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Nicholas Thompson
@nxthompson.bsky.social
5.4K followers 100 following 310 posts
CEO of The Atlantic. Going out of business soon, since 1857.
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 1d
“At this moment, when citizens in many of the world’s most successful liberal democracies are giving up, Venezuelans fight violence with nonviolence and oppose corruption through bravery.”

Congratulations to Maria Machado on her Nobel Peace Prize. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Why María Machado Deserved the Nobel Peace Prize
The Venezuelan opposition leader shows why participation matters.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 6d
Kash Patel's new coin does not signify gravitas. It says: "I am a grown man who has spent way too much time on the internet.’ www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Kash Patel’s Challenge Coin Is Perfect for Him
The FBI director has created a memento that symbolizes his unfitness.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 12d
Garry Kasparov has lived through a transition to authoritarianism. He has studied it his whole life. And he’s very worried now.
The Race to Save America’s Democracy
Trump’s administration may seem chaotic, but Americans should not take the integrity of next year’s elections for granted.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 14d
“His murder transformed him from an abstract idea or menace into a man with a loving family who was suddenly gone.”

A fabulous Mark Whitaker essay on the deaths of both Charlie Kirk and Malcolm X.
How Charlie Kirk’s Death Will Change His Message
For a case study in how martyrdom can transform a firebrand, look to Malcolm X.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 15d
lol, perfect.
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 15d
"James Comey’s rights and liberties are not the only ones at risk today. So is your own right to participate in free and fair elections in order to render a verdict on Trump’s invasion of those rights and liberties." By @davidfrum.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Comey Indictment Is Not Just Payback
It’s an advance glimpse of Trump’s next attempt to seize power.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 17d
Social media tried to keep us infinitely engaged through their algorithms. Chatbots are now trying through asking infinite questions and nudging us to stay engaged. It's now called "chatbait," it's taking over the Internet, and there's a lot that can go wrong.
Chatbait Is Taking Over the Internet
How chatbots keep you talking
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 19d
Trump's agenda requires that people do things they know are wrong --- and that they know could harm them if his grip on power loosens.

So as the public turns---his polls are dropping and the stench of corruption is climbing---will they keep doing his bidding? www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Trump Might Be Losing His Race Against Time
The president is gambling that he can consolidate authority before the public turns too sharply against him.
www.theatlantic.com
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Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
noahshachtman.bsky.social
Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social · 20d
More than that. "The FBI ***recorded*** Tom Homan taking the money "after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration."
mcbridetd.bsky.social
Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 20d
Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...
Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.
The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.
www.msnbc.com
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Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
crampell.bsky.social
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · Jan 31
A new era of government censorship has begun.
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | A new era of government censorship has dawned
Donald Trump fancies himself a champion of free speech. Oh, really?
www.washingtonpost.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 21d
It is truly astonishing that the government’s reaction to Kirk’s murder has been more about the 1st Amendment than the 2nd.
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 21d
""A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective,” Judge Merryday wrote. “Not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/b...
Judge Dismisses Trump’s $15 Billion Lawsuit Against The New York Times
The judge said that the complaint failed to contain a “short and plain statement of the claim.” Mr. Trump has 28 days to refile.
www.nytimes.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 22d
“Authoritarianism is like measles: ignore it and it will go away. I have this guidance straight from Secretary Kennedy.” www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
A Beautiful Day for Saying Nothing
That chill in the air isn’t Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn!
www.theatlantic.com
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Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
adamserwer.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 24d
The idea that the alleged killer in the Kirk case was a right winger is really not borne out by the evidence submitted in the indictment yesterday and people should stop saying that.
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 24d
Charlie Kirk supported free speech.

Free speech laws, and norms, protected Kirk.

And now Kirk’s horrific death is being used as an excuse to crack down on free speech.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
The Irony of Using Charlie Kirk’s Murder to Silence Debate
The conservative activist couldn’t have risen to prominence without robust free speech.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 26d
"Much of the right is focusing on pro-violence statements by pet-hospital owners in Oklahoma while ignoring them by the world’s most powerful person." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Leading Democrats Are Condemning Charlie Kirk’s Murder
Why is the online right having such a hard time recognizing that?
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 27d
This horrible cycle of violence, BS, and outrage won’t end until the platforms change.

The algorithms—and the structure of the platforms—is making everything worse.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Something Is Very Wrong Online
The cycle of violence will continue as long as the medium doesn’t change.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 29d
Kamala Harris, in her new book—excerpted yesterday—says Joe Biden's run for reflection "wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Constant Battle
The first excerpt from 107 Days
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 11
"The impulse to solve political problems through violence would be a danger to any society, but it can prove particularly lethal in the United States, where firearms are common and easy to obtain." www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
The Horrifying Assassination of Charlie Kirk
The shooting of the conservative activist is the latest act of political violence in the United States.
www.theatlantic.com
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Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
radiofreetom.bsky.social
Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · Sep 10
Whether by accident or malice - and likely intentionally - the Russians are risking a wider war in Europe. The only path to reducing such a threat is for the world to force Moscow to call off its campaign of butchery in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, America is AWOL:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Russia’s Reckless Provocation
Whether by accident or malice, the Russians are risking a wider war in Europe.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 9
Trump had lots of options when news of the letter came out! But he chose to deny it existed, and now he's in a pickle because the letter is out, it's real, and it's very bad. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Epstein Letter Is Real, and It’s Bad
The president’s initial strategy of denying that the document exists leaves him with few options now that it has been made public.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 8
Are tech companies limiting AI's potential by trying to mimic human intelligence?

I spoke with @erikbryn and @yshoham about this topic and many others related to AI and the future of work. You can watch/listen to it here: www.ai21.com/events/ai-an...
AI, Agents and the Future of Work Webinar | AI21
Join AI21’s Yoav Shoham and economist Erik Brynjolfsson as they explore AI agents, human-AI collaboration & why enterprises struggle to scale AI.
www.ai21.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 7
"Not since the Red Scare, has American science been so beholden to political ideology. At least during the McCarthy era, scientists could console themselves that despite this interference, federal spending on science was surging. Today, it’s drying up." www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
Every Scientific Empire Comes to an End
America’s run as the premier techno-superpower may be over.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 3
As Orwell wrote, “who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
The MAGA Influencers Rehabilitating Hitler
A growing constituency on the right wants America to unlearn the lessons of World War II.
www.theatlantic.com
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nxthompson.bsky.social
Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 1
"Targeting political enemies for prosecution is corrosive. Asking Americans to believe that you find their alleged behavior disqualifying when you were found guilty of similar behavior on a much bigger scale insults the intelligence of the public." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Show Me the Person, and I’ll Show You the Crime
Mortgage fraud is bad, but digging up dirt to target political opponents is worse.
www.theatlantic.com
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