Fred Vogelstein
@fvogelstein.bsky.social
Biztech/biotech journo. Coedit CrazyStupidTech.com w/ @Om.co. ex @Wired, @NYTMag, @FortuneMagazine, @USNews, @WSJ. Author: "Dogfight:How Apple and Google went to war .....", Board: @thewritersgrotto.bsky.social, @columjournreview.bsky.social Epidiolex fan.
Everyone has an opinion about the govt shutdown, Obamacare subsidy cuts and Medicaid cuts on healthcare, esp ER care. Except, few pundits have ever worked in an ER. This writer has been an ER doc for three decades. Maybe we should listen to him stead of politicians. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Contributor: Cuts to Medicaid and to insurance subsidies will push ERs past the brink
The financial logic is delusional: Eliminating coverage for 33 million residents doesn't cure their ills. They can either be managed inexpensively in doctors’ offices and clinics — or at orders of mag...
www.latimes.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Everyone has an opinion about the govt shutdown, Obamacare subsidy cuts and Medicaid cuts on healthcare, esp ER care. Except, few pundits have ever worked in an ER. This writer has been an ER doc for three decades. Maybe we should listen to him stead of politicians. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
Are you in the mood for a 6000-word interview about AI, Robotics, and get a lowdown on the hype and reality of the two of the hottest tech trends? Well, we have you covered in this chat with @rodneyabrooks.bsky.social (Also, please sign up for our newsletter) crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/29/i...
iRobot Founder: Don’t Believe The (AI & Robotics) Hype!
Rodney Brooks, co-founder of three robotic companies and an AI guru has a pragmatic and honest opinions about the state of AI and Robotics. An interview!
crazystupidtech.com
September 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Are you in the mood for a 6000-word interview about AI, Robotics, and get a lowdown on the hype and reality of the two of the hottest tech trends? Well, we have you covered in this chat with @rodneyabrooks.bsky.social (Also, please sign up for our newsletter) crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/29/i...
Means that $100 to someone worth $1 million is $50 million to Elon. Let that sink in.
www.forbes.com/sites/mattdu...
www.forbes.com/sites/mattdu...
Elon Musk Just Became The First Person Ever Worth $500 Billion
Musk is now half-way to becoming the first ever trillionaire.
www.forbes.com
October 2, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Means that $100 to someone worth $1 million is $50 million to Elon. Let that sink in.
www.forbes.com/sites/mattdu...
www.forbes.com/sites/mattdu...
Whether you know a lot or nothing about Silicon Valley, this is a must read piece by my friend and former Wired bud Steven levy @stevenjayl. He has seen the evolution of tech from its beginnings. He knows everyone. Few have as powerful a lens. It’s just seminal. www.wired.com/story/silico...
I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley. I Was Wrong
Tech got what it wanted by electing Trump. A year later, it looks more like a suicide pact.
www.wired.com
September 24, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Whether you know a lot or nothing about Silicon Valley, this is a must read piece by my friend and former Wired bud Steven levy @stevenjayl. He has seen the evolution of tech from its beginnings. He knows everyone. Few have as powerful a lens. It’s just seminal. www.wired.com/story/silico...
Can someone explain why a traditional network tv broadcast license - and therefore the opinion of the FCC - is remotely meaningful in a world where virtually zero content is consumed that way and where virtually zero eyeballs consume it that way? Is there truly no workaround to this 80 yr old tech?
September 18, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Can someone explain why a traditional network tv broadcast license - and therefore the opinion of the FCC - is remotely meaningful in a world where virtually zero content is consumed that way and where virtually zero eyeballs consume it that way? Is there truly no workaround to this 80 yr old tech?
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
There was no “ideology,” leftist or otherwise. What if he was just a kid in love, who saw a man spreading hatred that endangered the person he loved. And he broke.
September 17, 2025 at 3:24 AM
There was no “ideology,” leftist or otherwise. What if he was just a kid in love, who saw a man spreading hatred that endangered the person he loved. And he broke.
If I’m NYT I actually countersue for harassment.Trump knows this is a ridiculous lawsuit.But he also knows that after the coverage sane washes it, he has an extra tool to hammer the NYT credibility, esp if courts don’t dismiss immediately.They must. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Why has Trump filed a $15bn lawsuit against the New York Times?
President has accused paper of trying to damage his ‘business, personal and political reputation’
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
If I’m NYT I actually countersue for harassment.Trump knows this is a ridiculous lawsuit.But he also knows that after the coverage sane washes it, he has an extra tool to hammer the NYT credibility, esp if courts don’t dismiss immediately.They must. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
September's Reading & Meeting features Yeva Johnson, Brandy Collins, Audrey Ferber and Nate Olivarez-Giles reading from their works in progress. Emcee Christl Rikka-Perkins will lead a Q&A about their work and writing process.
September 15, 2025 at 3:39 PM
September's Reading & Meeting features Yeva Johnson, Brandy Collins, Audrey Ferber and Nate Olivarez-Giles reading from their works in progress. Emcee Christl Rikka-Perkins will lead a Q&A about their work and writing process.
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
Techmeme turns 20 today. This is a @techmeme.com appreciation post.
In a time of personalized feeds, fragmented audiences and endless noise, an old-school, hand-curated (with input from algorithms) landing page that collates the day's most noteworthy tech news is a godsend. www.techmeme.com
In a time of personalized feeds, fragmented audiences and endless noise, an old-school, hand-curated (with input from algorithms) landing page that collates the day's most noteworthy tech news is a godsend. www.techmeme.com
Techmeme
Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web.
www.techmeme.com
September 12, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Techmeme turns 20 today. This is a @techmeme.com appreciation post.
In a time of personalized feeds, fragmented audiences and endless noise, an old-school, hand-curated (with input from algorithms) landing page that collates the day's most noteworthy tech news is a godsend. www.techmeme.com
In a time of personalized feeds, fragmented audiences and endless noise, an old-school, hand-curated (with input from algorithms) landing page that collates the day's most noteworthy tech news is a godsend. www.techmeme.com
I get that Trump’s cuts killed the new decal program. Disagree w it. But why does that mean existing ev owners get hammered re car pool lanes? Doesn’t cost state a dime to let them continue and there are half a million of them. www.latimes.com/california/s...
California electric-vehicle drivers will lose carpool lane privileges
A program allowing motorists with a Clean Air Vehicle decal to drive solo in carpool lanes is ending after it was not extended by the federal government, according to the California Department of Moto...
www.latimes.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
I get that Trump’s cuts killed the new decal program. Disagree w it. But why does that mean existing ev owners get hammered re car pool lanes? Doesn’t cost state a dime to let them continue and there are half a million of them. www.latimes.com/california/s...
I am @fvogelstein and I approve this message. Heh
Congratulations to @techmeme.com founder @gaberivera.bsky.social for celebrating two decades as “conversation” king of tech. My partner in writing adventures, @fvogelstein.bsky.social has a great story about tech.memorandum on @crazystupidtech.com crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/08/a...
September 10, 2025 at 3:16 PM
I am @fvogelstein and I approve this message. Heh
I wasn’t the first Techmeme reader, but pretty close. I saw it for the first time sometime in late 2005 or early 2006. Been hooked ever since. Perhaps the lesson here is that “Change is good. But more often than not, less is more. “
A profile of Techmeme, which turns 20 this week yet oddly works and looks as it did in 2005, as its executive-heavy readership expands amid the AI boom (Fred Vogelstein/Crazy Stupid Tech)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
September 9, 2025 at 4:28 PM
I wasn’t the first Techmeme reader, but pretty close. I saw it for the first time sometime in late 2005 or early 2006. Been hooked ever since. Perhaps the lesson here is that “Change is good. But more often than not, less is more. “
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
A profile of Techmeme, which turns 20 this week yet oddly works and looks as it did in 2005, as its executive-heavy readership expands amid the AI boom (Fred Vogelstein/Crazy Stupid Tech)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
September 9, 2025 at 9:10 AM
A profile of Techmeme, which turns 20 this week yet oddly works and looks as it did in 2005, as its executive-heavy readership expands amid the AI boom (Fred Vogelstein/Crazy Stupid Tech)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
Unbelievable that the @gaberivera.bsky.social has been doing @techmeme.com for 20 years. When I started Metacurity, I told Gabe I was going to model it on Techmeme, and he said Go for it.
Great shout-out to Gabe from @fvogelstein.bsky.social
crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/08/a...
Great shout-out to Gabe from @fvogelstein.bsky.social
crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/08/a...
Gabe Rivera's 20-year-old headline site, Techmeme, has never been hotter.
Journalism is getting battered now. But thanks to the AI boom, Gabe Rivera's 20-year-old headline site Techmeme has never been hotter. Media companies should take notes.
crazystupidtech.com
September 9, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Unbelievable that the @gaberivera.bsky.social has been doing @techmeme.com for 20 years. When I started Metacurity, I told Gabe I was going to model it on Techmeme, and he said Go for it.
Great shout-out to Gabe from @fvogelstein.bsky.social
crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/08/a...
Great shout-out to Gabe from @fvogelstein.bsky.social
crazystupidtech.com/2025/09/08/a...
Should be called the “Whites only in America” case. I’m the kid of immigrants. This makes me sick to my stomach. If this stands after full argument, it’ll be up there w Korematsu and Dred Scott in the worst of all time for SCOTUS. Astonishing.
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...
Trump Administration Live Updates: Supreme Court Lifts Restrictions on Immigration Stops in L.A.
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Should be called the “Whites only in America” case. I’m the kid of immigrants. This makes me sick to my stomach. If this stands after full argument, it’ll be up there w Korematsu and Dred Scott in the worst of all time for SCOTUS. Astonishing.
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...
If i’m OpeAI, i’m about to team up with Microsoft to offer publishers $$ to crawl their sites in exchange for blocking Google’s crawlers. These are two cos who have wanted to kick Google for years, and now, for a little $$, would get to hammer them. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
‘Existential crisis’: how Google’s shift to AI has upended the online news model
Media sites are taking action on several fronts as traffic referrals dry up and AI companies plunder their content
www.theguardian.com
September 6, 2025 at 3:43 PM
If i’m OpeAI, i’m about to team up with Microsoft to offer publishers $$ to crawl their sites in exchange for blocking Google’s crawlers. These are two cos who have wanted to kick Google for years, and now, for a little $$, would get to hammer them. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/s...
If you were a kid in high school right now paying attention the national affairs, starting to think about making your own way in the world as an adult, how could you avoid concluding that the only people who tell the truth are suckers. That’s just really scary. I really hope I’m wrong about that.
September 2, 2025 at 6:20 PM
If you were a kid in high school right now paying attention the national affairs, starting to think about making your own way in the world as an adult, how could you avoid concluding that the only people who tell the truth are suckers. That’s just really scary. I really hope I’m wrong about that.
Spent 90mins w @eastdakota.com. He’s trying to force Google,then rest of AI oligarchs to pay publishers to crawl content.Would revolutionize the web.I bet he succeeds.Cloudflare has mucho leverage.Atrust cops have Google on the ropes.Latest from Crazy Stupid Tech. crazystupidtech.com/2025/08/30/c...
Cloudflare's Matthew Prince has a plan to get Google and the AI oliigarchs to pay for your content even though many are used to getting it for free. He might have enough leverage to make them.
AI chatbots are blowing up the 30-year economic relationship publishers have had with search engines. Many think this will kill the web if not addressed. Google needs to change first. It's resisting. ...
crazystupidtech.com
August 31, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Spent 90mins w @eastdakota.com. He’s trying to force Google,then rest of AI oligarchs to pay publishers to crawl content.Would revolutionize the web.I bet he succeeds.Cloudflare has mucho leverage.Atrust cops have Google on the ropes.Latest from Crazy Stupid Tech. crazystupidtech.com/2025/08/30/c...
Realized something depressing this am.I haven’t read a single story about the shootings in Minneapolis.My brain no longer registers mass shootings as news, but as something we Americans have decided is just part of everyday life. Every other approach I’ve taken to this issue has failed. Thoughts?
August 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Realized something depressing this am.I haven’t read a single story about the shootings in Minneapolis.My brain no longer registers mass shootings as news, but as something we Americans have decided is just part of everyday life. Every other approach I’ve taken to this issue has failed. Thoughts?
Mike Semel wanted to be a journalist so he could cover sports - the Knicks, I think. He finally gets his wish. Few deserve it more. www.nytco.com/press/mike-s...
The Athletic’s New Editorial Director for Standards and Editorial Quality | The New York Times Company
www.nytco.com
August 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Mike Semel wanted to be a journalist so he could cover sports - the Knicks, I think. He finally gets his wish. Few deserve it more. www.nytco.com/press/mike-s...
Crazy. Even if Harvard settles, what’s to stop Trump from later reneging or cutting research to all universities as new policy. Then Harvard has taken it up the ass for nothing. Only way this works is if money promised is in escrow somehow. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/u...
Harvard and White House Move Toward Potential Landmark Settlement
www.nytimes.com
August 12, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Crazy. Even if Harvard settles, what’s to stop Trump from later reneging or cutting research to all universities as new policy. Then Harvard has taken it up the ass for nothing. Only way this works is if money promised is in escrow somehow. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/11/u...
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
I am not a New Yorker.
But have seen a lot of political aspirants over the decades.
Mamdani has "it."
But have seen a lot of political aspirants over the decades.
Mamdani has "it."
Mamdani: We are reminded no matter how strong our gun laws are in this state, we are only as safe as the weakest laws in this nation.
July 30, 2025 at 11:42 PM
I am not a New Yorker.
But have seen a lot of political aspirants over the decades.
Mamdani has "it."
But have seen a lot of political aspirants over the decades.
Mamdani has "it."
Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
A five alarm fire is sweeping through digital publishing.Search engine referral traffic is imploding cuz of AI chatbots.Goog created this world 27 yrs ago. Now it and pubs are scrambling. A solution: Online tollbooths. Tollbit was first. It won’t be the last.
crazystupidtech.com/2025/06/22/w...
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crazystupidtech.com/2025/06/22/w...
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Why the AI revolution needs tollbooths
Eighteen months ago as the AI chatbot revolution was taking hold, Olivia Joslin and Toshit Panigrahi both realized something profound was happening to the way the internet worked. AI web craw…
crazystupidtech.com
June 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
A five alarm fire is sweeping through digital publishing.Search engine referral traffic is imploding cuz of AI chatbots.Goog created this world 27 yrs ago. Now it and pubs are scrambling. A solution: Online tollbooths. Tollbit was first. It won’t be the last.
crazystupidtech.com/2025/06/22/w...
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crazystupidtech.com/2025/06/22/w...
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Reposted by Fred Vogelstein
Much as I would not dare to predict the consequences of this war, I do think we can summarize it thusly so far:
A smart and evil man manipulated a stupid and evil man into a war against a fanatical and evil regime.
A smart and evil man manipulated a stupid and evil man into a war against a fanatical and evil regime.
June 22, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Much as I would not dare to predict the consequences of this war, I do think we can summarize it thusly so far:
A smart and evil man manipulated a stupid and evil man into a war against a fanatical and evil regime.
A smart and evil man manipulated a stupid and evil man into a war against a fanatical and evil regime.