Dave Willner
@dwillner.bsky.social
Co-Founder at Zentropi. Formerly Head of Trust & Safety at OpenAI, of Community Policy at Airbnb, and of Content Policy Facebook. Strictly cold takes.
Pinned
Dave Willner
@dwillner.bsky.social
· Jul 31
For 17 years working in trust and safety, I've watched talented people burn out on impossible tasks. The problem isn't the people, it's the systems. Traditional moderation requires months of retraining for every policy change. Only big companies can afford it, and even then it works poorly. 🧵 1/9
Reposted by Dave Willner
For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies
January 8, 2026 at 3:35 PM
For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies
Reposted by Dave Willner
The Republican Party is no longer American in any meaningful sense of the term, to borrow the language of the Claremont Institute.
January 8, 2026 at 4:58 PM
The Republican Party is no longer American in any meaningful sense of the term, to borrow the language of the Claremont Institute.
Reposted by Dave Willner
I am impeaching Secretary Kristi Noem, who is an incompetent leader and a disgrace to our democracy.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
January 8, 2026 at 12:00 AM
I am impeaching Secretary Kristi Noem, who is an incompetent leader and a disgrace to our democracy.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
She wreaked havoc in the Chicagoland area and has brought her reign of terror to Minneapolis. One of her rogue ICE agents shot and killed an innocent woman today. It must come to an end.
Reposted by Dave Willner
For months, Trump’s DHS has wreaked lawless havoc in our neighborhoods. Tear gassing infants, families, and police. Firing their weapons at peaceful citizens. Killing innocent people.
It’s brutal, unconstitutional, and out of control.
It must stop.
Kristi Noem must go. Now.
It’s brutal, unconstitutional, and out of control.
It must stop.
Kristi Noem must go. Now.
January 8, 2026 at 2:32 AM
For months, Trump’s DHS has wreaked lawless havoc in our neighborhoods. Tear gassing infants, families, and police. Firing their weapons at peaceful citizens. Killing innocent people.
It’s brutal, unconstitutional, and out of control.
It must stop.
Kristi Noem must go. Now.
It’s brutal, unconstitutional, and out of control.
It must stop.
Kristi Noem must go. Now.
Reposted by Dave Willner
We cannot be more clear. Leave us the fuck alone.
January 8, 2026 at 1:19 AM
We cannot be more clear. Leave us the fuck alone.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Trump Officials Cry ‘Domestic Terrorism’ After Videos Show ICE Agent Killing Woman talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-o...
Trump Officials Cry ‘Domestic Terrorism’ After Videos Show ICE Agent Killing Woman
After a masked federal ICE agent shot and killed a Minneapolis woman...
talkingpointsmemo.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Trump Officials Cry ‘Domestic Terrorism’ After Videos Show ICE Agent Killing Woman talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-o...
Reposted by Dave Willner
A friend in Minneapolis just sent me this video. Looks like thousands have come together for a vigil after an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. This was my neighborhood for several years before coming to Portland.
January 8, 2026 at 1:05 AM
A friend in Minneapolis just sent me this video. Looks like thousands have come together for a vigil after an ICE agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. This was my neighborhood for several years before coming to Portland.
Reposted by Dave Willner
imagine getting cooked by Thomas Chatterton Williams over your policing takes
January 7, 2026 at 10:41 PM
imagine getting cooked by Thomas Chatterton Williams over your policing takes
Reposted by Dave Willner
I’m not going to lie. I’ve been writing about the War on Terror in its depravity my whole adult life. And the brazen execution of Renee Nicole Good has left me in a state since the moment I watched it.
January 8, 2026 at 1:52 AM
I’m not going to lie. I’ve been writing about the War on Terror in its depravity my whole adult life. And the brazen execution of Renee Nicole Good has left me in a state since the moment I watched it.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Watch how the authoritarian denying reality frames events:
Blame shift
Threat inflation
Conspiracy (“coordinated” “ppl are being trained” —by who?)
“it’s clear” is a rhetorical substitute for evidence; a power move that pressures audience to accept her frame even tho they saw something else.
Blame shift
Threat inflation
Conspiracy (“coordinated” “ppl are being trained” —by who?)
“it’s clear” is a rhetorical substitute for evidence; a power move that pressures audience to accept her frame even tho they saw something else.
Noem: "People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons ... it's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained"
January 8, 2026 at 1:58 AM
Watch how the authoritarian denying reality frames events:
Blame shift
Threat inflation
Conspiracy (“coordinated” “ppl are being trained” —by who?)
“it’s clear” is a rhetorical substitute for evidence; a power move that pressures audience to accept her frame even tho they saw something else.
Blame shift
Threat inflation
Conspiracy (“coordinated” “ppl are being trained” —by who?)
“it’s clear” is a rhetorical substitute for evidence; a power move that pressures audience to accept her frame even tho they saw something else.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Using imagery online of the shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, we’ve created an animated sequence which highlights the approximate positioning of officers and vehicles at the scene. The red dot represents the agent who fired the shots. Yellow dots are other agents who arrived at the scene.
January 7, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Using imagery online of the shooting by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, we’ve created an animated sequence which highlights the approximate positioning of officers and vehicles at the scene. The red dot represents the agent who fired the shots. Yellow dots are other agents who arrived at the scene.
Reposted by Dave Willner
a few thoughts youtu.be/lERS4kJIQR8
Abolish ICE
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
youtu.be
January 8, 2026 at 1:42 AM
a few thoughts youtu.be/lERS4kJIQR8
This is correct.
January 8, 2026 at 1:52 AM
This is correct.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Yes exactly. If protesters stand in front of cars, it’s fine to kill them, if someone is *inside* a car, then it’s fine for law enforcement standing in front of them to shoot them in the face.
This glib statement is all the more risible when you recall how many law enforcement officers used their vehicles as weapons against protesters in 2020... and how many Republican-dominated states *sought to legalize killing protesters with vehicles* as a reaction to the demonstrations
Noem: "People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons ... it's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained"
January 8, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Yes exactly. If protesters stand in front of cars, it’s fine to kill them, if someone is *inside* a car, then it’s fine for law enforcement standing in front of them to shoot them in the face.
Reposted by Dave Willner
This kind of crass, absurd and obscene embrace of willful murder from a top official is basically participation in murder after the fact
Noem: "People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons ... it's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained"
January 8, 2026 at 1:01 AM
This kind of crass, absurd and obscene embrace of willful murder from a top official is basically participation in murder after the fact
Reposted by Dave Willner
1. ICE will kill you.
2. Trumpists will lie to justify it.
3. Because they are all thug trash.
2. Trumpists will lie to justify it.
3. Because they are all thug trash.
January 8, 2026 at 1:10 AM
1. ICE will kill you.
2. Trumpists will lie to justify it.
3. Because they are all thug trash.
2. Trumpists will lie to justify it.
3. Because they are all thug trash.
Reposted by Dave Willner
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
a lot of problems wouldn't exist if we had a congress with even an ounce of self interest
January 4, 2026 at 11:52 PM
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
No fate but what we make.
Every year, my final @techdirt.com post of the year is about why I'm still optimistic about the future. So here it is, my final post of 2025. And yes, it's still about why I'm optimistic. Because, the only path forward out of this mess is looking at ways to make things better.
Use The Failures Of The Past As Inspiration For A Better Future
Look, I get it. The world is a mess. Important institutions are crumbling. It feels like both the tech and political worlds are collaborating to squeeze all remaining humanity out of all of us. Cynicism is ascendant. Nihilism is the…
Look, I get it. The world is a mess. Important institutions are crumbling. It feels like both the tech and political worlds are collaborating to squeeze all remaining humanity out of all of us. Cynicism is ascendant. Nihilism is the…
January 1, 2026 at 2:01 AM
No fate but what we make.
Reposted by Dave Willner
I am determined as God is my witness to start the Trump fake hand conspiracy theory. His hand isn't showing signs of an undisclosed illness. It's a fake painted Halloween costume hand because his hand was already removed. It's time.
December 31, 2025 at 1:31 AM
I am determined as God is my witness to start the Trump fake hand conspiracy theory. His hand isn't showing signs of an undisclosed illness. It's a fake painted Halloween costume hand because his hand was already removed. It's time.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Requested a correction from @princetonupress.bsky.social. Let's see what happens.
December 27, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Requested a correction from @princetonupress.bsky.social. Let's see what happens.
Reposted by Dave Willner
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
December 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty:
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media.
Huh? When did I say that?!
Reposted by Dave Willner
In this companion piece I have to painstakingly explain how Matt Taibbi
1) gets our research backwards in an incomprehensible way
2) points to emails chains we weren’t on as evidence of things we did
3) imputes plans between tech & govt that happened 6mo before our election project existed, to us
1) gets our research backwards in an incomprehensible way
2) points to emails chains we weren’t on as evidence of things we did
3) imputes plans between tech & govt that happened 6mo before our election project existed, to us
And here is a supplementary companion piece on my Substack in which I include Matt Taibbi's 1800+ word response to questions in full, in the interests of fairness. (Note: this one is for the nerds)
www.jamesrball.com/p/disinforma...
www.jamesrball.com/p/disinforma...
Disinformation Wars: The Extended Edition
Want to see several people argue over *extremely granular* detail? This is your lucky day!
www.jamesrball.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:20 AM
In this companion piece I have to painstakingly explain how Matt Taibbi
1) gets our research backwards in an incomprehensible way
2) points to emails chains we weren’t on as evidence of things we did
3) imputes plans between tech & govt that happened 6mo before our election project existed, to us
1) gets our research backwards in an incomprehensible way
2) points to emails chains we weren’t on as evidence of things we did
3) imputes plans between tech & govt that happened 6mo before our election project existed, to us
Reposted by Dave Willner
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start denying H-1B visas for anyone who has anything to do with trust & safety, fact checking, content moderation, or mis- or disinformation research.
www.techdirt.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
Reposted by Dave Willner
Wrote about the ridiculous new Trump visa rules that will stop those who worked in trust & safety from getting visas at the same time MAGA folks are demanding more trust & safety work.
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start…
Your Job Was Stopping CSAM? Trump Says No Visa For You!
You want to see actual government censorship in action? And have it done by people claiming they’re doing it to stop censorship? Check out last week's revelation (originally reported by Reuters) that the US State Department will now start denying H-1B visas for anyone who has anything to do with trust & safety, fact checking, content moderation, or mis- or disinformation research.
www.techdirt.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Wrote about the ridiculous new Trump visa rules that will stop those who worked in trust & safety from getting visas at the same time MAGA folks are demanding more trust & safety work.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Which is also what we desperately needed in 2021
Early 2029 will be like a post-conflict society starting a campaign of de-Trumpification.
Could not be more contrary to American traditions. A gold-bedecked White House with a massive gilded ballroom and a government-created personality cult around the president complete with giant banners of his face on government buildings and official celebrations of his birthday.
December 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Which is also what we desperately needed in 2021