Brett Roberts
@brettroberts.bsky.social
Contents include opinion, optimism and dad jokes / Overly interested in the intersection of tech, business and humanity / AI bullshit detectorist / Advisor & speaker
Reposted by Brett Roberts
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Brett Roberts
The richest man on earth owns X.
The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
September 24, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The richest man on earth owns X.
The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
Reposted by Brett Roberts
Brilliant! "If the rapture actually happened" - TikTok's @just_joshin_witcha (sped up to fit in 60 seconds)
September 20, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Brilliant! "If the rapture actually happened" - TikTok's @just_joshin_witcha (sped up to fit in 60 seconds)
Reposted by Brett Roberts
#NZpol
Oh look, Musical Chairs performing a public service again, that unfortunately, doesn't get the public airtime / print it deserves (certain journos aside as always, salutations to @clrenney.bsky.social and @bernardchickey.bsky.social who certainly try *their* best to do so despite that)
Oh look, Musical Chairs performing a public service again, that unfortunately, doesn't get the public airtime / print it deserves (certain journos aside as always, salutations to @clrenney.bsky.social and @bernardchickey.bsky.social who certainly try *their* best to do so despite that)
This misleading crap just gets spilled out into the media with barely any challenge. The purpose of course is to convince us that cuts to public services and the sale of assets to rentiers are all very necessary indeed. TINA. Let's unpick these manipulative stats... [Geek Level Medium to High 🧵1/n]
June 7, 2025 at 5:52 AM
#NZpol
Oh look, Musical Chairs performing a public service again, that unfortunately, doesn't get the public airtime / print it deserves (certain journos aside as always, salutations to @clrenney.bsky.social and @bernardchickey.bsky.social who certainly try *their* best to do so despite that)
Oh look, Musical Chairs performing a public service again, that unfortunately, doesn't get the public airtime / print it deserves (certain journos aside as always, salutations to @clrenney.bsky.social and @bernardchickey.bsky.social who certainly try *their* best to do so despite that)
Reposted by Brett Roberts
At the ICE raid and subsequent community resistance in Paramount, California this morning, this skater kid ate dozens of munitions from Border Patrol agents, walked away slowly and flipped them off.
June 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
At the ICE raid and subsequent community resistance in Paramount, California this morning, this skater kid ate dozens of munitions from Border Patrol agents, walked away slowly and flipped them off.
Reposted by Brett Roberts
Annual change in Govt tax revenue per capita. I am running out of nails to put in the coffin of hopium. I mean, Govt know that they are going to have to invest, rrrrright? How long can they remain in denial?
June 7, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Annual change in Govt tax revenue per capita. I am running out of nails to put in the coffin of hopium. I mean, Govt know that they are going to have to invest, rrrrright? How long can they remain in denial?
2 minutes and 7 seconds of @profgalloway.com ruthlessly eviscerating Elon Musk…
www.reddit.com/r/PublicFrea...
www.reddit.com/r/PublicFrea...
From the PublicFreakout community on Reddit: Scott Galloway delivering what has to be the most epic scorched earth breakdown of Elon Musk ever aired to date.
Explore this post and more from the PublicFreakout community
www.reddit.com
June 6, 2025 at 1:30 AM
2 minutes and 7 seconds of @profgalloway.com ruthlessly eviscerating Elon Musk…
www.reddit.com/r/PublicFrea...
www.reddit.com/r/PublicFrea...
Perfection…
Feels like a good time to share this - Don McGlashan playing Anchor Me last week for RNZ, a stunning version
youtu.be/qlAJjSpi5T0?...
youtu.be/qlAJjSpi5T0?...
Don McGlashan - Anchor Me (Live at RNZ)
YouTube video by RNZ Music
youtu.be
May 31, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Perfection…
Reposted by Brett Roberts
When the Patriot Act was passed, libraries got requests for patrons’ borrowing history. We were prohibited from disclosing those requests.
We deleted and shredded those records and stopped tracking reading history for that reason.
ALSO.
We deleted and shredded those records and stopped tracking reading history for that reason.
ALSO.
January 29, 2025 at 6:23 PM
When the Patriot Act was passed, libraries got requests for patrons’ borrowing history. We were prohibited from disclosing those requests.
We deleted and shredded those records and stopped tracking reading history for that reason.
ALSO.
We deleted and shredded those records and stopped tracking reading history for that reason.
ALSO.
Reposted by Brett Roberts
Reposted by Brett Roberts
Paris does love being liberated from Nazis
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French far right leader, died today.
If you wonder how many French people feel about that, these are the scenes of celebration on the streets of Paris this evening.
One sign reads “The dirty racist is dead”.
(🎥 Luc Auffret)
If you wonder how many French people feel about that, these are the scenes of celebration on the streets of Paris this evening.
One sign reads “The dirty racist is dead”.
(🎥 Luc Auffret)
January 8, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Paris does love being liberated from Nazis
“I mostly steer clear of OpenAI palace intrigue but man, all the signs are there. High flying VC darling. CEO with known ethical issues (ask former board member Helen Toner). Predictions about the future that continue to spiral in their grandiosity (see Altman blog post yesterday).”…
Who is up for a short thread on the intriguing parallels between OpenAI and Enron, as told by one of Enron's investment bankers -- that is to say, me? Here goes...
January 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
“I mostly steer clear of OpenAI palace intrigue but man, all the signs are there. High flying VC darling. CEO with known ethical issues (ask former board member Helen Toner). Predictions about the future that continue to spiral in their grandiosity (see Altman blog post yesterday).”…
Reposted by Brett Roberts
$20 / user is not nearly enough for Apple to pay for spying on users with Siri. Make it $2000/user. This should be a 9.5 billion settlement.
for years i have losing my mind about that episode of ReplyAll where they were like "are our phones listening to us? through the microphone that is built in to the device? it turns out: no! we asked tech companies and they said they're not. and obviously they would never lie to us"
"The only clue that users seemingly had of Siri's alleged spying was eerily accurate targeted ads that appeared after they had just been talking about specific items like Air Jordans or brands like Olive Garden"
January 2, 2025 at 10:46 PM
$20 / user is not nearly enough for Apple to pay for spying on users with Siri. Make it $2000/user. This should be a 9.5 billion settlement.
I remain to be convinced otherwise…
"What trillion-dollar problem is AI trying to solve?"
Wages. They're trying to use it to solve having to pay wages.
Wages. They're trying to use it to solve having to pay wages.
December 29, 2024 at 1:20 AM
I remain to be convinced otherwise…
Reposted by Brett Roberts
Flashback cartoon: Ruth Richardson, Minister of Finance, National Party, 1990 to 1993. Dismissed as Finance Minister following the 1993 election. Later joined the Act Party. #cartoon #Listenermag #nzpol
December 19, 2024 at 7:36 AM
Flashback cartoon: Ruth Richardson, Minister of Finance, National Party, 1990 to 1993. Dismissed as Finance Minister following the 1993 election. Later joined the Act Party. #cartoon #Listenermag #nzpol
This Kim Hill interview with BorisJohnson is a cracker and KH at her perfectly-prepared and cutting best.
The publicist who convinced him to do it to spruik his new book will absolutely most definitely not be receiving a Christmas card from him this year 🙂
www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kim-...
The publicist who convinced him to do it to spruik his new book will absolutely most definitely not be receiving a Christmas card from him this year 🙂
www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kim-...
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/536161/kim-hill-wants-to-know-are-you-always-late-hill-meets-boris-johnson
t.co
December 12, 2024 at 2:46 AM
This Kim Hill interview with BorisJohnson is a cracker and KH at her perfectly-prepared and cutting best.
The publicist who convinced him to do it to spruik his new book will absolutely most definitely not be receiving a Christmas card from him this year 🙂
www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kim-...
The publicist who convinced him to do it to spruik his new book will absolutely most definitely not be receiving a Christmas card from him this year 🙂
www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kim-...
Incontrovertible Fact of the Day….
If healthcare workers, teachers, and PT drivers actually worked to rule, shit would collapse. This govt (and every other one 👀 Lab) knows damn well that these people put in extra time and energy to get things done.
Successive govts have been leaning on this for decades.
Successive govts have been leaning on this for decades.
December 9, 2024 at 8:46 AM
Incontrovertible Fact of the Day….
We live in interesting times…
December 7, 2024 at 8:35 PM
We live in interesting times…
Thank you @karaswisher.bsky.social for that absolutely wonderful interview with Nathan Myhrvold. We desperately need more Nathan Myhrvolds.
December 6, 2024 at 5:36 AM
Thank you @karaswisher.bsky.social for that absolutely wonderful interview with Nathan Myhrvold. We desperately need more Nathan Myhrvolds.
Reposted by Brett Roberts
And now we have the answer: the Auditor-General agrees. Redundancies and holiday back pay was counted in the year before they were incurred. Former CFO Rosalie Hughes is vindicated, and Lester Levy is left looking quite untrustworthy.
December 4, 2024 at 6:10 AM
And now we have the answer: the Auditor-General agrees. Redundancies and holiday back pay was counted in the year before they were incurred. Former CFO Rosalie Hughes is vindicated, and Lester Levy is left looking quite untrustworthy.
Reposted by Brett Roberts
"organisation-wide reset" in the same sense as when you reset your computer and lose all your work.
November 18, 2024 at 12:22 AM
"organisation-wide reset" in the same sense as when you reset your computer and lose all your work.
Reposted by Brett Roberts
That's a win. Even donating to Shane Jones didn't help them overcome good protection.
J Swap's quarry extension into QEII land rejected by Court of Appeal
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
J Swap's quarry extension into QEII land rejected by Court of Appeal
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
J Swap bid to quarry on QEII covenant land rejected by Court of Appeal
The J Swap-owned company has had three previous bids to extend its operations into protected land near Matamata knocked back.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 26, 2024 at 8:12 AM
That's a win. Even donating to Shane Jones didn't help them overcome good protection.
J Swap's quarry extension into QEII land rejected by Court of Appeal
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
J Swap's quarry extension into QEII land rejected by Court of Appeal
www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa... #nzpol
Reposted by Brett Roberts
As I’ve been saying for over a year:
If your business model doesn’t work without violating the law, you’re not in business — you’re in organized crime.
Great reporting by @elainelow.bsky.social. theankler.com/p/tv-writers...
If your business model doesn’t work without violating the law, you’re not in business — you’re in organized crime.
Great reporting by @elainelow.bsky.social. theankler.com/p/tv-writers...
TV Writers Found 139,000 of Their Scripts Trained AI. Hell Broke Loose
It's 'organized crime,' says one, as scribes from Shonda Rhimes to Robert King face a system where studio policy and law remain murky
theankler.com
November 25, 2024 at 5:44 PM
As I’ve been saying for over a year:
If your business model doesn’t work without violating the law, you’re not in business — you’re in organized crime.
Great reporting by @elainelow.bsky.social. theankler.com/p/tv-writers...
If your business model doesn’t work without violating the law, you’re not in business — you’re in organized crime.
Great reporting by @elainelow.bsky.social. theankler.com/p/tv-writers...
When the censorship software gets carried away…
November 24, 2024 at 3:51 AM
When the censorship software gets carried away…