How Mass Layoffs Changed Working in Tech w/ Clarissa Redwine & JS Tan
Summary
Host Paris Marks interviews Clarissa Redwine and JS Tan, authors of *Against Tech Oligarchy*, about the evolution of tech worker organizing. They discuss the 2018 movement’s origins, the shift from policy activism to unionization, and how recent mass layoffs and rising interest rates have eroded worker leverage. The conversation highlights how tech billionaires’ rightward turn and anti-woke rhetoric have intensified class conflict, prompting new forms of radical resistance among precarious workers.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Tech oligarchs, worker organizing, and guest welcome
Guest backgrounds: Kickstarter union and Microsoft activism
Origins of the tech worker movement and the 2018 'techlash'
From political activism to structural labor power and unions
Key moments: Google walkouts and international solidarity
Market shifts: Layoffs, austerity, and billionaire class consciousness
Political shifts: Billionaires' rightward turn and worker suppression
AI's impact: De-skilling, leverage, and current organizing efforts
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