Jathan Sadowski
@jathansadowski.com
ARC Future Fellow – Monash University /// co-host – This Machine Kills /// critical insurance tech + climate risk governance /// political economy of technology and capitalism: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
Pinned
Jathan Sadowski
@jathansadowski.com
· Jan 5
Thrilled to announce the official publication of my new book — The Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism
Grab my book to go beyond the vaporous hype and get the real material analysis of technological capitalism that we all need! www.ucpress.edu/books/the-me...
Grab my book to go beyond the vaporous hype and get the real material analysis of technological capitalism that we all need! www.ucpress.edu/books/the-me...
Woke 2: Hell on Earth
I think "woke" was at least partly identified with "irritating" and the way we're rectifying that in Woke 2 is by being scary instead
February 8, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Woke 2: Hell on Earth
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
Policy Director @brianjchen.bsky.social talks to @jathansadowski.com and @edwardongwesojr.com about his recent policy brief examining the Trump administration’s AI agenda, and the actions the federal government is taking as it pursues global technological dominance. soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
443. Behold the Big Beautiful AI State (ft. Brian Chen)
We’re joined by Brian Chen — policy director at Data & Society — to discuss his new report on the Trump administration’s industrial policy for building The Big AI State. We lay out how Trump’s is brin
soundcloud.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Policy Director @brianjchen.bsky.social talks to @jathansadowski.com and @edwardongwesojr.com about his recent policy brief examining the Trump administration’s AI agenda, and the actions the federal government is taking as it pursues global technological dominance. soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
In the new TMK, We’re joined by @brianjchen.bsky.social — policy director at @datasociety.bsky.social — to discuss his new report on the Trump administration’s industrial policy for building The Big AI State and achieving “global technological dominance.” soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
443. Behold the Big Beautiful AI State (ft. Brian Chen)
We’re joined by Brian Chen — policy director at Data & Society — to discuss his new report on the Trump administration’s industrial policy for building The Big AI State. We lay out how Trump’s is brin
soundcloud.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:50 AM
In the new TMK, We’re joined by @brianjchen.bsky.social — policy director at @datasociety.bsky.social — to discuss his new report on the Trump administration’s industrial policy for building The Big AI State and achieving “global technological dominance.” soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
“The backlash against U.S. tech companies, and global market dependencies on the American tech stack, is part of a broader recognition that technology is not neutral, and the companies that produce and shape this ecosystem have social and political interests in addition to their financial interests”
The world is trying to log off U.S. tech
Some global users are turning to services like Proton Mail and UpScrolled instead.
restofworld.org
February 3, 2026 at 12:26 AM
“The backlash against U.S. tech companies, and global market dependencies on the American tech stack, is part of a broader recognition that technology is not neutral, and the companies that produce and shape this ecosystem have social and political interests in addition to their financial interests”
I think often of a tweet I saw that was like "if your kid actually reads books, they're gonna be one of the smartest people in like ten years" arxiv.org/abs/2601.20245
February 2, 2026 at 11:39 PM
I think often of a tweet I saw that was like "if your kid actually reads books, they're gonna be one of the smartest people in like ten years" arxiv.org/abs/2601.20245
"We thank Refine.ink, ChatGPT 5.2 Pro, and Claude Opus 4.5 for research assistance."
That's the first line of this NBER paper www.nber.org/system/files...
Props for acknowledging this upfront, but I just won't ever get used to people relying on (multiple) gen AI for research work.
That's the first line of this NBER paper www.nber.org/system/files...
Props for acknowledging this upfront, but I just won't ever get used to people relying on (multiple) gen AI for research work.
February 2, 2026 at 11:30 PM
"We thank Refine.ink, ChatGPT 5.2 Pro, and Claude Opus 4.5 for research assistance."
That's the first line of this NBER paper www.nber.org/system/files...
Props for acknowledging this upfront, but I just won't ever get used to people relying on (multiple) gen AI for research work.
That's the first line of this NBER paper www.nber.org/system/files...
Props for acknowledging this upfront, but I just won't ever get used to people relying on (multiple) gen AI for research work.
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
rent tech platforms looking at the hoards of renter data they collect like
February 2, 2026 at 5:46 AM
rent tech platforms looking at the hoards of renter data they collect like
"An analysis of seven rent platforms ... revealed millions of leasing documents could be accessed by threat actors."
Thanks to negligent privacy practices, it is easy to access troves of highly sensitive information stored on rental management platforms www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Thanks to negligent privacy practices, it is easy to access troves of highly sensitive information stored on rental management platforms www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Real estate agents in Australia using apps that leave millions of lease documents at risk, digital researcher says
Exclusive: ‘This is a blatant and disturbing disregard for the law and for people’s security,’ digital rights advocate says
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:42 AM
"An analysis of seven rent platforms ... revealed millions of leasing documents could be accessed by threat actors."
Thanks to negligent privacy practices, it is easy to access troves of highly sensitive information stored on rental management platforms www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Thanks to negligent privacy practices, it is easy to access troves of highly sensitive information stored on rental management platforms www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
In the new TMK Premium, we chat about humiliation rituals at Davos before explaining how an administrative rule change at the EPA about the (non-)value of life in cost-benefit analyses will be a major accelerant for the American Empire of Blood and Oil .
teaser: soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
teaser: soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
Patreon Preview – 442. The Empire of Blood and Oil
We chat about the Karp x Fink interview at Davos, the humiliation ritual of making Adam Tooze sit on a panel about how batteries are a Chinese threat to America, how an administrative rule change at t
soundcloud.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:54 PM
In the new TMK Premium, we chat about humiliation rituals at Davos before explaining how an administrative rule change at the EPA about the (non-)value of life in cost-benefit analyses will be a major accelerant for the American Empire of Blood and Oil .
teaser: soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
teaser: soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
Just found out that my article "When Data is Capital" has been translated into Turkish and published in the media studies journal Yeni Medya. Pretty cool! dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/yenim...
January 23, 2026 at 4:58 AM
Just found out that my article "When Data is Capital" has been translated into Turkish and published in the media studies journal Yeni Medya. Pretty cool! dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/yenim...
"The strike was the tactic of choice for the proletariat in the days of industrialized production b/c most people could reach out and touch the economy. But many cannot do so directly now b/c they are locked out entirely or their manager is an algorithm, an app, a ghost." – sarahljaffe.bsky.social
January 23, 2026 at 3:55 AM
"The strike was the tactic of choice for the proletariat in the days of industrialized production b/c most people could reach out and touch the economy. But many cannot do so directly now b/c they are locked out entirely or their manager is an algorithm, an app, a ghost." – sarahljaffe.bsky.social
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
jack asked if i would sketch up a poster to tell people in nearby neighborhoods about the partnership between flock and ring, and this is what i came up with. it can be printed on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper.
![YOUR RING CAMERA IS AN ICE AGENT
[a drawing of a ring camera with an ice agent dragging a person away in its field of vision]
"In October of 2025, Amazon's Ring announced its partnership with FLOCK, an A.I. surveillance group that freely shares its footage with ICE, the secret service, and the navy. Flock customers can use A.I. tools to sift through footage to assist in all manner of operations (like raids and deportations) without a warrant. Unplug Ring! Melt ICE! Protect your neighbors!
See: https://blog.ring.com/about-ring/ring-expands-community-requests-to-additional-community-safety-partners/
https://www.404media.co/ice-secret-service-navy-all-had-access-to-flocks-nationwide-network-of-cameras/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9MwZkHiMQ
https://www.aclum.org/campaigns-initiatives/get-the-flock-out-resource-guide/](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:p2aefnvhb3zmkrazk67dppxw/bafkreic7teyeocg7k5qcqxnc666k7clyiislh2zfi6iopcz6fs3e3lt6xy@jpeg)
January 19, 2026 at 8:15 PM
jack asked if i would sketch up a poster to tell people in nearby neighborhoods about the partnership between flock and ring, and this is what i came up with. it can be printed on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper.
In the new TMK, we are joined by folks from the National Union of Healthcare Workers to discuss their ongoing contract dispute with Kaiser Permamente over the use and role of AI in healthcare — plus the impact of AI on labor conditions and patient care soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
441. The Fight Over AI Use in Mental Healthcare (ft. Ciara Keegan, Ilana Marcucci-Morris)
We chat with Ciara Keegan and Ilana Marcucci-Morris from the National Union of Healthcare Workers about their ongoing contract dispute with Kaiser Permamente over the use and role of AI in healthcare,
soundcloud.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:24 AM
In the new TMK, we are joined by folks from the National Union of Healthcare Workers to discuss their ongoing contract dispute with Kaiser Permamente over the use and role of AI in healthcare — plus the impact of AI on labor conditions and patient care soundcloud.com/thismachinek...
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
I reviewed MORE AND MORE AND MORE which argues that there’s no historical precedent for an “energy transition”; instead, we see symbiotic linkages between wood, coal, oil, and now renewables. I’m convinced. But the book’s analysis of capitalism falls short @thebaffler.com Link ⬇️
January 20, 2026 at 8:10 PM
I reviewed MORE AND MORE AND MORE which argues that there’s no historical precedent for an “energy transition”; instead, we see symbiotic linkages between wood, coal, oil, and now renewables. I’m convinced. But the book’s analysis of capitalism falls short @thebaffler.com Link ⬇️
"This is how so many will start feeling the climate crisis. Not in abstract charts but in rising insurance renewal notices, with higher excesses and more exclusions. Families will begin agonising over whether they can afford to protect their largest asset."
Cities aren’t safe from the next firestorm
As we face these fires in Victoria, there is deep apprehension among my colleagues in emergency services. We are not just worried about today. Victoria’s most savage fire weather often arrives later i...
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au
January 19, 2026 at 1:21 AM
"This is how so many will start feeling the climate crisis. Not in abstract charts but in rising insurance renewal notices, with higher excesses and more exclusions. Families will begin agonising over whether they can afford to protect their largest asset."
This is the AI bubble’s end game:
“when AI has infiltrated work processes to the point that exit costs are prohibitive, the customer base will be unable to escape and coerced into paying up. The world will be hooked on AI, and the tech firms will collect handsome profits.”
“when AI has infiltrated work processes to the point that exit costs are prohibitive, the customer base will be unable to escape and coerced into paying up. The world will be hooked on AI, and the tech firms will collect handsome profits.”
Cédric Durand, After AI — Sidecar
Legacies of the bubble.
newleftreview.org
January 17, 2026 at 7:52 PM
This is the AI bubble’s end game:
“when AI has infiltrated work processes to the point that exit costs are prohibitive, the customer base will be unable to escape and coerced into paying up. The world will be hooked on AI, and the tech firms will collect handsome profits.”
“when AI has infiltrated work processes to the point that exit costs are prohibitive, the customer base will be unable to escape and coerced into paying up. The world will be hooked on AI, and the tech firms will collect handsome profits.”
Love to hear from folks reading and enjoying my book, especially when they are telling others to read it too!
All this was in part inspired by me currently reading the excellent “The mechanic and the Luddite” by @jathansadowski.com. You should too!
January 15, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Love to hear from folks reading and enjoying my book, especially when they are telling others to read it too!
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
All this was in part inspired by me currently reading the excellent “The mechanic and the Luddite” by @jathansadowski.com. You should too!
January 15, 2026 at 11:57 AM
All this was in part inspired by me currently reading the excellent “The mechanic and the Luddite” by @jathansadowski.com. You should too!
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
Excited to share my review of ”The Mechanic and the Luddite” by @jathansadowski.com, one of the most important critiques of technological capitalism today, published in ”Exertions,” the Society for the Anthropology of Work’s short-form web publication:
anthrowork.org/book-reviews...
anthrowork.org/book-reviews...
Book Review: The Mechanic and the Luddite - Society for the Anthropology of Work
The Mechanic and the Luddite: A Ruthless Criticism of Technology and Capitalism, by Jathan Sadowski (2025). Oakland, CA: University of California Press.
anthrowork.org
January 15, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Excited to share my review of ”The Mechanic and the Luddite” by @jathansadowski.com, one of the most important critiques of technological capitalism today, published in ”Exertions,” the Society for the Anthropology of Work’s short-form web publication:
anthrowork.org/book-reviews...
anthrowork.org/book-reviews...
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
About the Conference
www.4sonline.org
January 14, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I'm co-chairing the Society for Social Studies of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto, Oct 2026. #STS #scipol #innovation
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
Theme: "TechnoPower • Technoscientific Futures".
Open panel submissions portal is open! ls!
Deadline: 2nd February 2026
www.4sonline.org/about_the_co...
In the new TMK Premium, Ed returns from the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. We learn about the hottest new trends and devices hitting the market. Big this year: the mass infantilization of humanity under the guise of frictionless convenience.
full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/148161...
teaser:
full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/148161...
teaser:
Patreon Preview – 440. TMK x CES: Return to Hell
Ed returns from his annual trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. We learn about the hottest new trends and devices hitting the market. Big this year: chatbot wrappers, making everything into
soundcloud.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:46 AM
In the new TMK Premium, Ed returns from the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. We learn about the hottest new trends and devices hitting the market. Big this year: the mass infantilization of humanity under the guise of frictionless convenience.
full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/148161...
teaser:
full episode: www.patreon.com/posts/148161...
teaser:
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
Le risque, cette gouvernance moderne que certains font peser sur les autres : danslesalgorithmes.net/2026/01/12/l... - Retour sur le livre de @jathansadowski.com The Mechanic and the Luddite. C'est la reprise sur DLA !
Le risque, cette gouvernance moderne que certains font peser sur les autres
La technologie et le capitalisme sont des structures qui désormais s’entretiennent l’une l’autre et se renforcent mutuellement. Des « structures ...
danslesalgorithmes.net
January 12, 2026 at 6:59 AM
Le risque, cette gouvernance moderne que certains font peser sur les autres : danslesalgorithmes.net/2026/01/12/l... - Retour sur le livre de @jathansadowski.com The Mechanic and the Luddite. C'est la reprise sur DLA !
So nice to see such an incredibly generous and detailed review of my new book in French
Le risque, cette gouvernance moderne que certains font peser sur les autres : danslesalgorithmes.net/2026/01/12/l... - Retour sur le livre de @jathansadowski.com The Mechanic and the Luddite. C'est la reprise sur DLA !
Le risque, cette gouvernance moderne que certains font peser sur les autres
La technologie et le capitalisme sont des structures qui désormais s’entretiennent l’une l’autre et se renforcent mutuellement. Des « structures ...
danslesalgorithmes.net
January 12, 2026 at 7:27 PM
So nice to see such an incredibly generous and detailed review of my new book in French
“Each of these acts may be insignificant, but an orientation toward friction is really the only defense we have against the life-annihilating suction of technologies of escape.” www.thecut.com/article/broo...
In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing
In the face of technologies that sell us escapism at every turn, we need to build up tolerance for “inconvenience.”
www.thecut.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:18 PM
“Each of these acts may be insignificant, but an orientation toward friction is really the only defense we have against the life-annihilating suction of technologies of escape.” www.thecut.com/article/broo...
Reposted by Jathan Sadowski
The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.
January 7, 2026 at 8:26 PM
The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.