Dystopia Now

Kate Willett and Emile Torres

Dystopia Now is a show where a comedian (Kate Willett) and an academic (Emile Torres) explore the philosophies and religions of Silicon Valley and tech billionaires shaping our country, our world, and our future.

  1. The Unabomber

    5 FEB

    The Unabomber

    This week, we discussed the biography of the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and his brand of tech doomerism. Further Reading Émile's article: https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/eliezer-yudkowsky-and-the-unabomber

    1h 14m
  2. Four Companies, Under AGI

    26 JAN

    Four Companies, Under AGI

    While profit motivates all companies under capitalism, why are the wealthiest tech companies so focused on AGI? This week, we dive into the relationships, ideologies, and claims behind the four biggest players claiming to build artificial general intelligence: Google DeepMind, OpenAI (partly owned by Microsoft), Anthropic, and Elon Musk's xAI. Further Reading https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/tescrealism-and-the-race-to-build Book mentioned The AI Con - Emily Bender & Alex Hanna

    1 hr
  3. LARPing into Authoritarianism with Dr. Alexander Thomas

    17 JAN

    LARPing into Authoritarianism with Dr. Alexander Thomas

    We're joined again by Dr. Alexander Thomas, author of The Politics and Ethics of Transhumanism, to discuss current events and how the Extropians' libertarian transhumanist fantasies connect to today's efforts to meme right-wing authoritarianism into reality.   Books Mentioned Hayek's Bastards by Quinn Slobodian The Politics and Ethics of Transhumanism by Alexander Thomas (open access)

    1h 1m
  4. How Tech Bros are Innovating Imperialism

    10 JAN

    How Tech Bros are Innovating Imperialism

    Welcome to 2026! This week, we took a look at imperialism and how the rotating cast of billionaires discussed on the show are more involved than meets the eye. FURTHER READING: Émile's article "Are You Suffering from Crisis Fatigue?": https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/are-you-suffering-from-crisis-fatigue Gil Duran's article on the Network State and Venezuela (The Nerd Reich): https://www.thenerdreich.com/network-state-comes-for-venezuela/ Prospera: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/magazine/prospera-honduras-crypto.html Honduras: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/04/trump-venezuela-maduro-pardon-honduras.html Greenland: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greenland-freedom-city-rich-donors-push-trump-tech-hub-up-north-2025-04-10/ AND https://www.insidehook.com/internet/peter-thiel-praxis-next-great-city-greenland AND https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/world/europe/trump-greenland-denmark-us-defense-pact.html Pardons: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ripple/2025/12/10/trumps-clemency-machine-deserves-more-right-wing-scrutiny/ AND https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trump-pro-crypto-or-pro-crime

    57 min
  5. The Distant Future: 2025 Expectations versus Reality

    28/12/2025

    The Distant Future: 2025 Expectations versus Reality

    Is AGI right around the corner, again? How's the AI bubble doing? What happened to climate activism? We're closing out the year with a round up of the many predictions made about technology by 2025 and share some of our own guesses. Support the show on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow Further Reading Émile's rundown of 2025 predictions: https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/what-people-thought-would-happen NYT on the AI bubble: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/business/the-ai-boom-economy.html Book mentioned: The Discovery of the Future - H.G. Wells

    1h 21m
  6. Epstein Part 2: Transhumanism & Eugenics with Keira Havens

    12/12/2025

    Epstein Part 2: Transhumanism & Eugenics with Keira Havens

    This week, we're joined by Keira Havens, director of Citizens' Impeachment and former scientist to discuss Jeffery Epstein's transhumanist, eugenicist beliefs, their roots in hierarchy, and his influence in funding scientific research. Further reading: TBA

    1h 2m
  7. Epstein Part 1: Chomsky Struggle Session

    04/12/2025

    Epstein Part 1: Chomsky Struggle Session

    In a 2-part series on Jeffery Epstein, we'll explore Epstein's ties to the TESCREAL ideologies. This week though, we're talking about his ties to one of our intellectual heroes who really let us down. Further reading: Émile's article "Noam Chomsky is a Scumbag": https://www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/noam-chomsky-is-a-scumbag Jeffrey Epstein Met With Harvard Professor Martin Nowak and Noam Chomsky in 2015 in Harvard Office: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/5/3/epstein-nowak-chomsky-meeting-2015/ Lawrence Krauss and Epstein: https://slate.com/technology/2019/08/jeffrey-epstein-science-eugenics-sexual-abuse-researchers.html

    56 min
  8. Escaping Effective Altruism

    14/11/2025

    Escaping Effective Altruism

    Support the show on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/dystopianow How did Émile get involved in Effective Altruism and what was it like beginning to turn away? In this week's episode, we touch on Palantir CEO Alex Karp's political journey, a review of longtermism, and what first sounded the alarm bells on EA for Émile. Further reading: Emile's article "Against longtermism": https://aeon.co/essays/why-longtermism-is-the-worlds-most-dangerous-secular-credo Karp's swordsmanship: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/alex-karp-wielding-a-sword

    1h 4m
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About

Dystopia Now is a show where a comedian (Kate Willett) and an academic (Emile Torres) explore the philosophies and religions of Silicon Valley and tech billionaires shaping our country, our world, and our future.

Information

  • Creator
    Kate Willett and Emile Torres
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    51
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    Dystopia Now

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