Jesse
@jessemerle.bsky.social
Lawyer in social enterprise and impact investing:
-Director @ Lookout PBC (2024 Pulitzer Winner).
-Counsel @ Kiva Capital.
-Lecturer @ Berkeley Law.
Married to a Dirty Immigration Lawyer.
-Director @ Lookout PBC (2024 Pulitzer Winner).
-Counsel @ Kiva Capital.
-Lecturer @ Berkeley Law.
Married to a Dirty Immigration Lawyer.
Pinned
Jesse
@jessemerle.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Bluesky is a Public Benefit Corporation and people here seem to have a lot of odd ideas about what that means. I teach about PBCs at Berkeley Law, so please send me any questions you have, and I will do my best to answer them. 🦋👋
Couldn’t survive as a public charity but can’t survive as an independent for-profit either huh?
this is great framing
November 28, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Couldn’t survive as a public charity but can’t survive as an independent for-profit either huh?
Almost like it’s time for a way to deprioritize Shareholder Value… :)
It’s so cool to have hitched your wagon 20 years ago to an industry that was booming beyond anyone’s expectations and have it turn out to be stripmined and utterly hollowed out by Shareholder Value, and every other industry you could slot into has been, surprise, hollowed out by Shareholder Value
November 25, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Almost like it’s time for a way to deprioritize Shareholder Value… :)
Bovino insisting on a silent *only* while demanding adherence to formal logic is somewhat amusing
Gregory Bovino’s deposition is out. Check here and @chicagotribune.com for highlights. Throughout, Bovino was evasive and combative. In this, while being asked about a photo showing him throwing tear gas, Bovino said: “You said canister. I threw two. That’s plural.”
November 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Bovino insisting on a silent *only* while demanding adherence to formal logic is somewhat amusing
Amazing that anyone ever thought OpenAI was a public charity
The popular chatbot has integrated several applications in similar deals in recent months, including PayPal, Walmart and Spotify.
Intuit Will Pay OpenAI $100 Million In Deal Combining TurboTax And ChatGPT
The popular chatbot has integrated several applications in similar deals in recent months, including PayPal, Walmart and Spotify.
www.forbes.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Amazing that anyone ever thought OpenAI was a public charity
I’m only on two boards rn if they need some rehabilitation I’m into and will crack the whip on sammy
November 19, 2025 at 3:20 PM
I’m only on two boards rn if they need some rehabilitation I’m into and will crack the whip on sammy
Tim Cook is single-handedly ruining Apple’s reputation for me… his embrace of Trump really peals away the “good company” branding Apple has been hiding behind for years
Tim Cook, of Apple, is at this dinner.
The likes of Musk and Schwarzman—sure, that's who they are.
But Cook has been groveling more than strictly necessary.
The likes of Musk and Schwarzman—sure, that's who they are.
But Cook has been groveling more than strictly necessary.
everlasting shame on all these people
November 19, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Tim Cook is single-handedly ruining Apple’s reputation for me… his embrace of Trump really peals away the “good company” branding Apple has been hiding behind for years
DOJ is arguing rn in this case that an IJ and BoA *correctly* acknowledged (in denying a CAT claim) that the El Salvadoran government has relied on torture in prison as a policy 👀👀👀
Everyone is listening to Media Matters v. X Corp… but if they stay on the line and listen to the case directly after, they’ll hear my badass wife argue with the DOJ about torture and prison conditions in El Salvador 💪❤️
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live-o...
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live-o...
Streaming Oral Arguments
www.ca9.uscourts.gov
November 17, 2025 at 6:32 PM
DOJ is arguing rn in this case that an IJ and BoA *correctly* acknowledged (in denying a CAT claim) that the El Salvadoran government has relied on torture in prison as a policy 👀👀👀
Everyone is listening to Media Matters v. X Corp… but if they stay on the line and listen to the case directly after, they’ll hear my badass wife argue with the DOJ about torture and prison conditions in El Salvador 💪❤️
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live-o...
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live-o...
Streaming Oral Arguments
www.ca9.uscourts.gov
November 17, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Everyone is listening to Media Matters v. X Corp… but if they stay on the line and listen to the case directly after, they’ll hear my badass wife argue with the DOJ about torture and prison conditions in El Salvador 💪❤️
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live-o...
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live-o...
This is impressive
I did that thing where I say, “I’m just going to explore this quickly,” and suddenly - as a complete non-expert - I’ve built a simple stock-trading algorithm.
I wrote up the whole experience and what I learned (and I promise the explanations are very lightweight):
open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
I wrote up the whole experience and what I learned (and I promise the explanations are very lightweight):
open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
How Hard Can Quant Trading Really Be? I Tried It to Find Out.
Hedge funds have armies of PhDs, Bloomberg terminals, and million-dollar data feeds. I have Python open in VS Code - and a PhD in political economy. How much can I reproduce on my laptop?
open.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:44 AM
This is impressive
People upset about OpenAI forming as a public charity might also be upset that to learn how foundation PRIs provided the seed capital for vaping companies
humbly proposing that vape pens are quietly one of the most evil inventions in the past 25 years and that everyone involved should be tried at the hague
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
People upset about OpenAI forming as a public charity might also be upset that to learn how foundation PRIs provided the seed capital for vaping companies
It is not my top issue, but there is immense political power in the Epstein story
"Maxwell has received custom meals personally delivered to her cell, after-hours time in a private exercise area, access to a service puppy, and private meetings with visitors arranged by the warden, complete with snacks. Visitors were allowed to bring computers..."
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/d...
Democrats reveal whistleblower details of Ghislaine Maxwell prison ‘luxuries’
In a letter to the president, House Democrats say Maxwell’s treatment as she prepares a clemency request makes the convicted sex offender look like a “guest at a Trump hotel.”
www.msnbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:40 PM
It is not my top issue, but there is immense political power in the Epstein story
“Scott Galloway is an academic at NYU.”
“Ok cool.”
“He’s a professor of marketing.”
“Ah yeah, that sounds right.”
“Ok cool.”
“He’s a professor of marketing.”
“Ah yeah, that sounds right.”
November 9, 2025 at 11:24 PM
“Scott Galloway is an academic at NYU.”
“Ok cool.”
“He’s a professor of marketing.”
“Ah yeah, that sounds right.”
“Ok cool.”
“He’s a professor of marketing.”
“Ah yeah, that sounds right.”
Reagan appointee. Senior judge. These are the people who need to be speaking out.
A leading federal judge quits in protest of Trump's corruption-- & to fight it
Wow
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Wow
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Why I Am Leaving the Federal Bench
A judge explains his reasons for resigning.
www.theatlantic.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reagan appointee. Senior judge. These are the people who need to be speaking out.
This video about private equity mucking up Baltimore housing markets is very informative and cleverly entertaining
@thebaltimorebanner.com
@thebaltimorebanner.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This video about private equity mucking up Baltimore housing markets is very informative and cleverly entertaining
@thebaltimorebanner.com
@thebaltimorebanner.com
Maybe get some philanthropy and impact investors involved
Panera should make a lemonade that convinces you you're talking to god and then they should get infinite funding from the dullest minds in the Bay Area to market it as tech.
November 7, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Maybe get some philanthropy and impact investors involved
November 7, 2025 at 6:45 PM
What gets me here is the tragedy of having hope in a tech-fueled dystopia
November 7, 2025 at 3:05 PM
What gets me here is the tragedy of having hope in a tech-fueled dystopia
No matter how you slice it, this doesn’t look good for the DOJ
BREAKING: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT EATS A LOSS IN 'SANDWICH GUY' CASE AS JURORS FIND DEFENDANT NOT GUILTY www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Jury acquits D.C. 'sandwich guy' charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent
Sean Dunn faced single misdemeanor offense after federal grand jurors refused to indict him on the felony charge sought by prosecutors.
www.nbcnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
No matter how you slice it, this doesn’t look good for the DOJ
Another instance if a federal judge stating on the record that she does not find the DOJ credible.
The nation’s entire public defender bar, acting in concert, could never undermine prosecutor legitimacy to this extent. Just a wild level of self-inflicted damage at DOJ.
The nation’s entire public defender bar, acting in concert, could never undermine prosecutor legitimacy to this extent. Just a wild level of self-inflicted damage at DOJ.
Ellis notes that the feds argue "plaintiffs have not been engaged in First Amendment protected activity" because they've "intermingled themselves with rioters."
"But as I've previously stated," Ellis says, "I don't find defendants' version of events credible."
"But as I've previously stated," Ellis says, "I don't find defendants' version of events credible."
November 6, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Another instance if a federal judge stating on the record that she does not find the DOJ credible.
The nation’s entire public defender bar, acting in concert, could never undermine prosecutor legitimacy to this extent. Just a wild level of self-inflicted damage at DOJ.
The nation’s entire public defender bar, acting in concert, could never undermine prosecutor legitimacy to this extent. Just a wild level of self-inflicted damage at DOJ.
I think this is a good sign for the Ford Foundation
Heather Gerken, Ford Foundation’s New Leader, Vows to Protect Elections and the Rule of Law www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
Ford Foundation’s New Leader Vows to Protect Elections and the Rule of Law
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:54 PM
I think this is a good sign for the Ford Foundation
This is upsetting
The Oakland Police Department says it is working with the FBI’s Art Crime Team to investigate the burglary.
Over 1,000 artifacts stolen from Oakland Museum of California, police say
The Oakland Police Department says it is working with the FBI’s Art Crime Team to investigate the burglary.
oaklandside.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:16 PM
This is upsetting
So OpenAI converted its operating company from an LLC into a PBC... What does that mean?
Wrote this 2 years ago, and some of it is still relevant (tho I’ve become more skeptical of AI generally)
AI Companies Can Define Their Public Purpose Through Governance
AI companies should embrace the concept of stakeholder capitalism which says businesses should consider their stakeholder network—not just their shareholders—when making decisions, says Berkeley Law’s...
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:48 PM
So OpenAI converted its operating company from an LLC into a PBC... What does that mean?
Is that a whiff of desperation I detect?
This is a remarkable document. In particular I have never seen an entity agree that the AG not only has continuing supervisory authority, but that the entity will pay the AG's costs of exercising that power, including the costs of experts.
October 29, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Is that a whiff of desperation I detect?
October 29, 2025 at 12:02 AM
US economy rests on a c3 charter lol
big premises unpinning a huge swath of our economy rn
OpenAI Charter: Our Charter describes the principles we use to execute on OpenAI’s mission.
openai.com/charter/
OpenAI Charter: Our Charter describes the principles we use to execute on OpenAI’s mission.
openai.com/charter/
OpenAI Charter
Our Charter describes the principles we use to execute on OpenAI’s mission.
openai.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:43 PM
US economy rests on a c3 charter lol