Episode Details

When massive server farms land in small towns, who pays the real price? (Original episode ~45 minutes, condensed to ~10 minutes.) Hosts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti walk through the fight unfolding in rural Ohio over an 800‑acre Google data center — 50 promised jobs, huge tax breaks, and huge questions about water use, noise, and long‑term economic benefit. Learn how local distrust over water consumption and past industrial harms connects to bigger debates about AI regulation, job automation, workplace surveillance, and political fallout as lawmakers and candidates respond. This condensed episode highlights key facts, community perspectives, and what accountability for tech companies could look like — essential listening for anyone following data centers, AI policy, rural economics, and tech accountability. Listen now to get the key ideas in minutes.