Adam Willems
@adamwillems.bsky.social
reporting on tech (Wired, The Guardian) and Seattle (Seattle Met, Cascade PBS, etc)
Pinned
Adam Willems
@adamwillems.bsky.social
· Oct 28
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley
www.theguardian.com
My first piece for @theguardian.com covers ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s role at Gloo; he’s helping the company build AI products for Christian ministry, and soft-power advances Gloo’s mission in Silicon Valley, DC, and beyond.
Reposted by Adam Willems
Why celebrities are loving crypto again in Trump’s second term
Why celebrities are loving crypto again in Trump’s second term
From athletes such as Tristan Thompson to artists such as Iggy Azalea, celebrities have returned to hawking crypto
www.theguardian.com
December 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Why celebrities are loving crypto again in Trump’s second term
Reposted by Adam Willems
Author @maxdelsohn.bsky.social’s first-ever published book, Crawl, a series of short stories about transmasc life in Seattle in the 2010s, is the most delightful—and sometimes also devastating—thing we’ve read this year.
The first in our “Dining and Writing” series:
www.chum.news/dining-writi...
The first in our “Dining and Writing” series:
www.chum.news/dining-writi...
December 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Author @maxdelsohn.bsky.social’s first-ever published book, Crawl, a series of short stories about transmasc life in Seattle in the 2010s, is the most delightful—and sometimes also devastating—thing we’ve read this year.
The first in our “Dining and Writing” series:
www.chum.news/dining-writi...
The first in our “Dining and Writing” series:
www.chum.news/dining-writi...
I’ve helped launch a new independent media outlet in Seattle called @chum.news.
Issue #1 included:
• An exit interview with the drag-queen doppelgänger of our city council’s unpopular president
• Speculative fiction about the “Seattle Freeze”
• Coverage of transmasc life in 2010s Seattle
+ more
Issue #1 included:
• An exit interview with the drag-queen doppelgänger of our city council’s unpopular president
• Speculative fiction about the “Seattle Freeze”
• Coverage of transmasc life in 2010s Seattle
+ more
🚨 NEW SEATTLE PUBLICATION ALERT 🚨 @chum.news just went live a few minutes ago. “An online media outlet covering Seattle culture & society in all its eccentricity.” www.chum.news (I’m not part of it, just excited for a new indie Seattle culture mag)
CHUM NEWS
www.chum.news
December 9, 2025 at 11:23 PM
I’ve helped launch a new independent media outlet in Seattle called @chum.news.
Issue #1 included:
• An exit interview with the drag-queen doppelgänger of our city council’s unpopular president
• Speculative fiction about the “Seattle Freeze”
• Coverage of transmasc life in 2010s Seattle
+ more
Issue #1 included:
• An exit interview with the drag-queen doppelgänger of our city council’s unpopular president
• Speculative fiction about the “Seattle Freeze”
• Coverage of transmasc life in 2010s Seattle
+ more
Reposted by Adam Willems
We also have a deep dive into credit unions, which began as an alternative to increase community lending and now have behemoths that act more like big banks, including by purchasing banks wholesale and making them tax-exempt.
This is from freelance writer Adam Willems:
prospect.org/2025/11/25/c...
This is from freelance writer Adam Willems:
prospect.org/2025/11/25/c...
Credit Unions Go Large and Go Rogue - The American Prospect
Intended to bolster local access to lending, large credit unions today are swallowing up community banks. A Trump purge has reduced their oversight.
prospect.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:57 PM
We also have a deep dive into credit unions, which began as an alternative to increase community lending and now have behemoths that act more like big banks, including by purchasing banks wholesale and making them tax-exempt.
This is from freelance writer Adam Willems:
prospect.org/2025/11/25/c...
This is from freelance writer Adam Willems:
prospect.org/2025/11/25/c...
Reposted by Adam Willems
I don't know if this election will follow the same pattern because the counting has been a little different this year, but here's M. Lorena Gonzalez's vote share by day from 2021. Friday was her peak.
November 10, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I don't know if this election will follow the same pattern because the counting has been a little different this year, but here's M. Lorena Gonzalez's vote share by day from 2021. Friday was her peak.
Reposted by Adam Willems
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has a 7-percentage-point lead (53.3% to 46.2%) over progressive challenger Katie Wilson.
But there is a very good chance he will end up losing.
🧵 1/7
But there is a very good chance he will end up losing.
🧵 1/7
November 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has a 7-percentage-point lead (53.3% to 46.2%) over progressive challenger Katie Wilson.
But there is a very good chance he will end up losing.
🧵 1/7
But there is a very good chance he will end up losing.
🧵 1/7
Reposted by Adam Willems
Quoted here about the increasing intersection of right-wing Christianity & Tech. Had a very much longer conversation than there was space for, touching on mutations of Christian-inflected belief & eschatology in re: the Singularity hype & pushes toward, e.g., "consciousness uploading" & now "AGI"…
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley
www.theguardian.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Quoted here about the increasing intersection of right-wing Christianity & Tech. Had a very much longer conversation than there was space for, touching on mutations of Christian-inflected belief & eschatology in re: the Singularity hype & pushes toward, e.g., "consciousness uploading" & now "AGI"…
My first piece for @theguardian.com covers ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s role at Gloo; he’s helping the company build AI products for Christian ministry, and soft-power advances Gloo’s mission in Silicon Valley, DC, and beyond.
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
An ex-Intel CEO’s mission to build a Christian AI: ‘hasten the coming of Christ’s return’
Patrick Gelsinger, executive chairman of Gloo, has made it his mission to advance Christian principles in Silicon Valley
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:36 PM
My first piece for @theguardian.com covers ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger’s role at Gloo; he’s helping the company build AI products for Christian ministry, and soft-power advances Gloo’s mission in Silicon Valley, DC, and beyond.
Reposted by Adam Willems
Good job Sora 2 has watermarks on its videos (people have already made tools that instantly remove the watermark)
www.404media.co/sora-2-water...
www.404media.co/sora-2-water...
Sora 2 Watermark Removers Flood the Web
Bypassing Sora 2's rudimentary safety features is easy and experts worry it'll lead to a new era of scams and disinformation.
www.404media.co
October 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Good job Sora 2 has watermarks on its videos (people have already made tools that instantly remove the watermark)
www.404media.co/sora-2-water...
www.404media.co/sora-2-water...
Reposted by Adam Willems
Larry Ellison envisions a surveillance state in which techbros rule. '“Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on,” Ellison said in an hour-long Q&A during Oracle’s Financial Analyst Meeting last week.'
Larry Ellison predicts rise of the modern surveillance state where ‘citizens will be on their best behavior’ | Fortune
Oracle's Larry Ellison believes citizens and police alike will be under constant surveillance of each other.
fortune.com
September 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Larry Ellison envisions a surveillance state in which techbros rule. '“Citizens will be on their best behavior, because we’re constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on,” Ellison said in an hour-long Q&A during Oracle’s Financial Analyst Meeting last week.'
Reposted by Adam Willems
Today, I was laid off from Cascade PBS along with my entire team and most of the newsroom. I'll have more to say, but I have loved my time as news editor alongside some of the best journalists I have ever worked with. Every time a newsroom closes, stories go with it. The silence that follows is loud
The move, attributed to the loss of federal funding for public media, marks the layoffs of 17 staffers and the creation of three new positions.
Seattle's Cascade PBS announces layoffs, end of online long-form journalism
The move, attributed to the loss of federal funding for public media, marks the layoffs of 17 staffers and the creation of three new positions, station President and CEO Rob Dunlop told KUOW.
www.kuow.org
September 22, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Today, I was laid off from Cascade PBS along with my entire team and most of the newsroom. I'll have more to say, but I have loved my time as news editor alongside some of the best journalists I have ever worked with. Every time a newsroom closes, stories go with it. The silence that follows is loud
Reposted by Adam Willems
All mayors seek political advice, but Mayor Bruce Harrell had his campaign strategist on a city funded contract for the first 3 years of his term, a legal but “strange” and “different” arrangement. W/ @jimbrunner.bsky.social
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Key Harrell political strategist was paid for years at City Hall in unusual arrangement
Some current and former city staff and elected officials say the arrangement represented a thorny conflict between politics and governance.
www.seattletimes.com
September 7, 2025 at 4:34 PM
All mayors seek political advice, but Mayor Bruce Harrell had his campaign strategist on a city funded contract for the first 3 years of his term, a legal but “strange” and “different” arrangement. W/ @jimbrunner.bsky.social
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Reposted by Adam Willems
The GENIUS Act barred stablecoin issuers from paying interest. But in allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to offer rewards, it set off a high-stakes clash with the US banking industry. www.wired.com/story/genius...
The Loophole Turning Stablecoins Into a Trillion-Dollar Fight
The GENIUS Act barred stablecoin issuers from paying interest. But in allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to offer rewards, it set off a high-stakes clash with the US banking industry.
www.wired.com
September 3, 2025 at 11:22 AM
The GENIUS Act barred stablecoin issuers from paying interest. But in allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to offer rewards, it set off a high-stakes clash with the US banking industry. www.wired.com/story/genius...
Reposted by Adam Willems
46 Seattle journalists and media workers have now signed onto our open letter condemning Israel's killings of Palestinian journalists in Gaza and calling for their protection
August 30, 2025 at 8:37 PM
46 Seattle journalists and media workers have now signed onto our open letter condemning Israel's killings of Palestinian journalists in Gaza and calling for their protection
Reposted by Adam Willems
ah, very exciting
Yes, the stakes here are large. Very large.
August 26, 2025 at 1:07 AM
ah, very exciting
For @wired.com, I covered the fundraise of Erebor Bank, the “pay to play” regulatory landscape allegedly taking shape, and its potential implications for banking writ large
Tech billionaires back Erebor following Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse 2 years ago. One interesting thing we found out in the course of our reporting: Peter Thiel cut a $1 million check but is otherwise not involved, per Founders Fund. By @adamwillems.bsky.social: www.wired.com/story/palmer...
Tech Billionaires Back Erebor in the Wake of Silicon Valley Bank Collapse
Funded by Anduril cofounder Palmer Luckey and Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale, the new bank—named, like their companies, after Tolkien lore—aims to serve startups in crypto, AI, and defense.
www.wired.com
July 15, 2025 at 6:42 PM
For @wired.com, I covered the fundraise of Erebor Bank, the “pay to play” regulatory landscape allegedly taking shape, and its potential implications for banking writ large
Reposted by Adam Willems
going to keep saying: a society that would like to maintain its basic functions has really got to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by people in positions of authority
I asked ICE where the “413% increase in assaults” justification for its officers using masks came from. They didn’t answer. So I dug into it, and what I found … did not boost their argument.
Gift link: wapo.st/4l7a1ch
Gift link: wapo.st/4l7a1ch
Opinion | Parsing ICE’s mixed-up, hard-to-believe assault claims
ICE officials keep touting a 413 percent increase in assaults on officers to justify officers masking their identities.
wapo.st
June 19, 2025 at 1:37 PM
going to keep saying: a society that would like to maintain its basic functions has really got to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by people in positions of authority
Reposted by Adam Willems
notable that the WHPC still hasn't taken this step in response to the unlawful barring of the Associated Press from events.
Pete Hegseth’s Defense Department tried to bar a CNN journalist from serving as a pool reporter for an upcoming foreign trip.
Other reporters threatened to boycott the trip.
Guess what happened next.
The Pentagon caved.
Via @oliverdarcy.bsky.social
www.status.news/p/pete-hegse...
Other reporters threatened to boycott the trip.
Guess what happened next.
The Pentagon caved.
Via @oliverdarcy.bsky.social
www.status.news/p/pete-hegse...
May 27, 2025 at 3:36 PM
notable that the WHPC still hasn't taken this step in response to the unlawful barring of the Associated Press from events.
Reposted by Adam Willems
“total rethinks of education” is how we got here. Maybe we need less rethinking it and more doing it.
If chatgpt can do a college level course better than a student... what does that say about the standards of the degree... and the usefulness of whatever they are teaching... the only point I'm trying to make... is we need a total rethink on education...
May 14, 2025 at 1:43 PM
“total rethinks of education” is how we got here. Maybe we need less rethinking it and more doing it.
Reposted by Adam Willems
yes, ChatGPT is in schools; there are K-12 school districts and DOEs entering into AI contracts, too. so rather than panicking over the death of academia as a foregone conclusion—particularly when LLMs are frequently wrong—why don't we talk about the climate costs of AI?
my latest @teenvogue.com
my latest @teenvogue.com
ChatGPT Is Everywhere — Why Aren't We Talking About Its Environmental Costs?
One estimate found that a single ChatGPT search uses 10 times the energy of a normal Google search.
www.teenvogue.com
May 7, 2025 at 3:07 PM
yes, ChatGPT is in schools; there are K-12 school districts and DOEs entering into AI contracts, too. so rather than panicking over the death of academia as a foregone conclusion—particularly when LLMs are frequently wrong—why don't we talk about the climate costs of AI?
my latest @teenvogue.com
my latest @teenvogue.com
Reposted by Adam Willems
BREAKING: The World Food Program says its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.
UN food agency says its foods stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel's blockade
The World Food Program says its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.
bit.ly
April 25, 2025 at 2:27 PM
BREAKING: The World Food Program says its food stocks in Gaza have run out under Israel’s nearly 8-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory.
Reposted by Adam Willems
This should be the top story in Axios’s morning read. But it isn’t. It’s the FIFTH top story.
@axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/04/23/t...
@axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/04/23/t...
April 23, 2025 at 12:08 PM
This should be the top story in Axios’s morning read. But it isn’t. It’s the FIFTH top story.
@axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/04/23/t...
@axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/04/23/t...
Reposted by Adam Willems
The government being down with subscription military tech is an advanced state of oligarchy.
Elon Musk's SpaceX is the frontrunner to build Trump's "Golden Dome" missile shield.
SpaceX is proposing a subscription service where the government would pay to access the technology, rather than own it.
Experts think the project could cost hundreds of billions.
www.reuters.com/business/aer...
SpaceX is proposing a subscription service where the government would pay to access the technology, rather than own it.
Experts think the project could cost hundreds of billions.
www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX is frontrunner to build Trump's Golden Dome missile shield
Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part of President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense shield, six people familiar with the matter said.
www.reuters.com
April 17, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The government being down with subscription military tech is an advanced state of oligarchy.
Reposted by Adam Willems
