Russell Brandom
@russellbrandom.bsky.social
I want to speak very plainly to you, so that we are both comforted by the honesty.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Billionaire disenfranchisement is a real and serious problem, but a movement of non-billionaires is not the answer. We need to be elevating voices from *within* the billionaire community. www.sfexaminer.com/news/technol...
Billionaires march leader ID'd, says effort sincere
Startup founder not billionaire, but supports them.
www.sfexaminer.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Billionaire disenfranchisement is a real and serious problem, but a movement of non-billionaires is not the answer. We need to be elevating voices from *within* the billionaire community. www.sfexaminer.com/news/technol...
Ah yes, the two genders
February 1, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Ah yes, the two genders
A very good passage from Vineland on the ecstatic potential of collective civil disobedience.
"There was no telling, in those days, who might unexpectedly change this way, or when."
"There was no telling, in those days, who might unexpectedly change this way, or when."
January 29, 2026 at 7:51 PM
A very good passage from Vineland on the ecstatic potential of collective civil disobedience.
"There was no telling, in those days, who might unexpectedly change this way, or when."
"There was no telling, in those days, who might unexpectedly change this way, or when."
With respect to trans folks, I'm just not sure the FBI needs a hormone replacement therapy division
January 29, 2026 at 2:11 PM
With respect to trans folks, I'm just not sure the FBI needs a hormone replacement therapy division
$19 billion here, $19 billion there — pretty soon you’re talking about serious money techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/m...
Meta burned $19 billion on VR last year, and 2026 won’t be any better | TechCrunch
The reported financial losses follow a series of layoffs at the VR unit.
techcrunch.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:11 PM
$19 billion here, $19 billion there — pretty soon you’re talking about serious money techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/m...
Reposted by Russell Brandom
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
Reposted by Russell Brandom
This development would've been extraordinary, especially coming from Chief Judge Schiltz, even *before* last week's contretemps over DOJ's (now-dropped) attempt to strong-arm him into signing arrest warrants for the other five Cities Church protestors.
Schiltz isn't just talking about *this* case.
Schiltz isn't just talking about *this* case.
👀 Judge Schlitz, the chief federal judge in Minnesota, has ordered the head of ICE, Todd Lyons, to appeal personally in court Friday and threatened him with contempt for the agency’s repeated violation of court orders.
“The court’s patience is at an end.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
“The court’s patience is at an end.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 27, 2026 at 1:07 PM
This development would've been extraordinary, especially coming from Chief Judge Schiltz, even *before* last week's contretemps over DOJ's (now-dropped) attempt to strong-arm him into signing arrest warrants for the other five Cities Church protestors.
Schiltz isn't just talking about *this* case.
Schiltz isn't just talking about *this* case.
A new benchmark shows how far AI agents still have to go before they’re ready to take over knowledge work techcrunch.com/2026/01/22/a...
Are AI agents ready for the workplace? A new benchmark raises doubts. | TechCrunch
New research looks at how leading AI models hold up doing actual white-collar work tasks, drawn from consulting, investment banking, and law. Most models failed.
techcrunch.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:24 PM
A new benchmark shows how far AI agents still have to go before they’re ready to take over knowledge work techcrunch.com/2026/01/22/a...
An interesting milestone in AI reporting: The NYT used open-source image classification algorithms to estimate the scale of Grok's sexualized imagery problem www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/t...
January 22, 2026 at 3:38 PM
An interesting milestone in AI reporting: The NYT used open-source image classification algorithms to estimate the scale of Grok's sexualized imagery problem www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/t...
absolutely horrific www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
January 16, 2026 at 12:59 PM
absolutely horrific www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
People don't want to admit it, but sometimes past performance *is* indicative of future results.
January 15, 2026 at 4:51 PM
People don't want to admit it, but sometimes past performance *is* indicative of future results.
AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems techcrunch.com/2026/01/14/a...
AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems | TechCrunch
Since the release of GPT 5.2, AI tools have become inescapable in high-level mathematics.
techcrunch.com
January 14, 2026 at 7:34 PM
AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems techcrunch.com/2026/01/14/a...
RETVRN to office
January 14, 2026 at 4:41 PM
RETVRN to office
called it
One Battle After Another would have been better if it had ended with Ghetto Pat turning to the camera and saying "I am a liberal now" and then specifying he's the exact same kind of liberal I am
January 14, 2026 at 2:14 PM
called it
great room if you need to ritually spank Leonardo DiCaprio for meddling in your racist land grab scheme
Update — Here is what the new apparent CBS News segment "Whiskey Fridays with Tony Dokoupil" may look like:
January 13, 2026 at 11:17 PM
great room if you need to ritually spank Leonardo DiCaprio for meddling in your racist land grab scheme
The weird thing about the left-critique of OBAA is that the French 75 is way beyond the activity of any real-life counterpart like the Black Panthers or the Weathermen. There's no equivalent, past or present, for what we see in the first act of the movie.
January 12, 2026 at 8:38 PM
The weird thing about the left-critique of OBAA is that the French 75 is way beyond the activity of any real-life counterpart like the Black Panthers or the Weathermen. There's no equivalent, past or present, for what we see in the first act of the movie.
Reposted by Russell Brandom
frustrating but important piece from @russellbrandom.bsky.social techcrunch.com/2026/01/12/a...
A New Jersey lawsuit shows how hard it is to fight deepfake porn | TechCrunch
A number of US laws have already banned deepfake pornography — most notably the Take It Down Act. But while specific users are clearly breaking those laws, it’s much harder to hold the entire platform...
techcrunch.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:14 PM
frustrating but important piece from @russellbrandom.bsky.social techcrunch.com/2026/01/12/a...
Reposted by Russell Brandom
Jan. 16, 2025: A SpaceX Starship rocket explodes over the Caribbean.
Suddenly, dozens of planes in the area must scramble to get out of a newly designated FAA "debris zone."
Their passengers are now unwitting participants in a test run gone wrong. (THREAD)
Suddenly, dozens of planes in the area must scramble to get out of a newly designated FAA "debris zone."
Their passengers are now unwitting participants in a test run gone wrong. (THREAD)
January 10, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Jan. 16, 2025: A SpaceX Starship rocket explodes over the Caribbean.
Suddenly, dozens of planes in the area must scramble to get out of a newly designated FAA "debris zone."
Their passengers are now unwitting participants in a test run gone wrong. (THREAD)
Suddenly, dozens of planes in the area must scramble to get out of a newly designated FAA "debris zone."
Their passengers are now unwitting participants in a test run gone wrong. (THREAD)
Big week for exhaustion and disgust
January 9, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Big week for exhaustion and disgust
Are any of my followers on here used to working with the EU's Digital Services Act database? If so, pls dm
January 7, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Are any of my followers on here used to working with the EU's Digital Services Act database? If so, pls dm
Reposted by Russell Brandom
NEW, by me: Bryan Fleming, the Michigan-based founder of spyware maker pcTattletale, pleaded guilty in federal court to hacking & advertising surveillance software Tuesday.
ICE/HSI brought the case. It's the DOJ's first federal successful prosecution of a stalkerware operator in over a decade.
ICE/HSI brought the case. It's the DOJ's first federal successful prosecution of a stalkerware operator in over a decade.
Founder of spyware maker pcTattletale pleads guilty to hacking and advertising surveillance software | TechCrunch
Bryan Fleming, the founder of hacked stalkerware company pcTattletale, pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to the running of his now-defunct Michigan-based spyware company.
techcrunch.com
January 6, 2026 at 7:27 PM
NEW, by me: Bryan Fleming, the Michigan-based founder of spyware maker pcTattletale, pleaded guilty in federal court to hacking & advertising surveillance software Tuesday.
ICE/HSI brought the case. It's the DOJ's first federal successful prosecution of a stalkerware operator in over a decade.
ICE/HSI brought the case. It's the DOJ's first federal successful prosecution of a stalkerware operator in over a decade.
Marty Supreme husband, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You wife
January 6, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Marty Supreme husband, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You wife
R.I.P. to Steve Sheetz, former President and CEO of Sheetz
January 5, 2026 at 9:58 PM
R.I.P. to Steve Sheetz, former President and CEO of Sheetz
Not sure AI is going to be able to fix this one
January 3, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Not sure AI is going to be able to fix this one
Reposted by Russell Brandom
Plausible pathway (from a month ago)
Plausible worst case scenario with Venezuela in four steps:
1. Rubio and Venezuelan exiles sell the idea of decapitation strikes against Maduro to Trump as the one big thing that solves Venezuela, cartels and Cuba for the US.
1. Rubio and Venezuelan exiles sell the idea of decapitation strikes against Maduro to Trump as the one big thing that solves Venezuela, cartels and Cuba for the US.
January 3, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Plausible pathway (from a month ago)