Podcast Summary: What Carrie Goldberg Has Learned from Suing Big Tech

Podcast: The Tech Policy Press Podcast
Host: Justin Hendricks
Guest: Carrie Goldberg, victims' rights attorney, founder of C.A. Goldberg PLLC
Date: February 8, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Justin Hendricks interviews Carrie Goldberg, a pioneering victims’ rights attorney known for taking on major tech companies over product design that facilitates abuse, harassment, and even tragedy. Their conversation covers Goldberg’s personal path into this field, landmark cases, litigation strategies, ongoing legislative efforts, criticism she faces, and her reflections on the psychological toll and rewards of her work. The episode is anchored to the unfolding social media legal battles in California and focuses on Goldberg’s fight to hold platforms liable for design choices that endanger users.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Goldberg’s Personal Origin Story

• Trauma as Catalyst (03:00 – 06:25)
  • After suffering online harassment, stalking, and “revenge porn” from an ex-partner, Goldberg realized the legal system’s limitations for victims—especially around non-consensual intimate image sharing.
  • New York provided little protection at the time, with judges upholding her offender's First Amendment rights over her safety.
  • “I suddenly knew what fear really was… none of [my life] made sense anymore. And I just sort of needed to be working on this issue that I was still really so traumatized by.” (Carrie Goldberg, 05:23)
• Founding the Firm (06:25 – 08:00)
  • Quit her job, started her own law firm in a tiny Brooklyn office with no clients, no staff, and no money—initially working pro bono for victims of online image abuse.

2. Establishing Herself as a Legal Force

• First Big Client and the Challenge of Section 230 (07:37 – 08:47)
  • Represented an eighth-grade child whose images were spread despite an app promising privacy, leading Goldberg to consider product liability in tech for the first time.
  • Early revelation: platforms shielded from liability by Section 230, which became a key legal focus.
• Trajectory and Casework Scale (08:47 – 09:16)
  • Has now represented over a thousand victims, handling cases ranging from content-removal to lawsuits against large corporations (e.g., Amazon selling suicide kits to minors).

3. From “Revenge Porn Lawyer” to Product Liability Pioneer

• The “Grok” / Deepfake Case (10:07 – 13:40)
  • Goldberg discusses her representation of Ashley, victim of AI-generated explicit imagery (deepfakes) on X (formerly Twitter) via their AI Grok.
  • This case merges her two tracks: advocating for victims of image-based abuse and product liability over dangerous platform design.
  • Calls it “the culmination of everything that I’ve been doing for the last 12 years… where it’s all suddenly blending together.” (Carrie Goldberg, 12:59)

4. Developing and Spreading Product Liability Theories in Tech

• Legal Evolution (13:40 – 17:29)
  • Goldberg’s Herrick v. Grindr case set the stage for framing digital platforms as tangible products liable for harm due to design defects.
  • While initially unsuccessful, the same theories later prevailed in cases against Omegle and are now integral in national multi-district litigation against major social platforms.
  • “It’s an old, old theory… that lends itself perfectly to tech companies, which also are products, despite what they try to claim in court.” (Carrie Goldberg, 16:59)
• Overcoming Section 230 (17:29 – 19:36)
  • Success depends on detailing specific product features responsible for the harm, not just user content.
  • Describes the legal unpredictability and judge-to-judge variance in outcomes.

5. Tech Company Behavior—Distinctions and Patterns

• Differentiating Adversaries (20:22 – 24:00)
  • Some companies express remorse and make changes; others, like Amazon, double-down with aggressive legal defenses, even as harm continues.
  • Recounts Amazon selling a suicide chemical for 18 months after being notified, contributing to multiple deaths:
    • “They continue to knowingly sell a product… that is to me, that is murder.” (Carrie Goldberg, 23:31)
  • Noted a “top tier of horrific companies” that combine harmful products and intransigent legal strategies.

6. Impact of Litigation and Legislation

• The Emotional Toll of Corporate Indifference (24:05 – 25:11)
  • Shares a story of a tech company inviting grieving parents to share their stories, only to subsequently offer “$0.00.00” for settlement.
• Section 230 Reform and Criticism (25:11 – 32:21)
  • Goldberg values critics for sharpening arguments, but remains a “Section 230 abolitionist” due to its broad interpretation shielding platforms from accountability.
  • Supports litigation-led reform rather than wholesale legislative change, as lawsuits can adapt to new product harms.
  • “The infrastructure of the product, the features… these are decisions not made within content moderation, but in a boardroom. They should be responsible for those kinds of things.” (Carrie Goldberg, 28:03)
• Algorithmic Accountability Act and Legal Uncertainty (31:39 – 32:21)
  • Applauds act for clarifying judge guidance, but insists what’s most vital is “unambiguous guidance… that a cause of action can proceed.”

7. Broader Societal Context and Unintended Global Fallout

• Global Influence Abetted by US Tech Indifference (32:21 – 35:56)
  • US courts and laws protecting tech companies enable global skepticism and bans—creating openings for authoritarian “real censors” who can argue these platforms are inherently dangerous.
  • Legal strategies showcase a lack of corporate morality, with prestigious firms defending the indefensible (e.g., Amazon’s right to sell suicide chemicals).

8. Sustaining Motivation Amid Trauma

• Personal Coping and Sources of Strength (36:23 – 39:24)
  • Self-care includes exercise and dogs; biggest challenge is when courts don’t empathize with client tragedies and when media and companies ignore clear ongoing harm.
  • Describes satisfaction when successful lawsuits force companies, like Amazon, to remove dangerous products—thereby saving lives.
  • “Getting to take a client’s trauma and alchemize it into a way to get them justice… I’m not just constantly immersed in a client’s pain. I’m like, how do we transform this to make it so that this doesn’t happen to another family?” (Carrie Goldberg, 38:06)
  • The work is “exhilarating” and fueled by clients’ love, not hatred for adversaries—a key for sustaining herself and her staff.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Firsthand Experience and Motivation
  • “I suddenly knew what fear really was… none of [my life] made sense anymore. And I just sort of needed to be working on this issue that I was still really so traumatized by.” (03:47)
• On AI-Generated Abuse
  • "This case is the culmination of everything that I've been doing for the last 12 years… representing people who’ve been victims of image-based sexual abuse… and platforms that have released defective and dangerous products.” (12:57)
• Amazon Selling Suicide Chemical
  • “The majority of my clients’ kids who died, died after I had already personally been in contact with Amazon’s lawyers. They continue to knowingly sell a product… that is to me, that is murder.” (23:31)
• Coping with Trauma
  • “Getting to take a client’s trauma and alchemize it into a way to get them justice... I’m not just constantly immersed in a client’s pain. I’m like, how do we transform this to make it so that this doesn’t happen to another family?” (38:06)
• On the Importance of Motivation
  • “As long as I’m… fueled by our client’s love and not hate toward the enemy, I can keep going.” (39:28)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Goldberg’s Story and Law Firm Origins: 03:00 – 08:00
• Early Landmark Cases & Recognition of Section 230: 07:37 – 09:16
• AI, Deepfakes, & Recent Litigation (Grok Case): 10:07 – 13:40
• Product Liability Theories and Court Challenges: 13:40 – 17:29
• Overcoming Section 230: 17:43 – 19:36
• Corporate Responsiveness & Adversaries: 20:22 – 25:11
• Section 230 Reform & Criticism: 25:58 – 32:21
• Global Consequences of US Tech Policy: 32:21 – 35:56
• Personal Motivation and Client Impact: 36:23 – 40:27

Conclusion

Carrie Goldberg’s journey and relentless advocacy are deeply personal and profoundly impactful. She has played a key role in shifting legal thinking toward treating digital platforms’ design choices as products subject to liability—and, in parallel, is fighting to reform the legal and legislative landscape that allows major tech companies to evade meaningful accountability. The episode reveals not only the legal battles but also the emotional resilience required in the fight for tech accountability.