Jacob Kramer-Duffield
@jaykaydee.bsky.social
Consulting on audience strategy, audiostrategy.org
Writing a book for @beltpublishing.bsky.social
Teaching digital sociability and ethics, NYU-Tandon
ACT-UAW Local 7902
Ph.D., UNC-SILS
Fmr audience data WNYC, NYMag, Megaphone
jkd.10 on Signal
Enjoys birds
Writing a book for @beltpublishing.bsky.social
Teaching digital sociability and ethics, NYU-Tandon
ACT-UAW Local 7902
Ph.D., UNC-SILS
Fmr audience data WNYC, NYMag, Megaphone
jkd.10 on Signal
Enjoys birds
Pinned
Since I am apparently on a starter pack or something: hello! I'm JKD. I have been bopping around the Internet for a long time, used to work in politics, got my Ph.D. studying digital identity, worked in-house in media on analytics and audience, and now consult on that and teach about Online. (1/n)
Also worth noting that Bezos shuttered the Gazette family of newspapers that he bought along with the WaPo, and covered MoCo, PG, Carroll, and Frederick counties, shortly after buying the lot. Dozens more journos who covered very populous burbs.
For those of you keeping score at home, the actual cut to the Post newsroom was 45%, not the widely reported one third. Remaining journalists are a bit over 400, down from around 1100 four years ago and 580 when Bezos bought the place.
February 13, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Also worth noting that Bezos shuttered the Gazette family of newspapers that he bought along with the WaPo, and covered MoCo, PG, Carroll, and Frederick counties, shortly after buying the lot. Dozens more journos who covered very populous burbs.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
For those of you keeping score at home, the actual cut to the Post newsroom was 45%, not the widely reported one third. Remaining journalists are a bit over 400, down from around 1100 four years ago and 580 when Bezos bought the place.
February 12, 2026 at 6:49 PM
For those of you keeping score at home, the actual cut to the Post newsroom was 45%, not the widely reported one third. Remaining journalists are a bit over 400, down from around 1100 four years ago and 580 when Bezos bought the place.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
They’re friends. Imaginary friends. They are paying for the illusion of a friend posse.
interesting that these people — and fellow travelers like bari weiss — insist on large, expensive security details. they are status markers, i suppose.
“.. using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought ..”
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
February 13, 2026 at 6:21 PM
They’re friends. Imaginary friends. They are paying for the illusion of a friend posse.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
People sneer so much at this basic-ass shit sometimes and like, I get it, maybe to you it’s very basic, rudimentary, not illuminating. But I promise you there are people out there who need to hear it.
it has been since probably the early 2010s since i regularly heard people saying 101 level phrases like "the patriarchy hurts men too" and we should bring it back bc american culture has regressed so much since then that it's pretty pathetic tbh
February 13, 2026 at 4:06 PM
People sneer so much at this basic-ass shit sometimes and like, I get it, maybe to you it’s very basic, rudimentary, not illuminating. But I promise you there are people out there who need to hear it.
Cable and Internet really messed up our frameworks for doing so but yes we did indeed used to have effective ways of making sure any single media company got too large and/or antisocial. We can do it again!
And ps for my first amendment friends: regulating media ownership does not have to threaten the first amendment. There are ways to do this that actually EXPAND and PROTECT rights of expression for all of us.
February 13, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Cable and Internet really messed up our frameworks for doing so but yes we did indeed used to have effective ways of making sure any single media company got too large and/or antisocial. We can do it again!
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
One thing abt reading a paper paper is that you can see — and be 🤬 by — how much industry attention + attentional real estate are consumed by, and how capital is concentrated in, the stupidest, most nefarious things.
Meanwhile, I’d ❤️ a mere $20K to sustain a collaborative library protect
Meanwhile, I’d ❤️ a mere $20K to sustain a collaborative library protect
February 13, 2026 at 3:21 PM
One thing abt reading a paper paper is that you can see — and be 🤬 by — how much industry attention + attentional real estate are consumed by, and how capital is concentrated in, the stupidest, most nefarious things.
Meanwhile, I’d ❤️ a mere $20K to sustain a collaborative library protect
Meanwhile, I’d ❤️ a mere $20K to sustain a collaborative library protect
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
do you think they were twirling their moustache while writing that memo?
Facebook plans to put facial recognition in its glasses and they think we’re too stupid to fight back.
Their internal memo: “We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.”
Their internal memo: “We will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil society groups that we would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns.”
Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:27 PM
do you think they were twirling their moustache while writing that memo?
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
this is a dumb thing to try to talk about in skeet-length chunks but roughly this is why I think arguments about LLMs as such ever having _GENERAL_ intelligence are silly; a huuuuge part of human intelligence is modulation of capacities by the (hugely sophisticated) intrinsic motivation system
it's also worth noting that the reason this (you know, probably) happens is that they have no intrinsic motivation so when you set two of them at each other without explicit topic-setting they quickly run out of anything contentful to babble about
February 13, 2026 at 1:46 PM
this is a dumb thing to try to talk about in skeet-length chunks but roughly this is why I think arguments about LLMs as such ever having _GENERAL_ intelligence are silly; a huuuuge part of human intelligence is modulation of capacities by the (hugely sophisticated) intrinsic motivation system
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
They think good is weak & evil is based, because they are wicked. ICE is doing wicked things & hiring wicked men to do them. It is difficult to look such a thing in the eye, but that is all there there is to them
This is just unconscionable man
February 13, 2026 at 1:49 AM
They think good is weak & evil is based, because they are wicked. ICE is doing wicked things & hiring wicked men to do them. It is difficult to look such a thing in the eye, but that is all there there is to them
Again, this is not something that would be happening if Trump had a magic "steal election" button (he does not have such a button)
The sudden Alito retirement rumors feel like a signal that the GOP is worried about losing the Senate in the midterms.
One way to read this is that this summer/fall is the last *guaranteed* window where Trump/GOP senate could confirm a far-right Justice. (eg what RBG could’ve done in 2012.)
One way to read this is that this summer/fall is the last *guaranteed* window where Trump/GOP senate could confirm a far-right Justice. (eg what RBG could’ve done in 2012.)
I'm not into prediction markets... but this has all of the makings of a SCOTUS retirement. His book goes on sale on October 6, 2026--the day after OT2026 starts . . . and now a new hagiographic biography? Hmmmmmm.
February 12, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Again, this is not something that would be happening if Trump had a magic "steal election" button (he does not have such a button)
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
Today in “oh I’m also an author“ I’m working on a media list for this book, coming out in July. Suggestions for folks who might be interested in an advance copy welcome!
American Made: Stories of Work from the WPA
July 14, 2026edited by Anne Trubek with an introduction by Kim Kelly During the Great Depression, out-of-work writers were hired by the federal government to interview American working-class workers ...
beltpublishing.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Today in “oh I’m also an author“ I’m working on a media list for this book, coming out in July. Suggestions for folks who might be interested in an advance copy welcome!
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
Ring is first and foremost a scheme to charge Amazon customers to deter crime that costs Amazon (not the customers themselves) billions annually in refunds, returns, double shipping, and customer service overhead.
February 12, 2026 at 12:41 AM
Ring is first and foremost a scheme to charge Amazon customers to deter crime that costs Amazon (not the customers themselves) billions annually in refunds, returns, double shipping, and customer service overhead.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
I have been pleasantly surprised to hear people openly talking about the end of institutional life as we know it (it’s been over. We’ve been living and working in zombie institutions for three decades now) and instead of collapsing at the thought they’re like okay let’s rebuild but better. More.
This is the type of thing I keep trying to talk to people about for higher ed. Not conference rooms where I "listen to diverse perspectives" but actually doing work to imagine what strengthening the US higher education system in furtherance of a democracy would look like.
Very excited about this new @knightcolumbia.org project, both because it gives us the chance to look beyond the current democratic crisis and because so many super people have already agreed to participate. knightcolumbia.org/content/new-...
February 11, 2026 at 9:26 PM
I have been pleasantly surprised to hear people openly talking about the end of institutional life as we know it (it’s been over. We’ve been living and working in zombie institutions for three decades now) and instead of collapsing at the thought they’re like okay let’s rebuild but better. More.
Donnie Darko (2001)
Have asked this before and always like the responses. What are your biggest “I saw that in the first run cinema” flexes? Couple of mine:
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Office Space (1999)
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Office Space (1999)
February 12, 2026 at 1:42 AM
Donnie Darko (2001)
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
The NYU Game Center's hiring! A senior, tenure-track professor post for an experienced game designer, artist or industry pro with a notable body of creative work. Experience finishing games and mentoring/teaching more important than any kind of academic credential!
gamecenter.nyu.edu/were-hiring-...
gamecenter.nyu.edu/were-hiring-...
We're Hiring! Join the NYU Game Center Faculty as an Associate Professor! - NYU | Game Center
Description Associate or Full tenure professor position for the NYU Game Center New York University, Tisch School of the Arts Position Overview The NYU Game Center is seeking applicants to join its fa...
gamecenter.nyu.edu
February 11, 2026 at 10:42 PM
The NYU Game Center's hiring! A senior, tenure-track professor post for an experienced game designer, artist or industry pro with a notable body of creative work. Experience finishing games and mentoring/teaching more important than any kind of academic credential!
gamecenter.nyu.edu/were-hiring-...
gamecenter.nyu.edu/were-hiring-...
Among so many other things we really need to restore a certain dignity of conduct and ethos of respectful behavior to public life. This kind of stuff is tacky, yes, but it also wastes everybody's time.
“You’re not even a lawyer,” Pam Bondi yells at Jamie Raskin, who graduated from Harvard Law School, has written several books about the legal system, and has taught constitutional law for more than 25 years.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘You’re a washed-up loser lawyer’: Pam Bondi taunts Democrats over Epstein
US attorney general goes on attack during questioning by House judiciary committee over handling of files
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Among so many other things we really need to restore a certain dignity of conduct and ethos of respectful behavior to public life. This kind of stuff is tacky, yes, but it also wastes everybody's time.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
I know I’m fixating, but “shooting down party balloons and using it as a pretext for war” is literally the “99 Luftballons” story arc. 🎈🤯 (Even “Miami 2017” didn’t map this closely.)
![Wikipedia entry describing the story arc of “99 Luftballons”:
The lyrics of the original German version tell a story:
99 balloons are mistaken for UFOs, causing a military general to send pilots to investigate. Finding nothing but balloons, the pilots put on a large show of firepower. The display of force worries the nations along the borders and the defence ministers on each side encourage conflict to grab power for themselves.
In the end, a cataclysmic war results from the otherwise harmless flight of balloons and causes devastation on all sides without a victor, as indicated in the denouement of the song: "99 Jahre Krieg ließen keinen Platz für Sieger," which means "99 years of war left no room for victors." The anti-war song finishes with the singer walking through the devastated ruins of the world and finding a single balloon. The description of what happens in the final line of the piece is the same in German and English:
'''Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen," or "Think of you and let it go."[11]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4dp4culto5csbqs5m6ge22fw/bafkreie4ga5vudhvz4e25t5oducxifde6sf2zgal7wugci2bv5ee2qfcoe@jpeg)
February 11, 2026 at 9:20 PM
I know I’m fixating, but “shooting down party balloons and using it as a pretext for war” is literally the “99 Luftballons” story arc. 🎈🤯 (Even “Miami 2017” didn’t map this closely.)
The problem with this is - what is "the" hype? AI as marketing push has lumped in lots of things that are somewhere between happening and possible, and things that are absolutely not within the achievable remit of the technologies as they exist or could plausibly do so.
I understand why people are exhausted by AI hype, and why those of us squarely in the corner of "human dignity uber alles" see AI doomerism as self-serving hype, but I *really* think people on the left broadly need to start thinking seriously about the possibiltiy of the hype being...true.
February 11, 2026 at 7:27 PM
The problem with this is - what is "the" hype? AI as marketing push has lumped in lots of things that are somewhere between happening and possible, and things that are absolutely not within the achievable remit of the technologies as they exist or could plausibly do so.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
It’s almost estate sale time!! This book is all who are too intimidated to go but desperately want to spend weekends poking around other people‘s houses and stuff
Bring Cash: A Guide to Estate Sales in the Midwest and Beyond
By Kate Davis March 31, 2026 Pre-orders are now open! If you've ever wanted to get into treasure hunting at estate sales but felt intimidated by the unwritten rules and codes or wondered how people f...
beltpublishing.com
February 11, 2026 at 3:37 PM
It’s almost estate sale time!! This book is all who are too intimidated to go but desperately want to spend weekends poking around other people‘s houses and stuff
Speed limiters for all!
This technology already exists and is widely used. It doesn't involve 'government surveillance' and would not allow ICE or any other government agency to stop individual cars.
Just say you think thousands of kids dying every year is worth it so you can speed!
www.autoweek.com/news/a615322...
Just say you think thousands of kids dying every year is worth it so you can speed!
www.autoweek.com/news/a615322...
Speed Limiters Now Mandatory in All New EU Cars
Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) isn't an ironclad speeding prevention system, but could be just annoying enough to spark a backlash.
www.autoweek.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Speed limiters for all!
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
The primary use case for this product is to erode consent.
Social media is awash with videos of men filming themselves approaching women in public spaces and attempting to flirt. In many cases, the videos are filmed and uploaded without the women’s consent. https://cnn.it/4qtIsvB
February 11, 2026 at 1:08 AM
The primary use case for this product is to erode consent.
Everyone should imagine the better world that they want and make no concessions.
My less than gentle reminder that if you scoff at abolishing modern abusive, racist institutions, you more than likely would have scoffed at abolishing things like slavery and Jim Crow. What’s “realistic” is what you fight and stand for. 😬
February 10, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Everyone should imagine the better world that they want and make no concessions.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
Like 75% of the US Olympic curlers are from Minnesota. A lot of them curl out of two clubs in Saint Paul, one club is in Frogtown, a neighborhood that has been very heavily targeted by ICE. These curlers are good neighbors.
US Olympic Curling Team member speaks out against ICE:
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
February 10, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Like 75% of the US Olympic curlers are from Minnesota. A lot of them curl out of two clubs in Saint Paul, one club is in Frogtown, a neighborhood that has been very heavily targeted by ICE. These curlers are good neighbors.
Reposted by Jacob Kramer-Duffield
Here's what DHS doesn't want you to know: Working for ICE is one of the safest jobs in America — and last year was the second-safest year for the agency on record.
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
ICE's Masks Are All a Lie
Working for ICE is actually less dangerous than being an elementary school student in America.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 10, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Here's what DHS doesn't want you to know: Working for ICE is one of the safest jobs in America — and last year was the second-safest year for the agency on record.
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
And the doxxing? It hasn't actually happened even once.
The masks are justified by a lie. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/ice-s-mask...
"Dozens" is a grim number here. In order to make up the gap caused by the administration's gutting of US science, most rich countries would have to roughly double their investments in research *every year for a decade.* Good on these scientists but it's a Band-Aid on a head wound.
February 10, 2026 at 3:52 PM
"Dozens" is a grim number here. In order to make up the gap caused by the administration's gutting of US science, most rich countries would have to roughly double their investments in research *every year for a decade.* Good on these scientists but it's a Band-Aid on a head wound.