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Reposted by Ben Waber

Luke Yoquinto @lukeyoquinto.bsky.social · 1d

CHOTINER: So let me get this straight. Anti-racists are the real racists, is that correct?
THIEL: right.
CHOTINER: and the anti-fascists?
THIEL: right, they’re the real fascists
CHOTINER: So now you’re saying Greta is the Antichrist.
THIEL: …
CHOTINER: I think you can see where I’m going with this.

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 1d

The tech billionaire and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel says the antichrist is ... Greta Thunberg www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Ben Waber

Alex Hanna-ween @alexhanna.bsky.social · 10h

"In reality, the industry probably needs a revenue range that is closer to the $320 billion to $480 billion range, just to break even on the capex to be spent this year."

The Pleasure Vice Principle (he/him/his) @hannibaltabu.bsky.social · 16h

I saw the dot coms crash from a front row seat. AI is running out of money way faster.

The evangelism is insecurity from people who made the wrong bet. I’ve seen it before. futurism.com/future-socie...

AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought

An investment manager realized he made a crucial mistake — and that his grim prediction about AI investments may not have been cynical enough.

futurism.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 19h

AIを訓練するためにゲームが非常に役に立ちますので、ゲームのアルゴリズムを理解するために吉渡叶教授が京大での講演が参考になります www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhgJ...

京都大学情報学研究科2025年度公開講座　数理と情報の交差点「ゲームの勝者を判定するアルゴリズム」

YouTube video by Kyoto University / 京都大学

www.youtube.com

Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 19h

Last was "Vietnam: A New History" by Christopher Goscha, who does a good job centering Vietnam itself in this history, rather than the various international powers that have interacted with it over the centuries. Highly recommend

Full review: bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/... (4/4)

Vietnam

The definitive history of modern Vietnam, lauded as "groundbreaking" (Guardian) and "the best one-volume history of modern Vietnam in English" (Wall Street J...

www.hachettebookgroup.com

Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 19h

Next was the last day of the @nber.org economics of executive compensation conference. I highly recommend the whole day, and I especially liked the talk by John Barry on human capital, competition, and mobility in the managerial labor market www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRH-... (3/4)

NBER Economics of Executive Compensation

YouTube video by NBER

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 19h

First was an interesting talk by François Blot on neuronal diversity at @oistedu.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sh4... (2/4)

Francois Blot: A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Neuronal Universe - (TSVP Talk at OIST)

YouTube video by Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST)

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 19h

I really felt the first bite of fall today, and while bundling up I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist! (1/4)

A selfie of me in front of a hedge on a sunny, clear day. I'm a middle-aged, bald, white man with a red beard flecked with white. I'm wearing glasses with thick black rims and a zipped up blue sweater over a black shirt.

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Reposted by Ben Waber

Unseen Japan @unseenjapan.com · 23h

Japan's most popular online marketplace is only available in a handful of other countries. That's all about to change. Mercari is slowly rolling out a worldwide app that will let anyone buy anything sold in Japan from anywhere.

buff.ly/Qe96uf3

Japan Shopping Giant Mercari Eyes the Global Market With New App - Unseen Japan

unseen-japan.com

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Reposted by Ben Waber

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 1d

chat is it a good idea to raise tariffs on the toy maker before Christmas

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 1d

oh no

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Reposted by Ben Waber

Aleksandra Urman @aurman21.bsky.social · 1d

"novel forms of life"?! Hahaha

Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 1d

These are all flagrant lies, unsourced yet printed in a newspaper that allegedly fact checks things. The rest of it is meandering panic-bait that treats jail breaking LLMs. They don’t even describe the virus! They just said someone made one. Bullshit!

One answer is to look at the data. After the launch of GPT-5 in August, some thought that A.I. had hit a plateau. Expert analysis suggests this isn’t true. GPT-5 can do things no other A.I. can do. It can hack into a web server. It can design novel forms of life. It can even build its own A.I. (albeit a much simpler one) from scratch.

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

I smell an economics paper incoming...

Ann Monster Lipton @annmlipton.bsky.social · 1d

So this is an interesting move by the SEC to let companies IPO without SEC review during the shut down - what's interesting is

www.thecorporatecounsel.net/blog/2025/10...

Corp Fin’s Updated Shutdown Guidance: Getting that IPO Across the Finish Line : TheCorporateCounsel.net Blog

www.thecorporatecounsel.net

Reposted by Ben Waber

Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 1d

MIT Rejects the Compact!
I am so proud.
"The document also includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief ...

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Levi McLaughlin @levimclaughlin.bsky.social · 1d

Big upheaval in Japanese politics. Today (Japan time), after a ninety minute meeting between Saitō, head of Komeito, and Takaichi, the LDP politician who recently won her party’s presidency, Saitō announced an end to their parties’ 26-year-long coalition agreement.

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

We all know why they're moving

Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · 1d

I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7

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Reposted by Ben Waber

Kenji Ito 伊藤憲二 @kenjiito.bsky.social · 1d

前にも同じようなことを書いたけれど、ノーベル平和賞はむしろトランプに抵抗している人たちに与えるべき。米国に限らず、世界の各地でトランプ的なもの、強権主義に抵抗している人たちに与えてほしい。

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

Last was the first day of the @nber.org economics of executive compensation conference. I highly recommend the talk on executive incentives and strategic talent acquisition by Matthew Bloomfield www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzmj... (7/7)

NBER Economics of Executive Compensation

YouTube video by NBER

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

Next was a great discussion with @aleximas.bsky.social and Richard Thaler on changing perspectives around behavioral economics anomalies at the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy & Finance www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v8O... (6/7)

Alex Imas and Richard Thaler on Behavioral Economics Anomalies: Then and Now

YouTube video by Markus' Academy

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

Next was an intriguing talk by Victor Maas on how manager reward discretion impacts employee effort at Mohamed Elsalkh's Seminar www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn9j... (5/7)

Online Seminar by Professor. Victor Maas “When Do Employees Work Harder for Kind Managers?”

YouTube video by Mohammad Elsalkh

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

Next was a jam-packed panel on the competition risks of AI acquihires with @florianederer.bsky.social, @lugaricano.bsky.social, @igorletina.bsky.social, @imarinescu.bsky.social, Hans Zenger, Jonathan Kanter, and @cristinacaffarra.bsky.social at the @cepr.org www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zrS... (4/7)

AI Acquihires: Competition Risks, Talent Battles and Economic Spillovers

YouTube video by CEPR & VideoVox Economics

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

Next was a compelling panel on decolonizing economics with Nai Lee Kalema, @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social, and @ingridhk.bsky.social at @iipp-ucl.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKyr... (3/7)

Book Launch: Decolonising Economics

YouTube video by UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

Next was a fantastic event on the workers who make AI possible at the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social with @milamiceli.bsky.social and a panel hosted by Adio-Adet Dinika. Highly recommend www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0Q1... (2/7)

Who is Really Fueling your AI? Precarization and Resistance in Data Work

YouTube video by Weizenbaum-Institut

www.youtube.com

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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 1d

I nearly stepped on this guy today, and while avoiding other slithery characters I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

Remember that you can subscribe to these playlists here: academicrunplaylist.beehiiv.com (1/7)

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Reposted by Ben Waber

Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.bsky.social · 2d

One side, "AI 2027" is led by a bunch of privileged white people working at the companies causing the other side (AI con/Empire of AI).

One side, the "AI is gonna be so powerful if you don't let US be the AGI builders" is making money from stealing data, killing the environment & exploiting labor.

Elinor🎗️ @ COLM 🍁 @elinorpd.bsky.social · 2d

bsky.app/profile/mari...

Slide with “we are here” in bottom left with an arrow pointing top right towards two groups of words: “AI2027” & “everyone dies” and then “AI con” “AI snake oil” “Empire of AI”

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Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 2d

If your invited keynote speaker works for a company started because OpenAI wasn't basing its work enough on science fiction and said speaker uncritically cites TESCREAList, fictional work masquerading as science, you might not have organized a serious academic gathering.

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