Robots Are Coming for White-Collar Workers, Too
In previous industrial revolutions, machines took over manual labor jobs, then repetitive assembly line work and analog office drudgery. Now they’re coming for “cognitive” work.
14659 Articles by: Kendra Strauss
Kendra Strauss is director of the Labour Studies Program and associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Simon Fraser University.
Elon Musk Is Bad at Running Tesla, Too
With Elon Musk’s unending display of incompetence in running Twitter, it’s easy to forget that the enterprise that made him famous, Tesla, is just as riddled with scandal, lies, and even death.
Bolivia Coup Perpetrators Should Be Punished
Bolivia’s socialist-led government has arrested far-right leader Luis Fernando Camacho, a mastermind of the 2019 coup that deposed Evo Morales. It’s an important step to restore Bolivian democracy and to bring to justice those who carried out the vicious coup.
The History of American Public Housing Shows It Didn’t Have to Decline
In order to put social housing back on the agenda in American politics, we first have to understand how public housing was destroyed — especially by Bill Clinton’s Hope VI program.
Big Pharma Uses Its Massive Profits to Enrich Shareholders, Not for Research
Big pharma justifies its exorbitant prices by arguing that the huge profits it nets from price markups will be spent on research. Yet the industry clearly prefers to funnel its profits to shareholders — which means enriching the already rich rather than spurring medical innovation.
Yesterday, Striking Uber Drivers Confronted a Tech Behemoth in New York
In a one-day action on Thursday, New York City Uber drivers continued their campaign to pressure the tech company to finally comply with the law and give them a raise.
For the Israeli Right, the New Government Represents a Return to Its Fascist Roots
With the inauguration of Israel’s new far-right government, Zionism has finally embraced the fascist ideology that inspired major sections of the movement during its formative years a century ago.
Lula: “Join Us in a Great Collective Effort Against Inequality”
In a landmark inauguration speech, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lays out his agenda for a more just Brazil and a new internationalism.
The F-35 Is Everything Wrong With the Military-Industrial Complex
The F-35 fighter jet has been plagued by malfunctions and cost overruns for years, yet Congress continues to order up more. The bipartisan consensus to fund tools of war rather than pro-worker programs like affordable housing or childcare is still strong.
Mick Lynch: The UK’s Proposed Anti-Union Laws Are “a Suppression of Our Human Rights”
In the wake of strike activity in Britain not seen since the 1980s, the government is proposing draconian laws further restricting workers’ right to strike. RMT leader Mick Lynch says the laws are a threat not just to unions but to democracy in general.
Lula Has to Start Repairing the Damage Jair Bolsonaro Inflicted on Brazil
Lula began his third term as Brazil’s president this week while his predecessor scurried off to Florida. The new administration rests on a broad alliance of left-wing and centrist forces that faces a powerful hard-right opposition inspired by Jair Bolsonaro.
The Work of Nicos Poulantzas Is Vital for Understanding the Authoritarian Right
Nicos Poulantzas developed a highly original interpretation of fascism, seeing it as a potential that lurked within all capitalist states under conditions of crisis. His work can help us understand the danger posed by right-wing authoritarianism today.
FTX Convinced Poor People Their Money Was Safe in Crypto. It Wasn’t.
Many low-income people invested in the now-disgraced crypto exchange FTX. That’s because the exchange allegedly targeted poor and underbanked people and convinced them that FTX was just as safe as a regular bank.
Lula Was Just Inaugurated as Brazil’s President. His Return Is a Win for the Global Left.
Leftist leader Lula da Silva was inaugurated on Sunday as Brazil’s president. It’s a huge win for the global left — I only wish the late Michael Brooks, who tirelessly agitated for Lula’s release from prison, would have lived to see his return to power.
Kevin Johnson Was Murdered by a Racist Justice System
The St Louis County prosecutor pursued a death sentence for Kevin Johnson before calling for a retrial due to the “unconstitutional racial bias” in the case. But Missouri executed him anyway — killing a black man without even a semblance of due process.
Tech Giants Are Building a Dystopia of Desperate Workers and Social Isolation
Tech companies like Amazon and Uber are creating a society divided between the served and their servants, where the “friction” of in-person interaction is eliminated. That friction is the stuff of social connection — a world without it is nightmarish.
How Student Workers in STEM Took on Columbia University and Won Big
STEM departments are some of the most abusive, inequitable, and inaccessible workplaces in academia. Student workers’ victorious 2021–22 strike at Columbia University shows how militant, bottom-up unionism can change that.
Good Riddance, Juan Guaidó
Juan Guaidó was supposed to be the appealing, human face of US-backed regime change in Venezuela. His ouster as “interim president” this week is another signal that those efforts have failed.
Pelé Tried to Be an Apolitical Icon
Pelé rose to fame during the height of Brazil’s military dictatorship. He matched his brilliant play on the field with a careful avoidance of crossing the powerful.
Australia’s Rulers Know They Need American Imperialism to Dominate the Pacific
When it comes to foreign policy, Australia has long been in thrall to US interests. This isn’t because Australia is an American client state but because the Australian establishment knows that its own interests are best served by US empire.