Damon Beres
@damonberes.com
Senior editor at The Atlantic, focused on tech //
SIGNAL: Damon.63
📨 dberes at the atlantic dot com
✴️ damonberes.com
SIGNAL: Damon.63
📨 dberes at the atlantic dot com
✴️ damonberes.com
Pinned
Damon Beres
@damonberes.com
· Jan 6
Sharing some exciting personal news: I’m writing a book! About digital technology and the human mind. I’m excited to tell a story that anchors the reader in reality, when so much feels slippery and weird (and overwhelming and scary and oh jeez people are doing WHAT with Grok now??)—wish me luck! ✍️
To the point Bezos expresses about “data”—any good publisher uses data analytics in some way, sure, but data-driven decisions are at least in one important way at odds with the mission of good writing and reporting, which is simply to present the unexpected to readers
February 7, 2026 at 11:45 PM
To the point Bezos expresses about “data”—any good publisher uses data analytics in some way, sure, but data-driven decisions are at least in one important way at odds with the mission of good writing and reporting, which is simply to present the unexpected to readers
Reposted by Damon Beres
probably my favorite podcast appearance i’ve ever done on my least favorite topic i’ve ever researched
one of my favorite eps @aidanwalker.bsky.social walked me through the rise of Clavicular & the nihlist-by-default livestreamer culture. if you want to understand what we are up against here & what happens when making content becomes your only ideology this was v enlightening youtu.be/E0juSVoIVuE?...
The Internet’s New Extremists Don’t Even Believe in Politics
YouTube video by The Atlantic
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 6:21 PM
probably my favorite podcast appearance i’ve ever done on my least favorite topic i’ve ever researched
I do not have the words for this
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:20 PM
I do not have the words for this
Reposted by Damon Beres
one of my favorite eps @aidanwalker.bsky.social walked me through the rise of Clavicular & the nihlist-by-default livestreamer culture. if you want to understand what we are up against here & what happens when making content becomes your only ideology this was v enlightening youtu.be/E0juSVoIVuE?...
The Internet’s New Extremists Don’t Even Believe in Politics
YouTube video by The Atlantic
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 5:49 PM
one of my favorite eps @aidanwalker.bsky.social walked me through the rise of Clavicular & the nihlist-by-default livestreamer culture. if you want to understand what we are up against here & what happens when making content becomes your only ideology this was v enlightening youtu.be/E0juSVoIVuE?...
Moltbook is most interesting to me not so much because it seems to say something about the future—although, sure!—but because it says quite a lot about our sad synthetic present
The Chatbots Appear to Be Organizing
Moltbook is the chaotic future of the internet.
www.theatlantic.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Moltbook is most interesting to me not so much because it seems to say something about the future—although, sure!—but because it says quite a lot about our sad synthetic present
“It was a brutal lie against the American public”
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 7:58 PM
“It was a brutal lie against the American public”
Washington Post publisher Will Lewis, "who has already earned a reputation for showing up late to work when he showed up at all, did not join the Zoom" about the staggering cuts.
The Murder of The Washington Post
Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.
www.theatlantic.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Washington Post publisher Will Lewis, "who has already earned a reputation for showing up late to work when he showed up at all, did not join the Zoom" about the staggering cuts.
Reposted by Damon Beres
"Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, and Will Lewis, the publisher he appointed at the end of 2023, are embarking on the latest step of their plan to kill everything that makes the paper special." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Murder of The Washington Post
Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.
www.theatlantic.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:35 PM
"Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of The Washington Post, and Will Lewis, the publisher he appointed at the end of 2023, are embarking on the latest step of their plan to kill everything that makes the paper special." www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Damon Beres
New from me: I wrote about the Clicktatorship at @theatlantic.com.
"Poster brain and authoritarianism reinforce each other: They thrive on conspiracy theories, lack all restraint, and jump to extreme solutions."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
"Poster brain and authoritarianism reinforce each other: They thrive on conspiracy theories, lack all restraint, and jump to extreme solutions."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Welcome to the Clicktatorship
In the Trump administration, even budget proposals read like Truth Social posts.
www.theatlantic.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:02 PM
New from me: I wrote about the Clicktatorship at @theatlantic.com.
"Poster brain and authoritarianism reinforce each other: They thrive on conspiracy theories, lack all restraint, and jump to extreme solutions."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
"Poster brain and authoritarianism reinforce each other: They thrive on conspiracy theories, lack all restraint, and jump to extreme solutions."
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Damon Beres
I have read entirely too many Epstein files at this point, but here is what's in there about the tech billionaires (and how often each of them shows up):
The Tech Elites in the Epstein Files
The Department of Justice has released more than 3 million documents and photos related to Jeffrey Epstein. Here’s who shows up from Big Tech the most often—and what the files reveal.
www.wired.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:41 PM
I have read entirely too many Epstein files at this point, but here is what's in there about the tech billionaires (and how often each of them shows up):
Reposted by Damon Beres
Artificial general intelligence was supposed to have been imminent—but “the broad agreement on what AGI even is and the immediate value it could provide humanity have been scrubbed away,” @matteowong.bsky.social reports:
Do You Feel the AGI Yet?
According to some predictions, 2026 is the year that an all-powerful AI will arrive.
bit.ly
February 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Artificial general intelligence was supposed to have been imminent—but “the broad agreement on what AGI even is and the immediate value it could provide humanity have been scrubbed away,” @matteowong.bsky.social reports:
For a while, AI companies were more or less aligned about "AGI": An amorphous, distant idea that they could use to attract major investments, participate in regulatory capture, and so on. But recently, they've started to break apart and embrace new narratives. @matteowong.bsky.social explains why:
Do You Feel the AGI Yet?
According to some predictions, 2026 is the year that an all-powerful AI will arrive.
www.theatlantic.com
February 2, 2026 at 4:22 PM
For a while, AI companies were more or less aligned about "AGI": An amorphous, distant idea that they could use to attract major investments, participate in regulatory capture, and so on. But recently, they've started to break apart and embrace new narratives. @matteowong.bsky.social explains why:
So happy that I got to spend time talking about tech and PARENTING with the great @emilytav.bsky.social—she’s just getting started with this new project, and I couldn’t be more excited about it
Episode 3: Damon Beres talks parenting in an age of frictionless tech.
Damon shares his perspective as both a journalist covering tech's effects on the mind AND as a dad trying to nurture critical thinking and curiosity in his 4-year-old.
www.thehomescreen.org
February 2, 2026 at 12:32 AM
So happy that I got to spend time talking about tech and PARENTING with the great @emilytav.bsky.social—she’s just getting started with this new project, and I couldn’t be more excited about it
“Melania the book wasn’t an autobiography so much as a highly priced brochure. Melania the movie isn’t a documentary; it’s a protection racket.”
Absolute banger by @sophiegilbert.bsky.social
Absolute banger by @sophiegilbert.bsky.social
The Melania Trump Documentary Is a Disgrace
The exorbitant film captures the rotten state of the entertainment industry.
www.theatlantic.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:25 PM
“Melania the book wasn’t an autobiography so much as a highly priced brochure. Melania the movie isn’t a documentary; it’s a protection racket.”
Absolute banger by @sophiegilbert.bsky.social
Absolute banger by @sophiegilbert.bsky.social
Super
Sell America Is the New Trade on Wall Street
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Super
There is a part of me that’s kinda like, yes queen go off
The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ Could Flood the Earth. Can a 50-Mile Wall Stop It?
Scientists have long opposed polar geoengineering. Some now believe it will be necessary.
www.theatlantic.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:55 PM
There is a part of me that’s kinda like, yes queen go off
And in the end, justice was found, and nobody ever spoke of it again
<holds finger up to ear> wait
<holds finger up to ear> wait
The New Epstein Frenzy
Millions of pages of files related to the Epstein case were released today. One six-page document involving President Trump immediately drew everyone’s attention.
www.theatlantic.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:14 AM
And in the end, justice was found, and nobody ever spoke of it again
<holds finger up to ear> wait
<holds finger up to ear> wait
Evergreen
The Gleeful Cruelty of the White House X Account
Welcome to the 4chan administration.
www.theatlantic.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Evergreen
tbt to the semester I had to watch Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant” like 7 times
The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films
The attention-span crisis goes to the movies.
www.theatlantic.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:03 PM
tbt to the semester I had to watch Gus Van Sant’s “Elephant” like 7 times
Very nice
The AI-chat-enabled stuffed toy Bondu invites little kids to have intimate conversations with it, like an LLM imaginary friend. It also exposed virtually all their chats on a web interface with no security. Anyone with a Gmail account could log in and read transcripts. www.wired.com/story/an-ai-...
An AI Toy Exposed 50,000 Logs of Its Chats With Kids to Anyone With a Gmail Account
AI chat toy company Bondu left its web console almost entirely unprotected. Researchers who accessed it found nearly all the conversations children had had with the company's stuffed animals.
www.wired.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Very nice
A great and substantial article by @ibogost.com that taught me a lot about the state of higher education—but in its final paragraph, becomes beautiful and about something much greater than the university
The Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed
Go to a small liberal-arts college if you can.
www.theatlantic.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:16 PM
A great and substantial article by @ibogost.com that taught me a lot about the state of higher education—but in its final paragraph, becomes beautiful and about something much greater than the university
"The person you see in your mind lying in that street is still a child. I’m sure his mother feels that way, too, or she sees him at every age all at once, including those he did not live to see."
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by federal agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:42 PM
"The person you see in your mind lying in that street is still a child. I’m sure his mother feels that way, too, or she sees him at every age all at once, including those he did not live to see."
Reposted by Damon Beres
Seems like a good time to reshare my Radio Four Infinite Jest documentary. We tried to make it so it gives you a decent idea whether or not you'd like the book.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
January 29, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Seems like a good time to reshare my Radio Four Infinite Jest documentary. We tried to make it so it gives you a decent idea whether or not you'd like the book.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
“Here is a book about addiction that offers itself as a kind of counter-addiction, an example of the compounding value of sustained attention.”
I haven’t read Infinite Jest, but this made me interested; also a good smackdown on the noxious “performative male reading” memes that are popular
I haven’t read Infinite Jest, but this made me interested; also a good smackdown on the noxious “performative male reading” memes that are popular
“Infinite Jest” Has Turned Thirty. Have We Forgotten How to Read It?
David Foster Wallace’s novel, in all its immensity, became the subject of sanctification and then scorn. But the work rewards the attention it demands.
www.newyorker.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:09 PM
“Here is a book about addiction that offers itself as a kind of counter-addiction, an example of the compounding value of sustained attention.”
I haven’t read Infinite Jest, but this made me interested; also a good smackdown on the noxious “performative male reading” memes that are popular
I haven’t read Infinite Jest, but this made me interested; also a good smackdown on the noxious “performative male reading” memes that are popular
Spending more time with Claude Code tonight and I do think one basic reality is that AI skeptics need to update their priors: Plenty of cause for concern, plenty of room to hit these companies for unethical behavior, resource demands, etc, but we are so, so far past the era of "stochastic parrots"
Move Over, ChatGPT
You are about to hear a lot more about Claude Code.
www.theatlantic.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:24 AM
Spending more time with Claude Code tonight and I do think one basic reality is that AI skeptics need to update their priors: Plenty of cause for concern, plenty of room to hit these companies for unethical behavior, resource demands, etc, but we are so, so far past the era of "stochastic parrots"