In this episode, Sage, Julius, and Hanna hear from political historian Lily Geismer about the Democratic Party’s decades-long relationship to the tech industry. From the Atari Democrats of the 1970s to Al Gore's dinner-party pipeline with Silicon Valley executives, Lily explains how market-based thinking gradually replaced the social safety net as the party's organizing logic. Lily digs into what that ideological shift produced: derulation that allowed companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta to consolidate into the monopolies we know today. Lily breaks down what that consolidation actually costs the average American — in jobs, in prices, and in access to information — and why the promise that deregulation would help consumers largely never materialized. Her solutions include the enduring case for government regulation and supporting public media.
Key Takeaways from Lily:
1. Big Tech monopolies were built, not born.
2. Doing well and doing good are not the same thing.
3. Democracy needs a public sector, in media not just in politics.
This podcast is part of CAPT’s efforts to encourage open and diverse intellectual exchange. The ideas presented by individuals on the podcast are their own and do not represent Purdue University, which adheres to a policy of institutional neutrality.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode! Send us feedback to captivatedpod@gmail.com
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