Could Musk’s authoritarian streak trace back to his Canadian grandfather? Before Joshua Haldeman brought his family to South Africa, he made waves as part of the radical 1930s Technocracy movement. And while the two men’s lives only overlapped for three years, we find echoes of Elon’s worldview in Haldeman’s pro-tech, anti-democratic ideology.Guests in this episode include:Geoff Leo, senior investigative journalist for CBCDerek Proudian, early investor in Zip2.comWill Shoki, South African journalist and writerAdrienne LaFrance, executive editor of The AtlanticTopics in this episode include:The life and lasting influence of Elon Musk’s Canadian grandfather, Joshua Haldeman; his influence within the Technocracy movement and his historical context (the Great Depression and the dust bowl) Elon Musk's early career moves, including his time at Zip2.com, PayPal and the "PayPal Mafia,” and the Baasskap (bossism) management styleThe relationship between techno-optimism and authoritarianism, and Marc Andreessen’s “Techno-Optimist Manifesto”
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E1: Escape from Pretoria
Where did Elon Musk’s epic ambitions begin? In search of clues we return to his sheltered youth in apartheid South Africa, a world engineered for white supremacy. Along the way, we connect the dots between a bizarre White House ambush of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa to teenage Elon’s ego-powered quests in video games. Finally, was his “draft dodge” from military service a moral act or an opportunist’s exit?Guests in this episode include:Rudolph Pienaar, childhood friend of Elon MuskWill Shoki, South African journalist and writerTopics in this episode include:Donald Trump’s Oval Office ambush of President Cyril Ramaphosa with conspiracy theories about an anti-white Afrikaaner farmer genocide, or “white genocide” in South AfricaElon Musk's South African childhood, including his time at Pretoria Boys High School and his approach to fantasy role playing video gamesApartheid and structural white privilege/supremacy The South African Border War, conscription and draft-dodging
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Introducing Understood: The Making of Elon Musk
What explains Elon Musk? Could his most outlandish ambitions and most toxic qualities trace back to his youth in Apartheid South Africa? Understood: The Making of Musk explores his seemingly insatiable drive for dominance, which connects everything from his birthrate obsession (and fourteen children) to his fixation with colonizing Mars. This four-part series, hosted by Jacob Silverman, reveals a little known side of the polarizing billionaire. Silverman tells the vital beginnings of this story — because the Elon era is far from over.New episodes drop weekly, starting October 7, wherever you get your podcasts.
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Introducing: Click Here | Citizen Lab is still chasing shadows
Today we’re sharing an episode from the Click Here podcast from Recorded Future News and PRX.The early Internet was all about hope and utopian possibilities. But the founder of the Citizen Lab, Ron Deibert, always had an unsettled feeling about the web and its dark underbelly. So he created a team of digital sleuths to investigate.More episodes of Click here are available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/click-here/id1225077306
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Bonus: Cory Doctorow chats about his new novel on Bookends with Mattea Roach
In this special bonus conversation, Cory Doctorow sits down with Bookends host Mattea Roach to discuss his latest novel, Picks & Shovels. The book is the third in his series about forensic accountant Martin Hench, who investigates financial crime in Silicon Valley.When the book ends, the conversation begins. Mattea Roach speaks with writers who have something to say about their work, the world and our place in it. You’ll always walk away with big questions to ponder and new books to read.You can find Bookends wherever you listen to podcasts, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/5tjomL
Understood takes you deep inside the seismic shifts reshaping our world right now. From online porn and crypto chaos to the rise of tech oligarchs, deepfake AI, and the broken promises of the internet — we explore the stories that define our digital age with hosts and characters embedded in the heart of the action.We value your input! Fill out our listener survey here.Season 1 - The Naked Emperor: the rise and fall of bitcoin king Sam Bankman-Fried.Season 2 - The Pornhub Empire: the story of how a Montreal-founded company came to dominate the adult industry.Season 3 - Modi’s India: how one man rose from poverty to the peak of political power.Season 4 - Céline: the surprising cultural, political and business alchemy that created a superstar.Season 5 - Who Broke the Internet? The internet sucks now, and it happened on purpose.
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