Google, one of the world’s great tech monopolies, wanted to make a “smart city,” full of sensors and robots and self-driving cars.
Toronto, one of the world’s most insecure cities, wanted a big tech firm to put it on the innovation map.
What resulted was not exactly a match made in heaven.
Featured in this episode: Josh O’Kane (Globe and Mail), Kurtis McBride
To learn more:
Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy by Josh O’Kane
“Sidewalk Labs document reveals company’s early vision for data collection, tax powers, criminal justice” by Tom Cardoso & Josh O’Kane in The Globe and Mail
Additional music from Audio Network
Sponsors: Athletic Greens
If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.
You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.