Confronting Capitalism: How Work Got So Bad
Jacobin Radio
Jacobin
4.7 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 4 March 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why does every new technology seem to make work harder and not easier? In 1974, Harry Braverman published a seminal text Labor and Monopoly Capital to answer that question. Combining a careful study of scientific management and technological innovation with several of Marx’s key concepts, Braverman explained why workers under capitalism are gradually transformed into mere cogs in the machine.
On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the process of managers breaking down workers’ skills and why work under capitalism tends to degrade rather than fulfill us.
Join Confronting Capitalism for a live recording in Brooklyn on April 6! Find more details and RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jacobin-who-speaks-for-the-working-class-majority-tickets-1984301239423
TICKETS: $10 solidarity rate. $20 standard entry. Seats are first come, first served.
The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM
Have a question for us? Write to us by email: confronting.capitalism@jacobin.com
Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber is produced by Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy, and published by Jacobin. Music by Zonkey.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Confronting Capitalism. |
| 0:19.2 | I'm Melissa Nashek, and I'm here, as always, with Vivek Chipper, a professor of sociology at NYU, |
| 0:25.5 | and the editor of Catalyst, a journal of theory and strategy. |
| 0:29.6 | On today's show, we're so happy to announce that we're actually going to be doing our first ever live show soon. |
| 0:37.2 | So on April 6th, we'll all be in Brooklyn, along with special guests, Crystal Ball, and |
| 0:43.9 | Matt Karp, to discuss the left's relationship with the Democratic Party. |
| 0:48.2 | It's actually our, technically, our one-year anniversary show. |
| 0:50.7 | We're celebrating the fact that we've been on the year year, which actually was |
| 0:54.9 | December. So it's about four months late. But still, we're going to call it the one year anniversary |
| 0:59.6 | show. Yeah. And if you're interested in coming, there's going to be a link in the description |
| 1:05.0 | of this episode where you can check out the event page and buy tickets if you want to come and you |
| 1:10.4 | can make it. |
| 1:11.9 | On a more somber note, unfortunately, we're recording this episode on the day that it was announced by President Trump |
| 1:21.1 | that the U.S. is going to war with Iran. |
| 1:26.1 | It's very unfortunate in every conceivable way. My worry is that this is |
| 1:30.5 | going to be a disaster all around for the Iranians first and foremost and for the region more expansively. |
| 1:37.3 | And it's going to, I think, more and more strengthen the authoritarian trend inside the United |
| 1:43.7 | States. Trump and Stephen Miller will |
| 1:45.7 | no doubt use it as a means of clamping down on free debate and discussion even more. So it's a very, |
| 1:51.2 | very important issue. Unfortunately, the war was launched the day of our recording, so it is too |
| 1:57.3 | early for us to do an episode devoted to it. But I'll say two things. |
| 2:01.8 | We have in the recent past done two episodes which are relevant for this. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jacobin, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jacobin and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.