Karsten Lemm
@lemmk.bsky.social
Business & Technology writer. Former Californian, now in Berlin. Details -> www.kalemm.com
I hear xAI is a real 🚀
Breaking News: Elon Musk merged SpaceX with his A.I. start-up, xAI, creating the world’s most valuable private company.
Elon Musk Merges SpaceX With His A.I. Start-Up xAI
The deal would further intermingle Mr. Musk’s companies and create the most valuable private company on earth.
nyti.ms
February 2, 2026 at 10:16 PM
I hear xAI is a real 🚀
So… Trump is running again in 28?
President Trump, through an array of allied groups, has stockpiled nearly $400 million. Meanwhile, Democrats lag well behind its counterpart in fundraising.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the latest campaign finance report:
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the latest campaign finance report:
Trump team has $400 million, and 5 other campaign money takeaways
The Democratic Party on the national level has a mere fraction of what Republicans have heading into the 2026 midterms. Big donors like Elon Musk are back, too.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:56 PM
So… Trump is running again in 28?
“Delhi to halt purchases of Russian crude after reaching deal with Narendra Modi”
So Delhi reached a deal with Narendra Modi, @financialtimes.com? 🤔
#English #grammar
So Delhi reached a deal with Narendra Modi, @financialtimes.com? 🤔
#English #grammar
US to lower tariffs on India, Donald Trump says ft.trib.al/d53QVPC
US to lower tariffs on India, Donald Trump says
Delhi to halt purchases of Russian crude after reaching deal with Narendra Modi
ft.trib.al
February 2, 2026 at 5:33 PM
“Delhi to halt purchases of Russian crude after reaching deal with Narendra Modi”
So Delhi reached a deal with Narendra Modi, @financialtimes.com? 🤔
#English #grammar
So Delhi reached a deal with Narendra Modi, @financialtimes.com? 🤔
#English #grammar
Reposted by Karsten Lemm
Important @washingtonpost.com story by F Siddiqui, N Tiku, E Dwoskin: How Musk *intentionally* made Xitter into porn-generating machine.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
When I make my weekly check there, stunned that legit orgs still use site dominated by porn, Nazis, bots, MAGA, lies.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
When I make my weekly check there, stunned that legit orgs still use site dominated by porn, Nazis, bots, MAGA, lies.
Inside Musk’s bet to hook users that turned Grok into a porn generator
Under pressure to boost its popularity, Elon Musk’s xAI loosened guardrails and relaxed controls on sexual content, setting off internal concern.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Important @washingtonpost.com story by F Siddiqui, N Tiku, E Dwoskin: How Musk *intentionally* made Xitter into porn-generating machine.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
When I make my weekly check there, stunned that legit orgs still use site dominated by porn, Nazis, bots, MAGA, lies.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
When I make my weekly check there, stunned that legit orgs still use site dominated by porn, Nazis, bots, MAGA, lies.
Reposted by Karsten Lemm
Quantum sensing technologies test existing privacy frameworks severely because they bypass the physical boundaries—walls, distance, the opacity of the human body—on which existing doctrine depends, write Zahra Takhshid, Mark Gyure & Vivek Krishnamurthy. The issue deserves more scrutiny, they say:
Quantum Sensing Will Test Legal Frameworks for Privacy
Zahra Takhshid, Mark Gyure, and Vivek Krishnamurthy say quantum technologies pose profound challenges to established conceptions of privacy.
buff.ly
February 2, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Quantum sensing technologies test existing privacy frameworks severely because they bypass the physical boundaries—walls, distance, the opacity of the human body—on which existing doctrine depends, write Zahra Takhshid, Mark Gyure & Vivek Krishnamurthy. The issue deserves more scrutiny, they say:
“A Texas Election Jolt to the GOP
Stephen Miller’s mass deportation strategy is backfiring at the polls.”
Note that the @wsj.com Editorial Board is blaming Miller, not Trump.
#Texas #GOP #elections
www.wsj.com/opinion/a-te...
Stephen Miller’s mass deportation strategy is backfiring at the polls.”
Note that the @wsj.com Editorial Board is blaming Miller, not Trump.
#Texas #GOP #elections
www.wsj.com/opinion/a-te...
Opinion | A Texas Election Jolt to the GOP
Stephen Miller’s mass deportation strategy is backfiring at the polls.
www.wsj.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:51 PM
“A Texas Election Jolt to the GOP
Stephen Miller’s mass deportation strategy is backfiring at the polls.”
Note that the @wsj.com Editorial Board is blaming Miller, not Trump.
#Texas #GOP #elections
www.wsj.com/opinion/a-te...
Stephen Miller’s mass deportation strategy is backfiring at the polls.”
Note that the @wsj.com Editorial Board is blaming Miller, not Trump.
#Texas #GOP #elections
www.wsj.com/opinion/a-te...
New renewable #energy storage technology promises 70-90% cuts in CO2 emissions and energy cost.
Meet “Sand in Motion” by Finnish startup TheStorage:
www.heise.de/en/news/Sand...
www.thestorage.fi/post/hot-san...
#ClimateAction #Cleantech
Meet “Sand in Motion” by Finnish startup TheStorage:
www.heise.de/en/news/Sand...
www.thestorage.fi/post/hot-san...
#ClimateAction #Cleantech
Sand heat storage with circulating sand reduces energy costs and CO₂ emissions
Energy from renewable sources can be stored in a sand heat storage system. A system with circulating sand is said to be particularly effective.
www.heise.de
February 2, 2026 at 1:35 PM
New renewable #energy storage technology promises 70-90% cuts in CO2 emissions and energy cost.
Meet “Sand in Motion” by Finnish startup TheStorage:
www.heise.de/en/news/Sand...
www.thestorage.fi/post/hot-san...
#ClimateAction #Cleantech
Meet “Sand in Motion” by Finnish startup TheStorage:
www.heise.de/en/news/Sand...
www.thestorage.fi/post/hot-san...
#ClimateAction #Cleantech
Oil is the lifeblood of Russia’s economy:
“Last year, Russia’s oil and gas revenue fell by almost a quarter… The Kremlin is resorting to tax increases and deficit spending to bridge the gap.”
Western sanctions are working. Historians will ask: Why not sooner?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/w...
“Last year, Russia’s oil and gas revenue fell by almost a quarter… The Kremlin is resorting to tax increases and deficit spending to bridge the gap.”
Western sanctions are working. Historians will ask: Why not sooner?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/w...
Russia’s Oil Revenue, the Lifeblood of Its War Machine, Is Plummeting
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Oil is the lifeblood of Russia’s economy:
“Last year, Russia’s oil and gas revenue fell by almost a quarter… The Kremlin is resorting to tax increases and deficit spending to bridge the gap.”
Western sanctions are working. Historians will ask: Why not sooner?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/w...
“Last year, Russia’s oil and gas revenue fell by almost a quarter… The Kremlin is resorting to tax increases and deficit spending to bridge the gap.”
Western sanctions are working. Historians will ask: Why not sooner?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/w...
Reposted by Karsten Lemm
Share of Russian oil shipments to undisclosed buyers is rising sharply
• Many tankers are idling in India or Chinese waters in search of buyer among refineries
• Data highlight growing impact of tighter US sanctions on Russian crude exports - and thus Russian oil income
www.ft.com/content/ebf1...
• Many tankers are idling in India or Chinese waters in search of buyer among refineries
• Data highlight growing impact of tighter US sanctions on Russian crude exports - and thus Russian oil income
www.ft.com/content/ebf1...
January 30, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Share of Russian oil shipments to undisclosed buyers is rising sharply
• Many tankers are idling in India or Chinese waters in search of buyer among refineries
• Data highlight growing impact of tighter US sanctions on Russian crude exports - and thus Russian oil income
www.ft.com/content/ebf1...
• Many tankers are idling in India or Chinese waters in search of buyer among refineries
• Data highlight growing impact of tighter US sanctions on Russian crude exports - and thus Russian oil income
www.ft.com/content/ebf1...
“Elon Musk’s rocket-maker SpaceX and artificial-intelligence startup xAI are planning to merge…”
Basically, Musk is using the cash-flow from the one successful business he has left – SpaceX – to finance his newest adventures.
www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...
Basically, Musk is using the cash-flow from the one successful business he has left – SpaceX – to finance his newest adventures.
www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI Are Planning a Megamerger of Rockets and AI
Combining Musk’s artificial-intelligence and space-exploration firms would be the latest tie-up of the entrepreneur’s companies
www.wsj.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:42 PM
“Elon Musk’s rocket-maker SpaceX and artificial-intelligence startup xAI are planning to merge…”
Basically, Musk is using the cash-flow from the one successful business he has left – SpaceX – to finance his newest adventures.
www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...
Basically, Musk is using the cash-flow from the one successful business he has left – SpaceX – to finance his newest adventures.
www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...
“The $100 Billion Megadeal Between OpenAI and Nvidia Is on Ice”
Please move on, nothing to see here…
#AI #investing
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
Please move on, nothing to see here…
#AI #investing
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
Exclusive | The $100 Billion Megadeal Between OpenAI and Nvidia Is on Ice
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has privately played down the likelihood the original deal will be finalized, although the two companies will continue to have a close collaboration.
www.wsj.com
January 31, 2026 at 12:39 PM
“The $100 Billion Megadeal Between OpenAI and Nvidia Is on Ice”
Please move on, nothing to see here…
#AI #investing
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
Please move on, nothing to see here…
#AI #investing
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-...
Reposted by Karsten Lemm
France pushes state workers away from Zoom as Europe eyes tech decoupling ft.trib.al/c5gNAhl
France pushes state workers away from Zoom as Europe eyes tech decoupling
Initiative for homegrown tools reflects rising anxiety over relying on US platforms amid shifting geopolitics
ft.trib.al
January 31, 2026 at 10:56 AM
France pushes state workers away from Zoom as Europe eyes tech decoupling ft.trib.al/c5gNAhl
Reposted by Karsten Lemm
I am baffled why Thiel gets invited to prestigious places. But I'm equally bewildered why he gets away with lamenting 50 years of stagnation when he, himself, has been involved with funding 'innovation' for nearly 30 years now. Is he perhaps to blame for stagnation? www.politico.eu/article/trum...
Trump ally and tech billionaire Peter Thiel brings Antichrist warning to Paris
“I heard more about the Antichrist during those 45 minutes than during the rest of my life,” one attendee tells POLITICO.
www.politico.eu
January 31, 2026 at 11:00 AM
I am baffled why Thiel gets invited to prestigious places. But I'm equally bewildered why he gets away with lamenting 50 years of stagnation when he, himself, has been involved with funding 'innovation' for nearly 30 years now. Is he perhaps to blame for stagnation? www.politico.eu/article/trum...
Did they hire project managers from #Berlin for the #WinterOlympics? 🤔
Exclusive: Cortina cable car will not be ready in time for Winter Games start, letter shows reut.rs/3Z6hQ8C
Exclusive: Cortina cable car will not be ready in time for Winter Games start, letter shows
A cable car intended to carry spectators to the women's Olympic Alpine skiing events in Cortina will not be ready in time, prompting Games organisers to request school closures to ease the pressure on the Dolomite resort's transport system, a letter seen by Reuters showed.
reut.rs
January 31, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Did they hire project managers from #Berlin for the #WinterOlympics? 🤔
It’ll end up on Plutonia, a new planet Claude hallucinated.
Great job, NASA. No more vibe navigating, OK?
Great job, NASA. No more vibe navigating, OK?
Anthropic details how NASA engineers used Claude to plot out the route for Perseverance rover to navigate a ~400 meter path on the Martian surface (Anthropic)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
January 30, 2026 at 7:48 PM
It’ll end up on Plutonia, a new planet Claude hallucinated.
Great job, NASA. No more vibe navigating, OK?
Great job, NASA. No more vibe navigating, OK?
Meta’s great hope is that #AI will make you even more transparent to its targeting algorithms.
“…we think that the current systems are primitive compared to what will be possible soon”, Zuckerberg told investors.
Time to leave #Facebook, #Instagram, #Whatsapp.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
“…we think that the current systems are primitive compared to what will be possible soon”, Zuckerberg told investors.
Time to leave #Facebook, #Instagram, #Whatsapp.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
Meta Has Been Spending Like Crazy on AI. It’s Actually Paying Off.
Its planned capital spending of up to $135 billion represents a significant acceleration, but the company’s ad business is keeping pace.
www.wsj.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Meta’s great hope is that #AI will make you even more transparent to its targeting algorithms.
“…we think that the current systems are primitive compared to what will be possible soon”, Zuckerberg told investors.
Time to leave #Facebook, #Instagram, #Whatsapp.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
“…we think that the current systems are primitive compared to what will be possible soon”, Zuckerberg told investors.
Time to leave #Facebook, #Instagram, #Whatsapp.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
New from 404 Media: here is the user guide for ELITE, the tool Palantir made for ICE. A map shows people on a map; ICE clicks them, brings up their dossier. ICE uses to find which neighborhoods to target. We obtained it, you can now read the document for yourself: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.
www.404media.co
January 30, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Karsten Lemm
New from 404 Media: here is the user guide for ELITE, the tool Palantir made for ICE. A map shows people on a map; ICE clicks them, brings up their dossier. ICE uses to find which neighborhoods to target. We obtained it, you can now read the document for yourself: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.
www.404media.co
January 30, 2026 at 2:51 PM
New from 404 Media: here is the user guide for ELITE, the tool Palantir made for ICE. A map shows people on a map; ICE clicks them, brings up their dossier. ICE uses to find which neighborhoods to target. We obtained it, you can now read the document for yourself: www.404media.co/here-is-the-...
ICE is buying warehouses to turn them into detention centers.
Speaks volumes that Trump & Miller treat people like discarded boxes. 📦
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Speaks volumes that Trump & Miller treat people like discarded boxes. 📦
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
ICE buys warehouses for mass detention network, rattling locals
ICE officials have quietly begun notifying warehouse owners and local officials of their interest in specific properties, prompting efforts to block the projects.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:43 PM
ICE is buying warehouses to turn them into detention centers.
Speaks volumes that Trump & Miller treat people like discarded boxes. 📦
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Speaks volumes that Trump & Miller treat people like discarded boxes. 📦
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
“Hey Copilot, how much should we spend on #AI next quarter?”
Maybe that wasn’t the best prompt…?
#Microsoft #WallStreet #stockprice
www.ft.com/content/c7e2...
Maybe that wasn’t the best prompt…?
#Microsoft #WallStreet #stockprice
www.ft.com/content/c7e2...
Microsoft sheds $360bn in market value as AI spending spooks investors
Software group pulls Nasdaq lower after reporting 66% year-on-year surge in data centre costs
www.ft.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:27 AM
“Hey Copilot, how much should we spend on #AI next quarter?”
Maybe that wasn’t the best prompt…?
#Microsoft #WallStreet #stockprice
www.ft.com/content/c7e2...
Maybe that wasn’t the best prompt…?
#Microsoft #WallStreet #stockprice
www.ft.com/content/c7e2...
“Companies including #Palantir and #Deloitte have collectively reaped more than $22bn” from government contracts related to #ICE and Trump’s immigration crackdown, @financialtimes.com reports.
www.ft.com/content/c741...
www.ft.com/content/c741...
Companies reap $22bn from Trump’s immigration crackdown
Palantir and Deloitte among beneficiaries of spending by government agencies
www.ft.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:19 AM
“Companies including #Palantir and #Deloitte have collectively reaped more than $22bn” from government contracts related to #ICE and Trump’s immigration crackdown, @financialtimes.com reports.
www.ft.com/content/c741...
www.ft.com/content/c741...
Fawning @wsj.com piece about a Chinese SUV.
No word about #data collection and #privacy.
A modern car collects 25 gigabytes *per hour*…
qz.com/344466/conne...
Would be nice to know where all this highly personal info flows, no?
www.wsj.com/tech/persona...
No word about #data collection and #privacy.
A modern car collects 25 gigabytes *per hour*…
qz.com/344466/conne...
Would be nice to know where all this highly personal info flows, no?
www.wsj.com/tech/persona...
I Test Drove a Chinese EV. Now I Don’t Want to Buy American Cars Anymore.
Amazing battery range, customizable interiors and sleek software—our columnist fell in love with a Xiaomi SU7 Max after driving it for a few weeks.
www.wsj.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Fawning @wsj.com piece about a Chinese SUV.
No word about #data collection and #privacy.
A modern car collects 25 gigabytes *per hour*…
qz.com/344466/conne...
Would be nice to know where all this highly personal info flows, no?
www.wsj.com/tech/persona...
No word about #data collection and #privacy.
A modern car collects 25 gigabytes *per hour*…
qz.com/344466/conne...
Would be nice to know where all this highly personal info flows, no?
www.wsj.com/tech/persona...
“What if your car worked like so many apps?
…A few minutes into the drive, your car pulls over to the side of the road and asks:
‘How are you enjoying your drive so far?’”
Wonderful essay re: nagging apps, software design, #UX, #analytics.
via @gruber.foo
blog.mikeswanson.com/backseat-sof...
…A few minutes into the drive, your car pulls over to the side of the road and asks:
‘How are you enjoying your drive so far?’”
Wonderful essay re: nagging apps, software design, #UX, #analytics.
via @gruber.foo
blog.mikeswanson.com/backseat-sof...
Backseat Software – Mike Swanson's Blog
blog.mikeswanson.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:11 AM
“What if your car worked like so many apps?
…A few minutes into the drive, your car pulls over to the side of the road and asks:
‘How are you enjoying your drive so far?’”
Wonderful essay re: nagging apps, software design, #UX, #analytics.
via @gruber.foo
blog.mikeswanson.com/backseat-sof...
…A few minutes into the drive, your car pulls over to the side of the road and asks:
‘How are you enjoying your drive so far?’”
Wonderful essay re: nagging apps, software design, #UX, #analytics.
via @gruber.foo
blog.mikeswanson.com/backseat-sof...
#Anthropic is willing to risk a $200 million Pentagon contract over #surveillance and “killer AI" (LAWS), @wsj.com reports.
“…terms and conditions dictate that Claude can’t be used for
any actions related to domestic surveillance…”
Contrast this with #Palantir.
🎁 link
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
“…terms and conditions dictate that Claude can’t be used for
any actions related to domestic surveillance…”
Contrast this with #Palantir.
🎁 link
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
Anthropic-Pentagon Clash Over Limits on AI Puts $200 Million Contract at Risk
The AI startup and defense officials disagreed over whether the technology would be used for autonomous “lethal” operations and surveillance.
www.wsj.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:59 AM
#Anthropic is willing to risk a $200 million Pentagon contract over #surveillance and “killer AI" (LAWS), @wsj.com reports.
“…terms and conditions dictate that Claude can’t be used for
any actions related to domestic surveillance…”
Contrast this with #Palantir.
🎁 link
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
“…terms and conditions dictate that Claude can’t be used for
any actions related to domestic surveillance…”
Contrast this with #Palantir.
🎁 link
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...
