Why are Techbro Oligarchs So Obsessed with Augustus? (The Show Notes)
Sources for this episode include:
Evan Osnos: Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook Before it Breaks Democracy? The New Yorker
George Liapis: Is Zuckerberg Just a Roman Empire Nerd, or Augustus’ Descendant? Roman Empire Times
Nova Reed: How Caesar Augustus would Dominate the AI Revolution
Sophie Swerts Knudsen: “Aut Caesar, Aut Nihil”
Douglas Rushkoff: We will coup whoever we want!’: the unbearable hubris of Musk and the billionaire tech bros
Peter Franklin: Elon Musk is wrong: the US does not need a new Sulla. UnHerd
American Immigration Council: Immigration Detention Expansion in Trump’s Second Term
Damien Leloup and Alexandre Piquard: Technologia imperatores: Unpacking the tech bros’ fascination with the Roman Empire. Le Monde
Honor Cargill-Martin: The Roman Empire Loved by Elon Musk and Steve Bannon Never Existed. NYTimes
Jem Bartholomew: Q&A: Uncovering the labor exploitation that powers AI. Columbia Journalism Review
Mary Meisenzahl: Mark Zuckerberg’s fascination with Augustus Caesar might explain the Facebook CEO’s haircut, which his wife Priscilla Chan is cutting during quarantine. Business Insider
Adrienne LaFrance: The Rise of Techno-Authoritarianism. The Atlantic
Mark Osborne: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg calls for more government regulations in op-ed. ABC News
Mike Wendling: Inside the rural Texas town where Elon Musk is basing his business empire. BBC
Jason Wilson: He’s anti-democracy and pro-Trump: the obscure ‘dark enlightenment’ blogger influencing the next US administration. The Guardian
Nina Mast: Forced prison labor in the “Land of the Free.” Economic Policy Institute
Ganna Progrebna: AI underpinned by developing world tech worker ‘slavery.’ Asia Times
Matthew Gorman: Slavery and Artificial Intelligence: Both Enemies of the U.S. Worker? Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
Josie Ensor: Elon Musk wants a ‘Legion’ of Children, says Ashley St. Clair. The Times
Zachary Basu: Musk’s baby machine: Inside his mission to spike the birth rate. Axios
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