Episode 2310: Why Progressives must become "Yes People" on Technology
In this week’s That Was The Week round up of tech news, Andrew and Keith Teare discuss the need for progressives to become what Keith calls “yes people” on technology. At the moment, he argues, their reactionary “no” on tech is handing MAGA conservatives and their Silicon Valley backers a free pass to win the debate about the future. While Keith and Andrew aren’t always on the same page about the need to regulate Big Tech, they are in complete agreement that progressives - both inside and outside Silicon Valley - need to liberate themselves of their nostalgia for the industrial 20th century and embrace the digital future.
Keith Teare is the founder and CEO of SignalRank Corporation. Previously, he was executive chairman at Accelerated Digital Ventures Ltd., a U.K.-based global investment company focused on startups at all stages. Teare studied at the University of Kent and is the author of “The Easy Net Book” and “Under Siege.” He writes regularly for TechCrunch and publishes the “That Was The Week” newsletter.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Nick Seabrook: How Gerrymandering Is Killing American Democracy
Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström: No, Sweden Isn't Perfect: On Racism, Xenophobia, and Not Even Feeding Your Own Guests
Jennifer Senior: How America's Rasputin, Steve Bannon, Is Simultaneously Clubbable and a Mortal Threat to the Republic
Ethan Lou: Is Today's Crypto Crash Terminal or Just Another Chapter in Its Inevitable Takeover of Our Financial System?
Christopher Leonard: How Today's Inflationary Crisis is Likely to Further Inflame Our Democratic Crisis
Simon Kuper: What Political Lessons Can We Learn From a Well-Run Football Club Like FC Barcelona?
Oliver Bullough: How Britain Became the Jeeves of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats, and Criminals
James Kirchick on the Hidden History of Gay Washington
Nabil Ayers: Why Writing an Autobiography Is More Like Recording an Album Than Making a Single
Rebekah Caruthers: How We Can Use the January 6th Insurrection to Create a More Perfect American Democracy
Gene Andrew Jarrett on Paul Laurence Dunbar, the Caged Bird That Sang
Nicole Eustace: What the Murder of an Indigenous American in 1722 Tells Us About the Dark Origins of the United States
Chloe Maxmin: Why the Democrats Need to Start Listening to Rural America