Ethan Marcotte
@ethanmarcotte.com
designer, writer, roommate to two kittens. here’s my website: https://ethanmarcotte.com/
I think you deserve a union, and I wrote a book about that: https://youdeserveatechunion.com/
hi friend
I think you deserve a union, and I wrote a book about that: https://youdeserveatechunion.com/
hi friend
Pinned
Ethan Marcotte
@ethanmarcotte.com
· Dec 5
It is that time of year, so I thought I’d mention that my book YOU DESERVE A TECH UNION is very much a thing you can buy for any tech workers in your life. Or yourself!
You can buy it just about anywhere books are sold—or hey, ask your library to grab a copy! ethanmarcotte.com/books/you-de...
You can buy it just about anywhere books are sold—or hey, ask your library to grab a copy! ethanmarcotte.com/books/you-de...
Whatever the productivity gains promised by LLMs, they result in heavier workloads—and that leads to workers experiencing “cognitive fatigue, burnout, and weakened decision-making.”
All this from the notoriously pro-worker rag [checks notes] Harvard Business Review: hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
All this from the notoriously pro-worker rag [checks notes] Harvard Business Review: hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It
One of the promises of AI is that it can reduce workloads so employees can focus more on higher-value and more engaging tasks. But according to new research, AI tools don’t reduce work, they consisten...
hbr.org
February 9, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Whatever the productivity gains promised by LLMs, they result in heavier workloads—and that leads to workers experiencing “cognitive fatigue, burnout, and weakened decision-making.”
All this from the notoriously pro-worker rag [checks notes] Harvard Business Review: hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
All this from the notoriously pro-worker rag [checks notes] Harvard Business Review: hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
There's a meta-point here, which is key: Commercial AI tools are built for bosses. It's very obvious, and very simple. This manifests in every part of their design and implementation and use, and it's no wonder they cause burnout.
Interesting research in HBR today about how the productivity boost you can get from AI tools can lead to burnout or general metal exhaustion, something I've noticed in my own work simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/9/a...
AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It
Aruna Ranganathan and Xingqi Maggie Ye from Berkeley Haas School of Business report initial findings in the HBR from their April to December 2025 study of 200 employees at a …
simonwillison.net
February 9, 2026 at 5:29 PM
There's a meta-point here, which is key: Commercial AI tools are built for bosses. It's very obvious, and very simple. This manifests in every part of their design and implementation and use, and it's no wonder they cause burnout.
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
I think this is super interesting, matches all the qualitative interviews I've had with developers on this, and continues to show that we cannot evaluate the impact of tools on people with a metric of "production" alone. Psychological factors are always central!
hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
AI Doesn’t Reduce Work—It Intensifies It
One of the promises of AI is that it can reduce workloads so employees can focus more on higher-value and more engaging tasks. But according to new research, AI tools don’t reduce work, they consisten...
hbr.org
February 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM
I think this is super interesting, matches all the qualitative interviews I've had with developers on this, and continues to show that we cannot evaluate the impact of tools on people with a metric of "production" alone. Psychological factors are always central!
hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
hbr.org/2026/02/ai-d...
i should probably state for the record that I am a person who lives in Boston, and i just learned last night that the Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl
February 8, 2026 at 7:18 PM
i should probably state for the record that I am a person who lives in Boston, and i just learned last night that the Patriots are playing in the Super Bowl
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
This is an important story by @genoways.bsky.social -- Haitian workers vote 99% "YES" to strike at a meatpacking plant at the same time the end of TPS and their possible deportation hangs over their heads. Intersection of union power and the anti-immigrant crusade is laid bare right here.
A JBS plant’s largely immigrant workforce is refusing to back down after they accuse their employer of poor working conditions.
From our colleagues at @thefern.org:
From our colleagues at @thefern.org:
These Haitian meatpacking workers face deportation. They voted to strike anyway.
A JBS plant’s largely immigrant workforce is refusing to back down after they accuse their employer of poor working conditions.
www.motherjones.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:48 PM
This is an important story by @genoways.bsky.social -- Haitian workers vote 99% "YES" to strike at a meatpacking plant at the same time the end of TPS and their possible deportation hangs over their heads. Intersection of union power and the anti-immigrant crusade is laid bare right here.
star trek: our ships outrace the very light as we move through the sky; we can summon food from the air; our words can cross a galaxy in an instant, and we speak and hear every language at once
also star trek: it’s centuries in the future so of course daily fashion means Oops All Unitards
also star trek: it’s centuries in the future so of course daily fashion means Oops All Unitards
star trek: for all of our technology, for all of our inquisitiveness, for all of our simple, unadorned *dreaming* of what might be, the universe is so very vast, unknowable, and wondrous
also star trek: god is a big fucking drama queen who knows exactly four french words and he just loves big hats
also star trek: god is a big fucking drama queen who knows exactly four french words and he just loves big hats
star trek: imagine a society built on exploration and curiosity, where labor is optional, where artists and thinkers are revered, where collective competency is celebrated
also star trek: our space geniuses found a haunted mask and you’d better BELIEVE they’re gonna put it on their faces
also star trek: our space geniuses found a haunted mask and you’d better BELIEVE they’re gonna put it on their faces
February 7, 2026 at 9:57 PM
star trek: our ships outrace the very light as we move through the sky; we can summon food from the air; our words can cross a galaxy in an instant, and we speak and hear every language at once
also star trek: it’s centuries in the future so of course daily fashion means Oops All Unitards
also star trek: it’s centuries in the future so of course daily fashion means Oops All Unitards
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
Anthony kiedis looking well
February 7, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Anthony kiedis looking well
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
production of The Muppet Show should not be dependent on petty vulgarities like “ratings” or “revenue.” it should be preserved as a vital function of american culture. it should have a taxpayer-funded budget rivaling the CIA
February 7, 2026 at 12:40 AM
production of The Muppet Show should not be dependent on petty vulgarities like “ratings” or “revenue.” it should be preserved as a vital function of american culture. it should have a taxpayer-funded budget rivaling the CIA
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
Our newest timeline tracks actions that hamper our ability to control the spread of infectious diseases, making the US and the rest of the world more susceptible to disease outbreaks, including global pandemics:
unbreaking.org/issues/infec...
unbreaking.org/issues/infec...
Infectious Disease Control & Prevention — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
February 6, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Our newest timeline tracks actions that hamper our ability to control the spread of infectious diseases, making the US and the rest of the world more susceptible to disease outbreaks, including global pandemics:
unbreaking.org/issues/infec...
unbreaking.org/issues/infec...
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
ME: I need a molded plywood splint to reduce injuries suffered by wounded servicemembers in transit
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: here you go
ME: I also need an educational film illustrating the powers of ten and the nicest chair anyone has ever seen
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: you're not going to believe this
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: here you go
ME: I also need an educational film illustrating the powers of ten and the nicest chair anyone has ever seen
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: you're not going to believe this
February 6, 2026 at 8:51 PM
ME: I need a molded plywood splint to reduce injuries suffered by wounded servicemembers in transit
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: here you go
ME: I also need an educational film illustrating the powers of ten and the nicest chair anyone has ever seen
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: you're not going to believe this
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: here you go
ME: I also need an educational film illustrating the powers of ten and the nicest chair anyone has ever seen
CHARLES & RAY EAMES: you're not going to believe this
”More Than 880 employees and contractors working for Google signed a petition this week calling on the company to disclose and cancel any contracts it may have with US immigration authorities.” — www.wired.com/story/hundre...
More Than 800 Google Workers Urge Company to Cancel Any Contracts With ICE and CBP
The campaign is among the largest anti-ICE protests by workers at a single company since federal agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis last month.
www.wired.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:39 PM
”More Than 880 employees and contractors working for Google signed a petition this week calling on the company to disclose and cancel any contracts it may have with US immigration authorities.” — www.wired.com/story/hundre...
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
Fiction is the best way to navigate our hellscape and no novel is as insightful on this as McNeil’s Wrong Way. us.macmillan.com/books/978037...
February 6, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Fiction is the best way to navigate our hellscape and no novel is as insightful on this as McNeil’s Wrong Way. us.macmillan.com/books/978037...
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
I just donated to the ProPublica Guild’s strike fund because their work is essential and I want them to win the rights they deserve.
(If you want to help them prepare, the union’s asking for donations to their strike fund: www.gofundme.com/f/support-pr...)
Donate to Support ProPublica Workers in Our Fight for a Fair Contract, organized by Eli Oberman
We are the unionized workers at ProPublica, and we’re ready to… Eli Oberman needs your support for Support ProPublica Workers in Our Fight for a Fair Contract
www.gofundme.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:04 PM
I just donated to the ProPublica Guild’s strike fund because their work is essential and I want them to win the rights they deserve.
i spent two years writing a book that wrapped with “ai” as an anti-worker project cooked up by the billionaire class and he just tweeted it out dot meme
February 4, 2026 at 8:32 PM
i spent two years writing a book that wrapped with “ai” as an anti-worker project cooked up by the billionaire class and he just tweeted it out dot meme
The members of @propublicaguild.org are preparing to strike to win their first contract: www.propublicaguild.org/updates/the-...
The ProPublica Guild is Ready to Strike for a Fair Contract — ProPublica Guild
The ProPublica Guild is prepared to strike. We have shown up and compromised at the bargaining table for more than two years, but our newsroom’s management has slow-walked negotiations , offering w...
www.propublicaguild.org
February 4, 2026 at 5:41 PM
The members of @propublicaguild.org are preparing to strike to win their first contract: www.propublicaguild.org/updates/the-...
just sat down at my desk, tapped my mouse a few times to wake my computer, and wondered why my screen was still dark
it was then i looked down to discover my laptop was, in fact, still in a different room entirely
gonna be a great day
it was then i looked down to discover my laptop was, in fact, still in a different room entirely
gonna be a great day
February 4, 2026 at 2:33 PM
just sat down at my desk, tapped my mouse a few times to wake my computer, and wondered why my screen was still dark
it was then i looked down to discover my laptop was, in fact, still in a different room entirely
gonna be a great day
it was then i looked down to discover my laptop was, in fact, still in a different room entirely
gonna be a great day
okay folks that’s it, i’m taking the internet back to HAVE HAY / NEED HAY
everything else is gettin’ shut off
everything else is gettin’ shut off
February 4, 2026 at 1:13 PM
okay folks that’s it, i’m taking the internet back to HAVE HAY / NEED HAY
everything else is gettin’ shut off
everything else is gettin’ shut off
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
If AI is so successful how come data centers can't just pay an entire rural county's utility bills
February 3, 2026 at 11:03 PM
If AI is so successful how come data centers can't just pay an entire rural county's utility bills
I look forward to every single blog post the @unbreaking.org team writes.
And folks, I thought this latest one was something else.
And folks, I thought this latest one was something else.
@sydmt.blacksky.app became a journalist to be part of the solution. Journalism had other plans.
She's given us an essay on what it means to choose empathy and ethics as both are under attack, and to tell the truth outside the media institutions that are failing us.
unbreaking.org/blog/Unbreak...
She's given us an essay on what it means to choose empathy and ethics as both are under attack, and to tell the truth outside the media institutions that are failing us.
unbreaking.org/blog/Unbreak...
Unbreaking: Journalism and the Ethics of Community Care — Unbreaking
It could be argued that once you learn the essential tools of journalism—critical thinking, skepticism, research, documentation, meticulousness, stubbornness—they become second nature to you, a skin t...
unbreaking.org
February 3, 2026 at 10:11 PM
I look forward to every single blog post the @unbreaking.org team writes.
And folks, I thought this latest one was something else.
And folks, I thought this latest one was something else.
confidential to the ceo of unicode:
that lolsob emoji would come in REAL handy for half the texts i’m sending these days.
so, y’know.
ready whenever you are, pal.
that lolsob emoji would come in REAL handy for half the texts i’m sending these days.
so, y’know.
ready whenever you are, pal.
February 3, 2026 at 5:42 PM
confidential to the ceo of unicode:
that lolsob emoji would come in REAL handy for half the texts i’m sending these days.
so, y’know.
ready whenever you are, pal.
that lolsob emoji would come in REAL handy for half the texts i’m sending these days.
so, y’know.
ready whenever you are, pal.
“You and I are two journalists talking, essentially,” said the spider to the fly
February 2, 2026 at 2:26 PM
“You and I are two journalists talking, essentially,” said the spider to the fly
i’ll work on another essay as soon as i finish changing literally everything about my website, he said extremely rationally
February 2, 2026 at 2:25 PM
i’ll work on another essay as soon as i finish changing literally everything about my website, he said extremely rationally
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
December 13, 2025 at 2:16 PM
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
i think it’s beautiful that our society provides spaces for people to go out in public for the very first time in their lives. like in this grocery store
January 31, 2026 at 8:39 PM
i think it’s beautiful that our society provides spaces for people to go out in public for the very first time in their lives. like in this grocery store
Reposted by Ethan Marcotte
Catherine O'Hara deserves her own funny, personal, moving eulogy from someone who knew and loved her as much as she know and loved John Candy. Someone who knew her real laugh.
youtu.be/O8CoPFXED_Y?...
youtu.be/O8CoPFXED_Y?...
Catherine O'Hara's John Candy Eulogy
YouTube video by Sra Lyn
youtu.be
January 30, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Catherine O'Hara deserves her own funny, personal, moving eulogy from someone who knew and loved her as much as she know and loved John Candy. Someone who knew her real laugh.
youtu.be/O8CoPFXED_Y?...
youtu.be/O8CoPFXED_Y?...