Discussion on Oligarchs has been a major talking point of the Left since at least 2024. It’s not like many on the Right are rushing to defend them, either. And we can see the impulse - 5-6 companies seem to control most avenues of our consumer decisions (whether in social media, DTC, or AI), the people who work at those companies get paid enormously well (or if frontline, the opposite), and it can seem like providing alternatives is a Sisyphean task.

But is this populist anger, jealousy and/or a fundamental misunderstanding of competition and Big Tech? After all, OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are competing viciously in AI, Meta and TikTok go head to head in social media, and Amazon…competes with Temu, I guess?

We’re bring world class speakers to fight it out - Columbia Law School and Age of Extraction author Tim Wu (signed copies sold with ticket!) and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Alison Schrager go head to head on whether we need to break up these platforms, or if populist resentment is driving the fight without justification.

Upcoming UNMUTED Events
Tuesday, 3/31: An UNMUTED x the Bench Dialogue: Break Up Big Tech? (link)

Wednesday, 4/15: An UNMUTED Dialogue: Is the West Still the West? (link)

Thursday, 4/23: An UNMUTED Dialogue: Free Speech is Dead, Long Live Free Speech (link)

Check out all our events here

The events I’ve got my eye on in the next two weeks. Check them out!

Monday, March 23
•6:00 PM – This Magazine Life: Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic
Subject: Journalism
Where: The New York Society Library
Who: The New York Society Library
What: A lecture with the CEO of The Atlantic, Nicholas Thompson, where he will be discussing the importance of journalism, critical thinking, investigation, and discussion.

•7:00 PM – Celebrate 30 Years of Independent Global News with Democracy Now!
Subject: Democracy (Wooooooo)
Where: Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10027
Who: Democracy Now!
What: Join Democracy Now! for a celebration of 30 years of independent journalism and promoting democracy. I featured this event earlier, but it had to be postponed to this date. It’s going to feature a bunch of guests, including: Legendary Activist Angela Davis, Rock Legend Patti Smith (Uh ok), Michael Stipe (you know), Pulitzer Prize-winning Writer Mosab Abu Toha, and more. Should be sick!

🗓 Tuesday, March 24
•6:00 PM – FROM OPEN DATA TO DATA COMMONS
Subject: Data and Policy
Where: BRIC, Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY, USABrooklyn, NY
Who: Culture and Arts Policy Institute
What: A round table discussion and presentation regarding data infrastructure. These are the types of questions that will have to be asked out loud. Data governance is a hugely underreported and questioned policy field that has incredible implications for our everyday lives.

•6:00 PM – Democracy Dinners NYC
Subject: Activism
Where: Numero 28 Pizzeria, New York, NY
Who: Numero 28 Pizza
What: So, for those of you who are activists, this one is all you. It’s a pizza diner-and-strategy meeting hosted by this pizza joint, where they'll discuss the upcoming ‘No Kings Rally’. If the pizza is good, go for it.

•6:30 PM – The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America
Subject: History
Where: The Robert H. Smith Auditorium at The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
Who: The New York Historical
What: A debate/ historical recounting between legal scholar Jeffrey Rosen and New York Historical Scholar David Blight. They will be discussing the classic debate of state vs. federal rights through the perspective of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton.

Wednesday, March 25
•6:00 PM – America at 250 – A Global Perspective
Subject: International Perspectives
Where: Maison Française, New York, NY
Who: Alliance Program
What: A contemporary debate about America at its 250th anniversary. We stand at an inflection point in our history, and this discussion will cover all the topics populating our minds as we think about the future of the United States. I’m not really sure what topics they are debating though, it’s not clear from the actual event.

•6:00 PM – Panel at the Morgan: Is Preservation Hindering Housing Creation?
Subject: Local politics
Where: Morgan Library & Museum, Gilder Lehrman Hall, 225 Madison Avenue (between 36th and 37th Streets)
Who: New York Landmarks Conservancy
What: A debate covering the tension between historical preservation and affordable housing in NYC. This debate will ask questions such as: What are the limits of historical preservation in the face of a housing crisis? How do we develop while also respecting the past? How does affordability compare to history?

🗓 Thursday, March 26
•6:00 PM – Policing, Pews, and Firehouse Politics
Subject: LGBTQA+ Politics
Where: LaGuardia Performing Arts Centre ‒ Main Stage Theatre (E-242)
Who: LaGuardia Community College
What: Marking the 40th anniversary of the New York City Gay Rights Bill, LaGuardia Community College is hosting a panel discussion on the evolution of groups against the bill throughout the 70s and 80s. This is for my LaGuardia folks!

•6:00 PM – Victimhood Nationalism: History and Memory- Global Age
Subject: Grand Strategy and Sociology
Where: Heyman Center Common Room, 2960 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, United States
Who: The Harriman Institute
What: A lecture on how regimes use collective suffering, among other strategies, to promote nationalism and global conflict. While heady and generally unapproachable, I think this topic is very relevant today. Even if you're not into high-level politics, it is good to be aware of the indicators of regime manipulation.

🗓 Friday, March 27
•6:00 PM – BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS SLAM
Subject: Local
Where: Alke Cafe
Who: Creative Soul House
What: We are getting spirited this Friday. If you like slam poetry, I sure don’t, but this is all you. It is a battle of the Boroughs slam poetry battle where you are encouraged to show your borough pride and politics through the use of creatively strung verbage, hell ya.

🗓 Saturday, March 28
•6:00 PM – Sunlight Trapped in Stone
Subject: International Relations
Where: White Rabbit Books
Who: White Rabbit Books
What: This book talk and roundtable discussion with Natalya Sukhonos on her book “Sunlight Trapped in Stone,” which discusses being a Ukrainian immigrant and the implications of the Russo-Ukraine War on migration, might be the perfect palate cleanser.

🗓 Sunday, March 29

Nothing interesting, Rest up.

Monday, March 30
•6:00 PM – Re-Thinking Theater and Politics in a Time of Multiple Crises
Subject: Politics and the Arts
Where: The New School - 66 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011, Auditorium A407
Who: 1014
What: A conversation with titans of the arts in NYC and abroad to discuss the intersections of political crisis and the arts, most specifically theatre. My intern is a fan of Artistic movements as political resistance, and such, I think conversations like this are worth advertising.

•6:30 PM – The Story of Capital
Subject: Economics and literature
Where: The People’s Forum
Who: The People’s Forum
What: A book talk and conversation with author David Harvey on his book “The Story of Capital” which is an approachable guide to Marxist theory. Ok, listen here, people, Marx is not political. We are seeing the capitalist system pushed to the margins, not advocating for Marx, but we must be having economic conversations along side poltical ones.

🗓 Tuesday, March 31
•4:00 PM – The Ukraine Effect
Subject: Global politics and War
Where: New York University Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, 19 University Place, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10003
Who: New York University Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia
What: Not technically past work hours, but this event might be worth it. This conversation is a critical analysis of how countries are perceived after engaging in armed conflict. While this particular analysis will discuss Russia, Ukraine, and their neighbors, its insights may transcend their borders and be applicable to the noticeable loss of Soft Power for the United States since the United States' engagement in conflict with Iran.

•8:00 PM – Senator Cory Booker in conversation with Gayle King on Stand
Subject: Politics
Where: Available upon registration
Who: The Streicker Center
What: A book talk and conversation with Senator Cory Booker on his new book Stand, which is an amplification of his famous filibuster against the Trump Administration. Cool, current, always interesting hearing the bullshit straight from the horses mouth.

Wednesday, April 1
•6:00 PM – Montaigne’s Skepticism
Subject: Philosophy
Where: The Morningside Institute, 91 Claremont Avenue, Floor 11New York, NY, 10027
Who: The Morningside Institute
What: I had to have Gemini explain this to me like I was 5, but essentially, this discussion covers Pyrrhonian Skepticism, or the suspension of judgment to find tranquility. While wholly esoteric, there can be merit in classical philosophy, and also, in our case, in suspending judgment. Be ready to abandon your shoes if you go to this event, but it seems interesting.

•7:00 PM – What’s More American Than the Suburbs? A History of Levittown
Subject: Sociology
Where: Merrick Library, 2279 Merrick Avenue, Merrick, NY 11566 United
Who: Nassau Public Libraries
What: My Nassau peeps are getting some love. This talk covers the long history of American Suburbianism as it relates to the development of Long Island and NYC suburbs.

🗓 Thursday, April 2
•7:00 PM – Witt & Whiskey: An NYYRC Social
Subject: Social
Where: Location Revealed After Registration
Who: New York Young Republicans Club
What: A social hour with republican influencer Will Witt talking politics, worldview, and entrepreneurship. We post a lot of NYYRC, and if you're a conservative looking for a fun night out, this is all you.

•7:00 PM – THE CO-OP BUILDERS: A Panel Discussion
Subject: History
Where: The People’s Forum
Who: The Peoples Forum
What: A historical discussion on the development heroes of New York's Past, Abraham Kazan and Herman Jessor. This discussion will celebrate the amazing history of New York low-income development and how modern-day has been shaped by its past and its key figures.

🗓 Friday, April 3
•10 AM - 7PM (Keynote at 5:00) – Techno-Fascism: Past and Present | An Interdisciplinary Symposium
Subject: Tech/ Policy/ Sociology
Where: Brown Institute for Media Innovation, 2950 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Who: Columbia university
What: An all day symposium covereing, you geussed it, techno-feascism. My intern was just ranting about how we all will be corperate slaves to Anthropic in 15 years, so this calander of events is very apt. I won’t barge your head in about how important tech policy is now, but if your interested there are panels covering media, labor, and other topics throughout the day and a keynote panel in the evening. Worth checking out the lineup!

🗓 Saturday, April 4
•7:30 PM – 39 STEPS TOWARD FREEDOM
Subject: Theatrics/ History
Where: Harlem Community Center
Who: Shades of Truth Theater
What: A theatrical performance celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The play? will celebrate his impact on racial justice throughout the country. There is very little information on this, but amplifying the arts… right?

🗓 Sunday, April 5

Easter. There is also some other religious events this day including a seder for justice, but also keep an eye our for protests going on this day. There are several supposed to be taking place.

Show up, think deeper, and as always, stay Unmuted!

The Unmuted Team