Jacob Ward
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byjacobward.bsky.social
Jacob Ward
@byjacobward.bsky.social
Journalist at TheRipCurrent.com covering AI, surveillance, disinformation, platforms, the whole shebang. My book "The Loop" about AI mania is out in paperback. Former NBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, PBS.
You WANT the surprise, believe me. #citylife #travel

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November 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The cultural allergy to AI’s effect on the brain - and the lawsuits that will follow - are the first steps in pushing back effectively. #ai #llm #chatgpt #claude #technology

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November 11, 2025 at 6:37 AM
There’s an art and strategy to holding out effectively, and unfortunately doing it wrong and giving up early erases the value you’ve created up to that point. That’s what the Dems seem to have done here. #democrats #politics

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November 10, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Shutdown air travel tips! Don’t fly if you don’t have to, fly on a Wednesday or Saturday, and snack up HARD before you get on board. #airport #travel #shutdown #airplane

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November 8, 2025 at 10:36 PM
These are high-quality problems, I know. If you don’t surf feel free to keep scrolling. #surfing #surf #beach #beachvibes

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November 8, 2025 at 5:36 AM
The Djerassi art hike is an incredible and haunting experience. (And as my Mom pointed out “it should be a feminist pilgrimage site.”) 10/10 would recommend. #art #artist #nature #mentalhealthmatters

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November 6, 2025 at 7:37 AM
See you in Oakland at Mad Oak for Pub Scholar on Monday November 10th at 6:30pm. Get your tickets on Eventbrite. Hope to see you there!

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November 5, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Reposted by Jacob Ward
@byjacobward.bsky.social co-hosts Tech News Weekly with @mikahsargent.com: New tips for spotting AI-generated videos, OpenAI's disclosure of mental health stats in user chats, & AI browser risks. + @ozoneartfoundry.com shares news from Adobe Max's annual creativity conference.
twit.tv/tnw/411
MAX 2025: Adobe's Multi-Model AI Strategy | TWiT.TV
Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah Sargent this week! OpenAI disclosed stats on mental health from its users' chats within ChatGPT. How deepfake videos are becoming
twit.tv
October 31, 2025 at 4:11 PM
How I spotted AI early and began writing The Loop: How AI is Creating a World without Choices and How to Fight Back, from a recent episode of Futures Podcast with Damiani. #ai #llm #tech #psychology

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November 4, 2025 at 6:36 PM
If you're an assignment editor looking for a stringer to cover COP30, Friday's the deadline for registration, and Tiffany's a great hire!
I’m a bilingual US journalist based in Belém with years of experience reporting from the Amazon region. I hope to connect w/ editors for COP30 coverage. I speak Portuguese fluently, have widespread Amazon contacts w// experts & traditional communities' voices. Feel free to fwd
@revkin.bsky.social
October 29, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Am I addicted? Episode 8 of The Rip Current with Jacob Ward grapples with the big questions we all seem to have right now about our habits and our self control. (And I tell the story of my own twisted path away from alcohol.) Please listen, like and share wherever you get your podcasts!l
May 7, 2025 at 11:50 PM
A really thoughtful and companionable group. I’d join you three anytime!
May 2, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Today I’m recording an episode of The Rip Current with Toomas Ilves, former president of Estonia, who helped turn it into one of the most technologically sophisticated democracies in the world. Taxes paid in two minutes on your phone. Voting done that way too. What questions do you have for him?
May 2, 2025 at 4:18 PM
What exactly is democracy good for? It’s complicated. Listen to Episode 07 of The Rip Current on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts!

#democracy #america #human #humanity #podcast #protest
April 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Democracy vs The Illusion of Democracy
April 27, 2025 at 6:19 PM
On Monday I’m interviewing an expert on addiction for my podcast The Rip Current. The big theme is how we went from the attention economy to the addiction economy, but I’m also of course going to touch on my own alcohol abuse, gambling, and why Americans hate admitting we have a problem. What else?
April 27, 2025 at 1:18 AM
@noupside.bsky.social on why the craziest folks get all the attention online, while reasonable voices and choices get ignored. Listen to the full episode of The Rip Current wherever you get your podcasts!
April 22, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The relentless gaslighting you see everywhere in political discourse right now? It's called DARVO — Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. It's a term coined by psychology professor Jennifer Freyd. Listen to my interview with her on The Rip Current, wherever you get your podcasts.
April 22, 2025 at 5:30 AM
We’re in the upside-down, where lying has no cost. How did we get here? @jjfreyd.bsky.social knows. Since the 90s she’s tracked the misbehavior of public figures and the ways that institutions betray us. Her work on DARVO changed my life.

Paid subscribers can watch at TheRipCurrent.com now!
March 26, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Jacob Ward
In the FIRST EPISODE of @byjacobward.bsky.social's Rip Current podcast, he interviews our very own @cbracy.bsky.social about her new book “World Eaters: How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy.”

Check it out: theripcurrent.substack.com/p/the-rip-cu...
March 19, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Tonight I won’t be just shouting at the television. For a change I’ll be shouting at my camera with Don Lemon @donlemonofficial.bsky.social as part of his post-speech coverage on YouTube. See you after Trump finishes, whenever that is!

youtube.com/@thedonlemon...
March 5, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Insiders at CFPB walked me through all the bad scams and schemes coming our way in a world without them protecting us, and it's pretty alarming. Even legit companies won't have enough reason to treat you fairly. Catch the whole thing on my YT channel, and subscribe at TheRipCurrent.com!
February 20, 2025 at 6:39 AM
I spent the weekend interviewing CFPB insiders who were fired last week by Elon Musk's unofficial DOGE group. They paint an alarming picture of our financial future if there's no cop on the beat. Read what they say you now have to watch for, at TheRipCurrent.com⁠open.substack.com/pub/theripcu...se
"Good Luck Waiting on Hold, America"
Interviews with the experts fired from CFPB, the agency built to protect you against being cheated, reveal the scams you'll now have to look out for.
open.substack.com
February 17, 2025 at 9:52 PM
A look at why the tech world's assumption that it gets unlimited do-overs makes it the wrong training to run the government. Read the latest and subscribe at TheRipCurrent.com!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7K2...
Why Tech People Shouldn't Run the Government
YouTube video by The Rip Current by Jacob Ward
www.youtube.com
February 11, 2025 at 5:03 AM
I deeply wish this app supported long-form video, as that's my main shtick, and thus, while I don't want to be pointing you anywhere else, here's my latest video essay on my own racism and the nation's fresh embrace of it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J4i...
It's Racism. Call It That.
YouTube video by The Rip Current by Jacob Ward
www.youtube.com
February 6, 2025 at 4:00 AM