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Why historian Jill Lepore thinks Big Tech CEOs read sci-fi all wrong | Equity Podcast

Historian Jill Lepore has a theory about why tech companies often use soaring language to describe their products — almost as if they’re forming a new government. And whether you’re thinking of Twitter’s old “town hall in your pocket” or Anthropic’s Claude constitution, it’s a theory that doesn’t paint Silicon Valley in a very flattering…

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Historian Jill Lepore has a theory about why tech companies often use soaring language to describe their products — almost as if they’re forming a new government. And whether you’re thinking of Twitter’s old “town hall in your pocket” or Anthropic’s Claude constitution, it’s a theory that doesn’t paint Silicon Valley in a very flattering light.

In Lepore’s upcoming book, The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard historian and New Yorker writer argues that tech companies are gradually taking on the functions of democratic government — whether that’s Twitter giving a distorted picture of the electorate or Facebook displacing local news. In her view, these leaders often mistake technological advancement for political progress, all while outright declaring their intention to replace the nation-state.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Anthony Ha talks with Lepore about her book and why she thinks today’s AI leaders — who promise a future where AI makes government more efficient, more responsive, and maybe even unnecessary — are selling an old fantasy in new packaging.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

0:49 Defining the “artificial state”

2:17 Why corporations quietly took over state functions

4:43 Could the internet have gone another way?

9:01 From the 1984 Macintosh ad to Anthropic’s constitution

10:20 The Twitter “town hall” myth

13:36 Structuring the book: history meets science fiction

17:46 The Machine Stops, and other bad manuals for the future

19:16 Musk, Heinlein, and misreading sci-fi

19:41 Why Lepore thinks the artificial state is “doomed”

21:51 Data centers, local politics, and the death of local news

24:44 Revisiting disruptive innovation, ten years later

26:54 Outro

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CNET

Siri AI Will Change the Way You Use Your iPhone for Good | #OneMoreThing

Bridget might have found the perfect method to actually make Siri AI… useful? It all starts with a few habit changes. Watch the full step-by-step on CNET. Video Credits Host: Bridget Carey Videographer/Editor: Carly Marsh Add CNET as a trusted news source Never miss a deal again! See CNET’s browser extension 👉 Check out CNET’s…

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August 7, 2026

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Bridget might have found the perfect method to actually make Siri AI… useful? It all starts with a few habit changes. Watch the full step-by-step on CNET.

Video Credits
Host: Bridget Carey
Videographer/Editor: Carly Marsh

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Science & Technology

The Biggest Startup Mistakes a Lawyer Can’t Fix

You might not need a lawyer before you start fundraising but you do need to set up a good legal foundation. In this episode of Build Mode, the CEO and founder of Lexsy Kristina Subbotina breaks down the four unfixable mistakes that can make a startup unfundable or kill it outright. Watch the full episode…

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10 hours ago

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August 7, 2026

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You might not need a lawyer before you start fundraising but you do need to set up a good legal foundation.

In this episode of Build Mode, the CEO and founder of Lexsy Kristina Subbotina breaks down the four unfixable mistakes that can make a startup unfundable or kill it outright.

Watch the full episode here:

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CNET

Do This Now for a Better Siri (It’s a Life Changer!) | One More Thing

If you use the new Siri AI correctly, you might cut down how much you’re on your phone. CNET’s Bridget Carey explains how to set up your iPhone to get the most out of the new Siri, and how it’s saved her sanity as a working parent. You can find the products mentioned in this…

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16 hours ago

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August 7, 2026

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If you use the new Siri AI correctly, you might cut down how much you’re on your phone. CNET’s Bridget Carey explains how to set up your iPhone to get the most out of the new Siri, and how it’s saved her sanity as a working parent.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Apple iPhone 17 Pro, US Version, 256GB
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Read more about the new Siri AI on CNET.com: The New Siri AI Leaves Old Siri in the Dust on Apple Watch

Host: Bridget Carey
Videographer and Editor: Carly Marsh

0:00 Get ready for the new Siri
1:46 Set your side button to trigger Siri
2:07 Unlock settings
2:18 Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch
2:37 Siri sees your Apple Calendar app
3:32 Talking to Siri: “What meetings do I have today?”
3:48 Using Siri to find information in your messages
4:48 Using Siri to find information in iMessage
5:11 Send your emails to the iPhone Mail app
6:46 Using Siri with Apple Maps

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#siri #apple #appleintelligence #ai #artificialintelligence

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