Stephen Bush
@stephenkb.bsky.social
Associate editor and columnist @financialtimes.com. Post too often about culture, public policy, management, politics, nerd stuff, Arsenal, wosoc. Try my UK politics newsletter for free here: www.ft.com/tryinsidepolitics
Pinned
Stephen Bush
@stephenkb.bsky.social
· Feb 22
I sat through that so when my column gets factchecked I can say “yes, that line is accurate”. Such is the FT’s commitment to bringing you our best understanding of the truth. Subscribe here: subs.ft.com/products
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Every post-AGI explosion scenario reads like feudal communism. Why would I want to live under that?
February 3, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Every post-AGI explosion scenario reads like feudal communism. Why would I want to live under that?
Reposted by Stephen Bush
FT exclusive
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor discussed ways round restrictions on his making investments while an official UK trade representative and shared official documents from the role with Jeffrey Epstein, files released by the US Department of Justice show
www.ft.com/content/6b2f...
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor discussed ways round restrictions on his making investments while an official UK trade representative and shared official documents from the role with Jeffrey Epstein, files released by the US Department of Justice show
www.ft.com/content/6b2f...
Former prince discussed with Jeffrey Epstein ways to get round investment rules
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared official documents while serving as a UK trade envoy
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:30 PM
FT exclusive
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor discussed ways round restrictions on his making investments while an official UK trade representative and shared official documents from the role with Jeffrey Epstein, files released by the US Department of Justice show
www.ft.com/content/6b2f...
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor discussed ways round restrictions on his making investments while an official UK trade representative and shared official documents from the role with Jeffrey Epstein, files released by the US Department of Justice show
www.ft.com/content/6b2f...
Reposted by Stephen Bush
It's Elmo's birthday
February 3, 2026 at 5:58 PM
It's Elmo's birthday
Reposted by Stephen Bush
search.savills.com/property-det... scroll through the pictures and admire the photographer's valiant effort to downplay the most noticeable feature of the back garden not mentioned in the property description.
Durford Wood, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU31 5AW | Property for sale | Savills
Property details for Durford Wood. One of many properties for sale in Petersfield, Hampshire, GU31 5AW from Savills, world leading estate agents.
search.savills.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:54 PM
search.savills.com/property-det... scroll through the pictures and admire the photographer's valiant effort to downplay the most noticeable feature of the back garden not mentioned in the property description.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
You might be interested in this experiment which gave some people cash and others work and found people prefer work to extent they would sacrifice income to do it (very different context!)
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
The Psychosocial Value of Employment: Evidence from a Refugee Camp
(November 2022) - Employment may be important to well-being for reasons beyond its role as an income source. This paper presents a causal estimate of the psychosocial value of employment in refugee ca...
www.aeaweb.org
February 3, 2026 at 6:03 PM
You might be interested in this experiment which gave some people cash and others work and found people prefer work to extent they would sacrifice income to do it (very different context!)
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...
Reposted by Stephen Bush
It’s hard work when you’re trying to diversify your board because everyone under 60 is working full time.
February 3, 2026 at 5:37 PM
It’s hard work when you’re trying to diversify your board because everyone under 60 is working full time.
Some more interesting replies to my column - a lot in this vein. I agree. If we return to pensioners (as I say, they are the actually useful 'real world' UBI pilot), almost all pensioners 'work', though only one in ten are in paid work. But most unpaid work pensioners do *someone* would need to do.
I think there may be a current bundling of the concepts of “job”, “work”, “employment”, “fulfilling activity”, etc that would need to be unwound in your scenario.
February 3, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Some more interesting replies to my column - a lot in this vein. I agree. If we return to pensioners (as I say, they are the actually useful 'real world' UBI pilot), almost all pensioners 'work', though only one in ten are in paid work. But most unpaid work pensioners do *someone* would need to do.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Just an incredibly strange way to engage with someone who is sympathetic to your (apparent?) mission, and engaging critically with it in good faith.
Like, can he stand to be in the same room as universal basic services people - is it fisticuffs?
The less said about the other reference, the better.
Like, can he stand to be in the same room as universal basic services people - is it fisticuffs?
The less said about the other reference, the better.
February 3, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Just an incredibly strange way to engage with someone who is sympathetic to your (apparent?) mission, and engaging critically with it in good faith.
Like, can he stand to be in the same room as universal basic services people - is it fisticuffs?
The less said about the other reference, the better.
Like, can he stand to be in the same room as universal basic services people - is it fisticuffs?
The less said about the other reference, the better.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Reposted by Stephen Bush
That... doesn't follow at all. I mean, what?
February 3, 2026 at 3:50 PM
That... doesn't follow at all. I mean, what?
Reposted by Stephen Bush
So I used to work- and live as on site staff- in a historic country house with somewhere around 400 rooms and you’d just be minding your business and a cellphone in your vicinity would ring and you’d answer it to tell the owner which room they’d left it in
If you're ultra-rich, I get that, you have a person who has to find it. If you're just Joe Normal in a regular suburban house...is your whole life just 'darling, will you ring me?'
February 3, 2026 at 3:53 PM
So I used to work- and live as on site staff- in a historic country house with somewhere around 400 rooms and you’d just be minding your business and a cellphone in your vicinity would ring and you’d answer it to tell the owner which room they’d left it in
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Right. As someone who has dealt with quite a lot of unemployment and underemployment, and who has considerable limitations on what kinds of work I can do because of disability, I do really want to do meaningful work to some degree. The structure, for one thing, is useful. As is interaction.
February 3, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Right. As someone who has dealt with quite a lot of unemployment and underemployment, and who has considerable limitations on what kinds of work I can do because of disability, I do really want to do meaningful work to some degree. The structure, for one thing, is useful. As is interaction.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Ridiculous people. One reason *I* advocate a basic income is that I think most people would do *more* productive, interesting, useful work if they didn't have to do useless makework drudgery to survive.
February 3, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Ridiculous people. One reason *I* advocate a basic income is that I think most people would do *more* productive, interesting, useful work if they didn't have to do useless makework drudgery to survive.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Keep saying it but: what we have isn’t AI. So scaling that won’t ever lead to 100% unemployment. But we do have lots of money trying to get AI and it’s worth thinking about what that means. We’re also closer than ever. Just like in 2016 we didn’t have self driving cars, but we might soon.
February 3, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Keep saying it but: what we have isn’t AI. So scaling that won’t ever lead to 100% unemployment. But we do have lots of money trying to get AI and it’s worth thinking about what that means. We’re also closer than ever. Just like in 2016 we didn’t have self driving cars, but we might soon.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
sorry but that snide Auschwitz reference is a fucking horrific thing to bring to the debate
February 3, 2026 at 2:38 PM
sorry but that snide Auschwitz reference is a fucking horrific thing to bring to the debate
Reposted by Stephen Bush
"you can't" so often translates to "it would take political will to"
February 3, 2026 at 2:38 PM
"you can't" so often translates to "it would take political will to"
Reposted by Stephen Bush
"You can't uninvent Asbestos!"
February 3, 2026 at 2:36 PM
"You can't uninvent Asbestos!"
Reposted by Stephen Bush
"You can't uninvent CFCs!"
February 3, 2026 at 2:35 PM
"You can't uninvent CFCs!"
What is it about some UBI advocates that makes them unable to read properly? I literally argue for work being voluntary in the piece!
February 3, 2026 at 2:35 PM
What is it about some UBI advocates that makes them unable to read properly? I literally argue for work being voluntary in the piece!
Reposted by Stephen Bush
Also, wrt autarky. There are a *lot* more countries that don't have nukes than do.
February 3, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Also, wrt autarky. There are a *lot* more countries that don't have nukes than do.
Reposted by Stephen Bush
And indeed we use quite a lot of the same basic process for generation (relatively) clean power.
February 3, 2026 at 2:30 PM
And indeed we use quite a lot of the same basic process for generation (relatively) clean power.
My column today: on why if AI creates a world where almost everyone has to live off UBI, we should throw away the machine instead:
UBI fans must remember a job is about more than the money
The value of work often gets left out of discussions about AI
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:32 PM
My column today: on why if AI creates a world where almost everyone has to live off UBI, we should throw away the machine instead:
"Since prison for Epstein’s fellow abusers gets unlikelier over time, America’s deeper question is whether it can restore a culture of shame." - marvellous, marvellous column by @edwardluce.bsky.social:
The Epstein rot goes deep
America must now ask itself if it can restore a culture of shame
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
"Since prison for Epstein’s fellow abusers gets unlikelier over time, America’s deeper question is whether it can restore a culture of shame." - marvellous, marvellous column by @edwardluce.bsky.social:
Reposted by Stephen Bush
February 3, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Another scoop from the Epstein files by @pickardje.bsky.social:
Peter Mandelson lobbied against US bank reforms on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein and Jes Staley
Former UK business secretary used talking points in conversations with US official about financial crisis measures
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Another scoop from the Epstein files by @pickardje.bsky.social: