Pepper Culpepper
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pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper
@pculpepper.bsky.social
1.4K followers 340 following 280 posts

Professor of Government and Public Policy, University of Oxford; Co-author of Billionaire Backlash; prone to Sisyphean cycling follies

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Pepper Dagenhart Culpepper is an American political scientist.

Source: Wikipedia
Political science 43%
Economics 30%
Posts Replies Media Videos

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 7h
Congratulations @adambonica.bsky.social on a brilliant, moving and optimistic temporary valediction as he prepares to celebrate one of life’s great wonders. Read this, it’s right, and it will make you feel hope in these grim times.
The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls
On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.
data4democracy.substack.com

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 1d
The systemic subterfuges were simpler in communism, where it was just they pretend to pay us and we pretend to work. If socialism died because of too many meetings, AI overlordism may die because there is no there there.

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

karaswisher.bsky.social
Kara Swisher @karaswisher.bsky.social · 1d
💯 www.theverge.com/policy/85990...
Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards
Once you’ve traded your principles for proximity to power, do you even run your own company?
www.theverge.com

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

blavatnikschool.bsky.social
Blavatnik School of Government @blavatnikschool.bsky.social · 5d
The FT has listed Prof Pepper Culpepper's upcoming book 'Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy' on their 2026 reading list. 📚
https://ow.ly/4czw50XSrsX

👉 Why not join us for the launch? Register below
https://ow.ly/uaja50XSrsQ
Blavatnik Book Launch: Billionaire Backlash
Join us for the launch of Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How It Could Save Democracy, the new book by Pepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee on the surprising story of how corporate scandals - from Enron to the Facebook privacy scandal - change the way the world works for the better.
ow.ly

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 5d
If you want to know how our forthcoming book Billionaire Backlash intersects with Kim Kardashian, check out this video my daughter made me to speak the 'young people'.

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

blavatnikschool.bsky.social
Blavatnik School of Government @blavatnikschool.bsky.social · 5d
EVENT: Blavatnik Book Launch: Billionaire Backlash

Join Vice Dean Prof Pepper Culpepper for a conversation on the surprising story of how corporate scandals can change the way the world works for the better.

📆 29 Jan, 5:30pm

Register ⬇️
https://ow.ly/jaQo50XRQzv

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 5d
It’s important to keep calling out conflict of interest issues around the current administration’s crypto regime. When things go wrong, the record of rottenness will be clear. Good for @talkingpointsmemo.com and @propublica.org for doing their job.

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

joshtpm.bsky.social
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 5d
Top DOJ Official Shut Down Enforcement Against Crypto Companies While Holding More Than $150,000 in Crypto Investments talkingpointsmemo.com/news/top-doj...
Top DOJ Official Shut Down Enforcement Against Crypto Companies While Holding More Than $150,000 in Crypto Investments
This article first appeared at ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses...
talkingpointsmemo.com

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 7d
We have now entered the alternative universe where big oil companies are the adults in the room 🤔
nycsouthpaw.bsky.social southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 8d
a lot of interesting revelations between the lines of this story www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Axel Bruns, Brendan Nyhan , and 7 more

nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 8d
a lot of interesting revelations between the lines of this story www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 8d
💯
profsaunders.bsky.social Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 8d
A deluge of work on regime change after the 2003 invasion of Iraq yielded strong (and rare) agreement in IR: it doesn't work & has terrible consequences. @profdownes.bsky.social's book Catastrophic Success lays it out, but it's right there in the title. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Juan Cole, Fabrizio Coticchia , and 12 more

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 8d
A deluge of work on regime change after the 2003 invasion of Iraq yielded strong (and rare) agreement in IR: it doesn't work & has terrible consequences. @profdownes.bsky.social's book Catastrophic Success lays it out, but it's right there in the title. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Reposted by David Lazer

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 8d
“A recurring feature of bubbles is how often they find new ways of democratising gambling.”

Hard to time, but not hard to spot. Incisive from @financialtimes.com’s John Plender.
How the bubble bursts
AI-fuelled market euphoria is a new telling of an old story that will not play out differently this time, writes John Plender — but it may have some way still to go
www.ft.com

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 8d
Speak truth to power or pretend “Grok” is the accountable actor here. That is the choice facing journalists, regulators, and even politicians. Do your damn job.
ketanjoshi.co Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 9d
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)

#1: Reuters
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X By Reuters January 2, 20267:40 PM GMT+1Updated 1 hour ago Illustration shows xAI and Grok logos xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Jan 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this. Screenshots shared by users on X showed Grok's public media tab filled with images that users said had been altered when they uploaded photos and prompted the bot to alter them. "There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing," Grok said in a post on X. "xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely." "As noted, we've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them — CSAM is illegal and prohibited," Grok said, referring to Child Sexual Abuse Material. Grok gave no further details. When contacted by Reuters for comment by email, xAI replied with the message "Legacy Media Lies". In a separate reply to a user on X on Thursday, Grok said most cases could be prevented through advanced filters and monitoring although it said "no system is 100% foolproof," adding that xAI was prioritising improvements and reviewing details shared by users.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Charlie Beckett , and 7 more

ketanjoshi.co
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 9d
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)

#1: Reuters
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X By Reuters January 2, 20267:40 PM GMT+1Updated 1 hour ago Illustration shows xAI and Grok logos xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Jan 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this. Screenshots shared by users on X showed Grok's public media tab filled with images that users said had been altered when they uploaded photos and prompted the bot to alter them. "There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing," Grok said in a post on X. "xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely." "As noted, we've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them — CSAM is illegal and prohibited," Grok said, referring to Child Sexual Abuse Material. Grok gave no further details. When contacted by Reuters for comment by email, xAI replied with the message "Legacy Media Lies". In a separate reply to a user on X on Thursday, Grok said most cases could be prevented through advanced filters and monitoring although it said "no system is 100% foolproof," adding that xAI was prioritising improvements and reviewing details shared by users.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Ryan Enos, Anne Norton , and 4 more

propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · 9d
“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration,” the North Carolina Republican Party's communications director wrote in an email response to us. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”

We didn't. #ICYMI, read the story that he wanted dropped:
“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America
Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...
www.propublica.org

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 10d
Delighted that the FT included Billionaire Backlash in its 'What to Read in 2026' article. Only four weeks until the book is out (in the UK; mid-March in the US). Pre-order now from your favorite bookstore to see what prudent hope looks like in 2026. Happy new year!
What to read in 2026
From the Ozempic story to books on power, money and the new world order — plus fiction by Julian Barnes, Amitav Ghosh and others — here are some top titles to look out for in the new year
www.ft.com

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 12d
Thanks! I hope we get a better review than American Canto…

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 12d
I have a better idea…

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 12d
Worst USPS scandal since this guy

Reposted by Brian D. Galle, Pepper D. Culpepper

theonion.com
The Onion @theonion.com · 12d
Tech Billionaires Threaten To Flee California Over Proposed Vest Tax https://theonion.com/tech-billionaires-threaten-to-flee-california-over-proposed-vest-tax/
Tech Billionaires Threaten To Flee California Over Proposed Vest Tax

Reposted by Will Jennings, Pepper D. Culpepper, Oliver Nachtwey

julianlimberg.bsky.social
Julian Limberg @julianlimberg.bsky.social · 13d
New in @bjpols.bsky.social!

Dave Hope, @lhaffert.bsky.social and I show that low taxes on the rich have a hidden cost: They undermine public support for broad-based taxation. 🖋️ cup.org/45lgPwN
How does tax regressivity at the top affect public support for taxation? In this article, we run an information provision experiment in the United States with a quota-representative sample of around 4,000 people and randomly present respondents with factual information about total tax rates by income group. We find that informing respondents that the superrich pay lower total tax rates than other people not only increases support for raising taxes on the rich but also lowers support for taxing the middle class. Our results highlight an important hidden cost of tax regressivity at the top: if left unaddressed, it risks undermining public support for broad-based taxation.

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 15d
🤣
vikrambath.bsky.social Vikram Bath @vikrambath.bsky.social · 16d
Y’all might not appreciate it, but it took him 87 moves and 14 hours to get here
King of England on a checkerboard pattern tile floor

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 15d
The FT takes the measure of our times today, in which we count everything and understand nothing.

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 15d
Compulsive tracking doesn’t measure what really counts ft.trib.al/A97zUG0 | opinion
Compulsive tracking doesn’t measure what really counts
Centuries of the subtle craft of measurement have given way to gadgets that spew numbers
ft.trib.al

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Charles W. Smith, Scott A. Imberman , and 4 more

vikrambath.bsky.social
Vikram Bath @vikrambath.bsky.social · 16d
Y’all might not appreciate it, but it took him 87 moves and 14 hours to get here
King of England on a checkerboard pattern tile floor

pculpepper.bsky.social
Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 18d
On the 12th day of Christmas, 2900 billionaires gave to me:
12 markets cornered,
11 rivals buried,
10 laws rewritten,
9 judges purchased,
8 unions busted,
7 watchdogs sleeping,
6 patents hoarded,
5 regulators captured,
4 offshore trusts,
3 branches of govt,
2 corrupted parties,
And a democracy, LLC
wsj.com The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 18d
The total number of billionaires across the globe reached new heights in 2025.

🔗 Read more: on.wsj.com/4sdw0Ss

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Pepper D. Culpepper, David Darmofal

stephenwest.bsky.social
Stephen West @stephenwest.bsky.social · 18d
"About a third of the walls are now covered in gold — appliqués, frames or other decorations, a Times analysis showed."
A 3-D Look Inside Trump’s Revamped Oval Office (Gift Article)
Take a 3-D tour of the president’s office, where he covered more than a third of wall space with gold.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

mijrahman.bsky.social
Mujtaba Rahman @mijrahman.bsky.social · 18d
Well said @ec.europa.eu

“The EU is an open, rules-based single market, with the sovereign right to regulate economic activity in line with our democratic values and international commitments”

www.ft.com/content/c4e7...
US bars former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and others over tech rules
France hits out at visa sanctions as Washington targets what it calls the ‘global censorship-industrial complex’
www.ft.com

Reposted by Pepper D. Culpepper

wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 18d
The total number of billionaires across the globe reached new heights in 2025.

🔗 Read more: on.wsj.com/4sdw0Ss