Podcast – Cory Doctorow's craphound.com
Fiction & Audio Drama
About
Articles, speeches, stories and novels by an award-winning science fiction writer, read aloud in small regular chunks
Episodes
- Comrade Trump
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his column "Comrade Trump" from his Pluralistic newsletter. He discusses the Trump years, including his tariff policy and its implications.
- Not Normal
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his Locus Magazine column, 'Not Normal,' which explores the effects of anti-circumvention laws. He discusses how these laws have enabled manufacturers to control device usage and parts.
- All laws are local
Cory Doctorow discusses the transient nature of perceived eternal truths in his podcast. He explores how inventions and societal norms are viewed differently based on one's age and experience, referencing a quote from Douglas Adams.
- Threads’ margin is the Eurostack’s opportunity
Cory Doctorow reads his blog post "Threads’ margin is the Eurostack’s opportunity" and explores how digital sovereignty advocates can address Meta's practices with Threads, comparing them to Facebook's historical strategies against MySpace.
- Code is a liability (not an asset)
Cory Doctorow reads his blog post "Code is a liability (not an asset)" on his podcast. He discusses the idea of code as a liability rather than an asset and the implications of replacing programmers with chatbots.
- (Digital) Elbows Up (OCADU, November 27, 2025)
In this episode, Cory Doctorow presents a speech on digital sovereignty and anticircumvention, using the example of HP printers and ink to illustrate how corporations can control product usage. He discusses the concept of property rights a…
- The Post-American Internet (39C3, Hamburg, Dec 28)
This episode features Cory Doctorow's speech on a "post-American, enshittification-resistant internet" delivered at 39C3. He discusses how US trade policies have impacted global internet freedom and advocates for challenging Big Tech monop…
- Daddy-Daughter Podcast, 2025 Edition
Cory Doctorow and his daughter Poesy continue their annual podcast tradition. This episode features Poesy discussing her graduation, dance team achievements, college life, and a tutorial on playing Egyptian War, concluding with a rendition…
- Show Me the Incentive, I’ll Show You the Outcome
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his Locus Magazine column, “Show Me the Incentive, I’ll Show You the Outcome.” The column explores how policy changes can restrict choices and create a less preferable environment for individuals.
- Enshittification With Ed Zitron at the Seattle Public Library
This episode features the audio from Cory Doctorow's Enshittification book-tour event at the Seattle Public Library. The event included Ed Zitron and Whitney Betran.
- Enshittification With Lina Khan at the Brooklyn Public Library
This episode features audio from Cory Doctorow's "Enshittification" book tour event. It includes his discussion with former FTC Chair Lina Khan at the Brooklyn Public Library.
- The real (economic) AI apocalypse is nigh
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his column "The real (economic) AI apocalypse is nigh," discussing the economic crisis threatened by the AI investment bubble. He explores how the AI bubble is driven by monopolists and the potential co…
- By all means, tread on those people
This episode features Cory Doctorow reading his column "By all means, tread on those people," which connects America's political state to the abandonment of the rule of law and Wilhoit's Law.
- Enshittification (episode 500!)
In this 500th episode, Cory Doctorow presents an hour-long excerpt from the audiobook of his forthcoming book, "Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It." He explains his audiobook publishing process, whi…
- Nimby and the D-Hoppers CONCLUSION
Cory Doctorow reads the conclusion of his science fiction story, 'Nimby and the D-Hoppers.' The narrative describes the protagonist's recurring encounters with dimension-hoppers causing chaos in his home.
- Nimby and the D-Hoppers
Cory Doctorow re-reads his 2003 science fiction story, 'Nimby and the D-Hoppers,' which features dimension-hoppers disrupting his home and city. The story has been widely reprinted and translated into multiple languages.
- Why I don’t like AI art
Cory Doctorow explains his perspective on AI art, stating that he believes art is a form of communication. He argues that AI art lacks the communicative intent inherent in human-created art, as it does not involve the artist's numerous con…
- There were always enshittifiers
This episode features Cory Doctorow reading his Locus Magazine column, "There Were Always Enshittifiers." He discusses the historical context for his novel, "Picks and Shovels," focusing on copy protection and the efforts to restore user c…
- With Great Power Came No Responsibility: How Enshittification Conquered the 21st Century and How We Can Overthrow It
Cory Doctorow discusses "enshittification" and strategies to overcome it. He references his lecture at the University of Toronto's Innis College and its connection to past talks on the subject.
- Picks and Shovels virtual launch with Yanis Varoufakis and David Moscrop, presented by Jacobin
Cory Doctorow's podcast features the audio from a Jacobin virtual book launch for his book "Picks and Shovels." The episode includes a discussion with Yanis Varoufakis and is hosted by David Moscrop.
- MLMs are the mirror-world version of community organizing
This episode of Cory Doctorow's craphound.com explores how MLMs (multi-level marketing schemes) exploit vulnerable populations by leveraging their social capital. It delves into the destructive nature of MLMs, which transform mutual aid ne…
- Canada shouldn’t retaliate with US tariffs
Cory Doctorow reads his post "Canada shouldn’t retaliate with US tariffs" from his Pluralistic newsletter. He discusses the idea of a Canadian App Store as an alternative to current app marketplace models, suggesting it could offer lower c…
- The Weight of a Feather (The Weight of a Heart)
Cory Doctorow reads his short story titled "The Weight of a Feather (The Weight of a Heart)," which was commissioned by J. Michael Straczynski for Harlan Ellison's The Last Dangerous Visions.
- Enshittification isn’t caused by venture capital
Cory Doctorow reads his post, “Enshittification isn’t caused by venture capital.” He discusses the Free Our Feeds project and the transformation of good services into bad ones, exemplified by Facebook.
- Picks and Shovels Chapter One
This episode features Wil Wheaton reading the opening chapter of Cory Doctorow's novel, "Picks and Shovels." The story is set in 1986 San Francisco, following Martin Hench, an MIT dropout who becomes involved with a tech startup.
- Daddy-Daughter Podcast 2024
Cory Doctorow continues his annual Daddy-Daughter Podcast series. His sixteen-year-old daughter is a high school senior and will be attending university next year, making this potentially the final episode in the series.
- Spill, part six (FINALE) (a Little Brother story)
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads the final part of his story “Spill,” a Little Brother narrative. The story details the protagonist's journey to Oklahoma to join an activist camp and their experiences providing remote tech support whil…
- Spill, part five (a Little Brother story)
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads part five of "Spill," a new Little Brother story. The narrative follows a tech support worker who, using the flexibility of their job, travels to Oklahoma to participate in water protector protests, hig…
- Spill, part four (a Little Brother story)
Cory Doctorow reads 'Spill,' a Little Brother story commissioned by Clay F. Carlson and published on Reactor. The story details an organizer's experiences with phone tech support, traveling to Oklahoma, and their involvement with pipeline…
- Spill, part three (a Little Brother story)
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads "Spill, part three," a Little Brother story. It follows the protagonist balancing a tech support job with their activism, including time spent in Oklahoma with Water Protectors.
- Spill, part two (a Little Brother story)
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads part two of his story "Spill." The story, set in Oklahoma, follows an organizer providing tech support while their comrades are at the Water Protector camp.
- Spill, part one (a Little Brother story)
Cory Doctorow reads 'Spill,' a new Little Brother story discussing the challenges of moving personal data off cloud services and the belief that 'there’s no such thing as the cloud, there’s only other peoples’ computers.' This story was co…
- Vigilant (a Little Brother story)
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his new Little Brother story, "Vigilant." The story features a teenager who contacts Marcus for assistance with "spying stuff" at school.
- Anti-cheat, gamers, and the Crowdstrike disaster
This episode features Cory Doctorow reading his column on anti-cheat systems, gamers, and the Crowdstrike disaster. He explores how gamers, despite their dislike for DRM, became involved in defending trusted computing due to their even gre…
- Marshmallow Longtermism
Cory Doctorow reads his Locus Magazine column, “Marshmallow Longtermism,” which reflects on how conservatives self-mythologize. The episode discusses selective foresight regarding climate change and inequality, using Charles Koch as an exa…
- AI’s productivity theater
This episode of Cory Doctorow's podcast discusses a report from the Upwork Research Institute about the mismatch between bosses' expectations for AI to increase worker efficiency and workers' experiences with AI tools. The report highlight…
- Unpersoned
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his Locus Magazine column "Unpersoned," which examines the significant power of tech giants and the need to address their control over who can participate in modern life. He discusses instances of users…
- The reason you can’t buy a car is the same reason that your health insurer let hackers dox you
This episode of Cory Doctorow's craphound.com explores how corporate monopolies contribute to vulnerable IT systems, resulting in issues like data breaches and product failures. The discussion uses examples such as Equifax and Boeing to il…
- My 2004 Microsoft DRM Talk
Cory Doctorow rereads his 2004 Microsoft DRM talk, originally delivered in Redmond, Washington. He discusses his work for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and his perspective as a science fiction writer, arguing that DRM systems are inef…
- Against Lore
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his piece 'Against Lore,' which explores the advantages of vague backstories in writing. He shares writing advice from James D. Macdonald on how to describe guns effectively in fiction by using the word…
- Wanna Make Big Tech Monopolies Even Worse? Kill Section 230
Cory Doctorow reads his EFF Deeplinks Blog post regarding the effects of repealing Section 230 on Big Tech monopolies. He discusses how small online communities could offer an alternative to larger platforms.
- No One Is the Enshittifier of Their Own Story
Cory Doctorow reads his recent Locus Magazine column, "No One Is the Enshittifier of Their Own Story." He discusses the microfoundations of enshittification and how tech companies and their leaders have changed in an environment with reduc…
- Precaratize Bosses
Cory Doctorow reads his essay "Precaratize Bosses" from his Pluralistic.net newsletter. He discusses accusations and the moral panic surrounding COVID stimulus checks, and also mentions his book tour dates.
- Capitalists Hate Capitalism
Cory Doctorow reads his Locus Magazine column, "Capitalists Hate Capitalism," which explores the distinctions between feudalism and capitalism and the economic definitions of profits and rents. He also mentions his book tour for "The Bezzl…
- Subprime gadgets
Cory Doctorow reads "Subprime gadgets" from his blog, discussing the concept of feudal security offered by tech giants. He examines how platforms can become restrictive when these corporations act against users' interests.
- The Majority of Censorship is Self-Censorship
Cory Doctorow discusses self-censorship, drawing on Ada Palmer's essay which analyzes historical and modern examples of censorship, including the persecution of Galileo. He highlights how self-censorship is a cost-effective method for cens…
- How I Got Scammed
In this episode, Cory Doctorow shares his experience of being scammed by a phone phisher impersonating his bank, resulting in unauthorized credit card charges. He details how the attacker exploited the situation and his subsequent efforts…
- My Marshall McLuhan Lecture on enshittification from Berlin’s transmediale conference
Cory Doctorow's Marshall McLuhan Lecture discusses 'enshittification,' a term he coined to describe the decay of digital platforms. The lecture explains the three-stage process of enshittification and its implications.
- What kind of bubble is AI?
In this episode, Cory Doctorow reads his Locus Magazine column, "What kind of bubble is AI?". He explores what might remain after an AI bubble bursts, drawing comparisons to the dot-com bubble, cryptocurrency, and the 2008 financial crisis.
- The Bezzle, read by Wil Wheaton (excerpt)
This episode features a preview of Wil Wheaton's audiobook reading of 'The Bezzle' by Cory Doctorow. The full audiobook is available through a Kickstarter campaign.