Jessica Kant
@jessdkant.bsky.social
Researcher, therapist, heavily caffeinated. Frequently described as a bit of a handful. 🖤 (She/her) 🏳️⚧️ jessk.org/blog
This is a disappointingly cogent example of how much the war over how news is served is seen as an essential battleground that the right is prosecuting with everything they have. I will keep banging this drum: the news ecosystem is arguably the single most powerful driver of public policy there is.
February 13, 2026 at 2:45 AM
This is a disappointingly cogent example of how much the war over how news is served is seen as an essential battleground that the right is prosecuting with everything they have. I will keep banging this drum: the news ecosystem is arguably the single most powerful driver of public policy there is.
Reposted by Jessica Kant
The volume & geographic distribution of protest nationwide during year 1 of Trump's second term was extraordinary.
February 12, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The volume & geographic distribution of protest nationwide during year 1 of Trump's second term was extraordinary.
No.. you just misunderstood what he wrote?
February 12, 2026 at 6:22 AM
No.. you just misunderstood what he wrote?
This is tricky; it’s about degree. At what point does it cease to be someone’s own work? The LLM isn’t creating the answers out of nowhere. Many of those responses exist because someone else wrote variations of them, now reproduced without context/source. Academically at least, that is plagiarism.
February 12, 2026 at 6:16 AM
This is tricky; it’s about degree. At what point does it cease to be someone’s own work? The LLM isn’t creating the answers out of nowhere. Many of those responses exist because someone else wrote variations of them, now reproduced without context/source. Academically at least, that is plagiarism.
This is an excellent comparison. Similarly reinforced regularly, and easily manipulated to provoke stronger reactions further warping perception. And all of these sell, so in turn outrage itself is becomes the product and outlets are incentivized to fan the flames.
February 12, 2026 at 5:57 AM
This is an excellent comparison. Similarly reinforced regularly, and easily manipulated to provoke stronger reactions further warping perception. And all of these sell, so in turn outrage itself is becomes the product and outlets are incentivized to fan the flames.
Reposted by Jessica Kant
Ring is first and foremost a scheme to charge Amazon customers to deter crime that costs Amazon (not the customers themselves) billions annually in refunds, returns, double shipping, and customer service overhead.
February 12, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Ring is first and foremost a scheme to charge Amazon customers to deter crime that costs Amazon (not the customers themselves) billions annually in refunds, returns, double shipping, and customer service overhead.
But to the point I think you're making, you'd have to account for a resizing and reshaping industry? That I have no idea.
February 11, 2026 at 11:52 PM
But to the point I think you're making, you'd have to account for a resizing and reshaping industry? That I have no idea.
1 and 3 make a lot of sense; I'm not sure I'm following for q2 because I'm not sure about your question re: job category? I suppose the question is about people losing jobs they would have otherwise retained. so the outcome would be continuous or lateral employment versus job loss?
February 11, 2026 at 11:50 PM
1 and 3 make a lot of sense; I'm not sure I'm following for q2 because I'm not sure about your question re: job category? I suppose the question is about people losing jobs they would have otherwise retained. so the outcome would be continuous or lateral employment versus job loss?
I should be clear: no one has ever accused me of being an optimist, so hopefully this is just me being my usual cheerful self 😅
February 11, 2026 at 11:13 PM
I should be clear: no one has ever accused me of being an optimist, so hopefully this is just me being my usual cheerful self 😅
I think this is where i go to the dark place because so much of what the people driving LLMs want is a much larger, socially disempowered underclass to do increasingly shitty jobs for lesser pay. It feels like they've decided actually selling things is totally subservient to bottoming out labor
February 11, 2026 at 11:09 PM
I think this is where i go to the dark place because so much of what the people driving LLMs want is a much larger, socially disempowered underclass to do increasingly shitty jobs for lesser pay. It feels like they've decided actually selling things is totally subservient to bottoming out labor
I realize some of this is capitalist realism getting the better of me; I'm not that naive, lol
February 11, 2026 at 11:04 PM
I realize some of this is capitalist realism getting the better of me; I'm not that naive, lol
thank you for this brand new information I'd never considered
February 11, 2026 at 11:03 PM
thank you for this brand new information I'd never considered
I think working in human services, my thought is that since we're talking about the immediate labor landscape: it's hard to envision a world where an enormous culture shift happens. I still imagine gaps in resumes hurting people, etc. And that makes me want to protect jobs (for now)
February 11, 2026 at 11:03 PM
I think working in human services, my thought is that since we're talking about the immediate labor landscape: it's hard to envision a world where an enormous culture shift happens. I still imagine gaps in resumes hurting people, etc. And that makes me want to protect jobs (for now)
I would gladly trade all the bullshit jobs for a safety net! I just.. don't feel too optimistic as ours disintegrates..
February 11, 2026 at 10:52 PM
I would gladly trade all the bullshit jobs for a safety net! I just.. don't feel too optimistic as ours disintegrates..
it would be rad if we still had a planet by then
February 11, 2026 at 10:46 PM
it would be rad if we still had a planet by then
oh for sure. that's the issue. An enormous number of people really got excited about mass layoffs in the government even when it was against their class interests
February 11, 2026 at 10:45 PM
oh for sure. that's the issue. An enormous number of people really got excited about mass layoffs in the government even when it was against their class interests
I might argue, possibly wrongly, that software always had the alternate pathway of STEM as a whole. As permeable job markets with translatable skills, it's relevant that the sciences got absolutely murdered this year. Certainly no shortage of need for coders in epidemiology if there were funding..
February 11, 2026 at 10:42 PM
I might argue, possibly wrongly, that software always had the alternate pathway of STEM as a whole. As permeable job markets with translatable skills, it's relevant that the sciences got absolutely murdered this year. Certainly no shortage of need for coders in epidemiology if there were funding..
that was @broken-overton.bsky.social's thought as well. I don't know. I'm getting this second hand from engineers, but I'm not one myself. I've always tried to be transparent that I'm a shitty programmer
February 11, 2026 at 10:39 PM
that was @broken-overton.bsky.social's thought as well. I don't know. I'm getting this second hand from engineers, but I'm not one myself. I've always tried to be transparent that I'm a shitty programmer
I'm all for UBI tbh. But I also feel like being unemployed or underemployed is so destructive to people's health in a society that treats unemployed people like garbage. I'm not sure UBI would change that, but maybe it would make it matter less
February 11, 2026 at 10:38 PM
I'm all for UBI tbh. But I also feel like being unemployed or underemployed is so destructive to people's health in a society that treats unemployed people like garbage. I'm not sure UBI would change that, but maybe it would make it matter less
Are the jobs returning though? Because that's what I mean by adapting— if we assume employing people outside of surges and liquidation booms is what matters, the data isn't great? perhaps we don't have enough post the widespread adoption of GPT to know for sure
February 11, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Are the jobs returning though? Because that's what I mean by adapting— if we assume employing people outside of surges and liquidation booms is what matters, the data isn't great? perhaps we don't have enough post the widespread adoption of GPT to know for sure
Yeah I agree the growth is inorganic and forced. I’m totally with you on that. But I also think the reality is that with all technical advances, more is expected of the same number of workers. Which on a longer timeline means growth slows, and I think the incentive is to make that slowing permanent
February 11, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Yeah I agree the growth is inorganic and forced. I’m totally with you on that. But I also think the reality is that with all technical advances, more is expected of the same number of workers. Which on a longer timeline means growth slows, and I think the incentive is to make that slowing permanent
That’s fair. I guess what I mean is that this is the explicit goal. And the labor data for computer science grads is horrible. I don’t think it can all be attributed to the pandemic, I think we should believe them when they say they intend to destroy the labor force because that’s what they’re doing
February 11, 2026 at 10:24 PM
That’s fair. I guess what I mean is that this is the explicit goal. And the labor data for computer science grads is horrible. I don’t think it can all be attributed to the pandemic, I think we should believe them when they say they intend to destroy the labor force because that’s what they’re doing