Introducing How We Got Here -- NLW's new podcast

NLW launches a new podcast, How We Got Here, and previews its first episode, “How Tech Lost America,” which traces the backlash against data centers and tech over the past 15 years. The episode cites Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Amazon’s $20 billion data center plan to show how quickly AI infrastructure has become politically contentious, a shift CIOs should watch for in site selection, power, and stakeholder management.

Key points

• Public opinion on local data centers flipped from 43% support to 75% opposition in under a year.
• Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro went from touting Amazon’s $20 billion data center investment to imposing strict AI data center standards.
• The episode argues AI inherits public distrust built up by earlier tech industry controversies.
• Tech’s trust metrics fell sharply: Pew positive views dropped from 71% in 2015 to 50% in 2019.
• Gallup shows the computer industry fell from 75% positive in 2017 to 48% this year.