Ep. 9 Breaking Corporate Isolation
Corporate professionalism is often a tool used to isolate us from our coworkers and the world. It’s time to bridge the gap.
IN THIS EPISODE
Aparna and Lars are joined by tech veteran Glenn Block and organizer Abdo Mohamed to dismantle the insistent "professionalism" that prevents us from building meaningful solidarity. We explore the concept of Cross-Class Solidarity - the radical idea that whether you make $60k or $600k, we have more in common with each other than with the corporate structures that stifle our humanity. Abdo shares his experience being fired by Microsoft after organizing a vigil for Gaza, and Glenn discusses the "awakening" that happens when white-collar workers realize their technology is being used to facilitate global harm. This episode is an invitation to stop "keeping the peace" and start building power across the factory floor and the tech campus.
THE QUESTION WE'RE SITTING WITH
When the system is designed to isolate you to keep you compliant, what small move can you make today to reconnect with the collective?
TAKE THIS WITH YOU
Politicize Your Labor: Understand that your daily tasks - whether coding or data entry - are connected to larger global systems of extraction or empowerment.
Talk to "Everyone" as a Coworker: Break the hierarchy by building relationships with culinary staff, data center workers, and contractors; we all work for the same machine.
Reject Purity Politics: Don’t let the fear of not doing "everything" stop you from doing "something." Any small action is better than doomscrolling in isolation.
RESOURCES MENTIONED
No Azure for Apartheid — A campaign demanding ethical cloud and AI contracts.
Tech for Palestine — A community of tech workers organizing for liberation.
Empire of AI by Karen Hao — A book exploring the colonial roots of modern AI.
CODE-CWA & EWOC — Resources for labor organizing and worker training.
CONNECT WITH US
Circle Back Club: http://circleback.club/
Aparna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aparnarae
Lars on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lars-gallien
Email us: pod@circleback.club
Full Transcript
Lars: Welcome to the Circle Back Club, a podcast for workers who are tired of being told that the problem is us. We're here to give the history, the language, and the honesty to understand what is actually happening at work and imagine something different. I'm Lars.
Aparna: And I'm Aparna. Today we’re going to talk about the way that corporate white-collar work can isolate us from each other. When we say corporate, we’re talking about behaviors that cut across sectors—an insistent type of professionalism that makes us avoid meaningful relationships or navigate interpersonal harm without support.
Lars: This includes organizational behaviors that disconnect us from our ability to participate in solidarity and speak up on what's happening in society. How do we break this isolation and practice real cross-class solidarity? This episode is an invitation to think about the ways you may be holding back.
Aparna: Cross-class solidarity is working together with people from different socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve common goals. Whether you are salaried at $60,000 or $600,000, we have a lot more in common with each other than with corporate power. Today we have two guests: Glenn Block, a tech industry veteran and organizer, and Abdo Mohamed, an organizer with No Azure for Apartheid.
Abdo: I’m so honored to be here. I think about what’s happening globally—in Gaza, Sudan, Congo—and how my role in tech connects to it. Whether it's AI demand causing harmful emissions in rural Tennessee or cloud services being used for military surveillance, I see how it’s all connected to the day-to-day of a tech worker.
Glenn: A lot of what Abdo said resonates. Colonialism didn't die; it just morphed. I think about Karen Hao’s book, Empire of AI, which discusses this extraction. It’s overwhelming, but I lean into my faith to enjoin righteousness and speak the truth, even when it isn't easy.
Aparna: Some people in the U.S. say we're living in a nightmare, but I push back—we are watching the nightmare from relative comfort. In the workplace, isolation is used to strip your humanity. We see people being bombed who aren't allowed to talk about it at work because it isn't "politically correct."
Lars: Abdo, how have you felt isolated in your career?
Abdo: At Microsoft, they laid off 10,000 people a day before I had to give a major presentation. I was used to pretend everything was normal while coworkers' livelihoods were being disrupted for "efficiency." Management uses the term "business as usual" to tell you to keep your head down and click away.
Glenn: My awakening started when I realized my own privilege. I accepted Islam at 19 and learned about racism, but I hadn't looked at it in a professional context until later. When I started speaking out, especially after October 7th, the backlash was serious. But curiosity and aligning with other workers who want change is what moves us forward. Change requires consistency and coalition.
Aparna: How do those of us with material safety move toward solidarity? Many people making $250k a year still consider themselves "middle class" because they live paycheck to paycheck. We’re all facing the same precarity. White-collar workers haven't built the organizing muscles that blue-collar workers have through unions.
Lars: There is a political opening in building solidarity across all sectors—from factory floors to tech campuses. Glenn, what would you say to the "tech bros" to get them to join us?
Glenn: It's the "boiling frog" paradigm. If you aren't affected today, you will be tomorrow. The circle of who is "fair game" for extraction just keeps widening. If you have a shred of humanity, you need to realize this is an empire that thrives on you being unaware. I look for the people who are curious and see that the threads are falling apart.
Abdo: Corporate culture instills the belief that the only action you can take is individual. But once you move to collective action, the bubble breaks. Talk to the culinary workers, the data center workers, the labelers. We are all working for the same machine. Introduce friction into that machine. Create space where people can unlearn corporate isolation.
Aparna: I think of flight attendants and pilots striking together. That connectedness is only possible when we are already in relationship.
Abdo: Corporations try to minimize those interactions by design. They limit who can talk to contract workers or hide news of strikes. They want you to believe you have no power, but boycotts and collective action prove otherwise.
Lars: What are the baby steps to breaking this isolation?
Abdo: Talk to your coworker as a human, not just about metrics. Understand what they care about. Meet people where they are and politicize your labor—understand how your extra hours relate to broader systemic issues like AI layoffs.
Glenn: Find communities outside of work too. Sometimes it’s easier to get educated in solidarity spaces like No Azure for Apartheid and then bring that knowledge back to your organization.
Aparna: There’s often a fear of "coming out" to coworkers. But we have to reject purity politics. You don't have to speak on every problem to speak on one. Any small action is better than none.
Lars: White-collar workers are some of the most anxious people because they try to do everything alone. This path of solidarity actually offers less pressure. Share the responsibility.
Aparna: I don't want to live in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi future. I want to live in a world where I watch my neighbor's kids for free because we care for each other. Mutuality is the pathway to a world where we actually like ourselves.
Hala: Takeaway: Understand you have power. And live a life outside of work.
Lars: Track less of what you give or take and focus more on what you are sharing.
Aparna: Notice when you choose not to help someone when it would have been easy, and ask yourself why. Next week we’re talking about corporate wellness programs—and it’s more than just an app subscription.
Lars: I'm Lars. I'm Aparna. We'll circle back.
