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What Would Karl Marx Do? is an occasional thought experiment that brings Karl Marx into the twenty-first century.
If Karl Marx woke up in modern America, what would infuriate him first?
Billionaires? AI? Cryptocurrency? Amazon? Housing?
Each episode we put history's most famous critic of capitalism would interpret today's politics, economics, culture, and controversies—with plenty of sarcasm, historical context, and surprisingly relevant insights.
Listen to the most recent episodes now:
Complete episode list:
24 / Marx Meets the Cloud: The Loud, Physical Side of AI
Imagine we dragged Marx into the 21st century and showed him the “cloud”—not fluffy skies but huge, noisy data centers humming with servers, pipes, and power lines. He’d smile: AI isn’t weightless magic, it’s heavy, physical, and made by people.
So the next time you type into a clean little chat box, remember the miners, electricians, technicians, and owners behind that blinking cursor. The real question isn’t what the machine can do, it’s who owns it and who gets what it produces.
23 / When AI Steals the Desk Job: What Would Marx Say?
We’ve been quiet for a minute, but we’re back with a two-part deep dive that drags Karl Marx into the AI conversation. We’ll ask the big questions: sure, AI can write your email and code your script, but who benefits when machines do the work humans used to get paid for?
Expect history (Luddites, steam engines), modern data on what AI is already doing to job postings, and a friendly but blunt take on the contradiction: more productivity doesn’t automatically mean more freedom for people. Come along — let’s figure out whether these machines will free us or just make some of us disposable.
22 / When the GOP Quotes Marx: J.D. Vance's Strange Wake-Up Call
Wild moment: the vice president is basically echoing Marx-era questions about concentrated capital, AI, and disappearing unions. It's not that they're turning socialist; it's that the old labels don't capture what's really happening.
Stick around — this conversation digs into who owns the tech, who gets the gains, and why so many young people find socialism tempting. Let's unpack it together.
21 / Back to the Family Home: Why Grown Adults Are Moving in With Mom and Dad
Did you notice everyone talking about grown kids moving back home? This episode unpacks why multigenerational living isn't a TikTok fad but a predictable result of soaring housing costs, stagnant wages, and homes turning into investment vehicles.
We take a wry look at what Marx might have said—not to preach revolution, but to ask blunt economic questions: who really benefits from all this wealth? Grab a coffee and come listen to why independence now sometimes means crashing in your old bedroom and sharing a Netflix password.
20 / Why Karl Marx Wouldn't Be Surprised by Big Oil's Profits
Picture telling Marx about today’s gas prices: he’d shrug, smile a little, and point out that corporations are just following the rules of the game. This isn’t about villains; it’s about incentives. The system rewards profit, and the rest is commentary.
It’s a bit unnerving, but also kind of clear once you see it: the outrage comes and goes, the profits keep coming, and the structure stays the same. If you want a cold, curious lens on why that happens, Marx’s framework still explains a lot.