Black reporter for The New Yorker's "Talk of the Town" section, she's spent more than a half-century reporting on the lives of Black Americans. Her newest book, My People, is a collection of pieces written throughout her career that provide a nuanced look at Black communities across the U.S. In this episode, she speaks to NPR's Michel Martin about how our country's understanding of race has changed since she first began working as a journalist, but how some things – like the bans on books by certain authors – kind of stay the same.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Unexpected Elements - Putting Madonna to the test

According to the pop icon Madonna, music makes the people come together. But can we prove that using science?

As Madonna embarks on her greatest hits world tour, the Unexpected Elements team on three continents take some of those hits and examine the science behind them.

Like a Virgin take us on an excursion into parthenogenesis, and the Komodo Dragons that can reproduce without the inconvenience of having to find a mate.

Madonna sung about travelling ‘quicker than a ray of light’, but is that actually possible? We take a very fast trip through the strange world of warp bubbles.

And we Get Into the Groove with the physicist who created a record so tiny it fits into one of the grooves of a normal record.

We also hear about the “find your ancestry” kits that have the capacity to solve so-called cold cases, identifying unknown human remains often decades old.

With the eyes of the world on events in Gaza, we discover how tech can help make sure that any reportage – video or photos – are accurate and not doctored.

All that plus your emails and WhatsApps, and a listener wonders whether fish can drown.

Presented by Marnie Chesterton, with Philistiah Mwatee and Katie Silver Produced by Ben Motley, with Alex Mansfield, Tom Bonnett, Sophie Ormiston and Margaret Sessa Hawkins

It Could Happen Here - Discussing Palestine and Israel w/ Dahab

Shereen is joined by Israeli-American Dahab as he shares his perspective about the ongoing violence in Palestine and Israel, his experience as an anti-zionist, and why he believes that supporting Palestinian liberation is necessary.

 

Follow Dahab: https://www.instagram.com/dahabdeezahav

Gaza Awareness Instagram post from @sbeih.jpg (includes list of places to donate to): https://www.instagram.com/p/CySCPAprJ9M/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ%3D%3D&img_index=1  

Instagram post with accounts to follow: https://www.instagram.com/p/CygYxxsRl6O/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

array(3) { [0]=> string(150) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/programs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/image.jpg?t=1749835422&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }

CBS News Roundup - 10/18/2023 | World News Round Up Late Edition

Sending aid to war zone. Still no Speaker of the House. Jordan van der Sloot admits to killing Natalee Holloway. CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Keiper with tonight's World News Roundup.

To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Gist - Misinformation: Hard To Combat, Slippery To Define

An interview with Dr. Dannagal G. Young, author of Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive our Appetite for Misinformation. Plus, sorting out who fired rockets, or dropped bombs, on or near a hospital in Gaza. 


Produced by Joel Patterson and Corey Wara 

Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com 

To advertise on the show: https://advertisecast.com/TheGist 

Subscribe to our ad-free and/or PescaPlus versions of The Gist: https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ 

Follow Mike’s Substack: Pesca Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices