Will Oremus
@willoremus.com
Covering online speech, social media and the information wars at @washingtonpost.com. Shitposting about Bluesky on Bluesky.
Signal: willoremus.24
Signal: willoremus.24
That Ring “search party” ad was unsubtle enough that even my 10yo watched it and was like “are they gonna use this for ICE?”
February 9, 2026 at 3:46 AM
That Ring “search party” ad was unsubtle enough that even my 10yo watched it and was like “are they gonna use this for ICE?”
Reposted by Will Oremus
The Washington Post just laid off its entire award-winning photo team. They were our eyes in places we'll never see. It's a horrifying loss at a time when lying governments, propaganda and AI slop are on the rise.
February 6, 2026 at 6:59 PM
The Washington Post just laid off its entire award-winning photo team. They were our eyes in places we'll never see. It's a horrifying loss at a time when lying governments, propaganda and AI slop are on the rise.
The number of talented, resourceful and truly good people who worked their whole careers for a job like this only to have the rug pulled from them by feckless rich men is staggering.
Naomi is one of the best — best tech reporters, best people — and I hope a wiser outlet than ours hires her soon.
Naomi is one of the best — best tech reporters, best people — and I hope a wiser outlet than ours hires her soon.
After almost four years at The Washington Post, my role was eliminated this week along with hundreds of other talented journalists. It’s a cliche to say but this job was a dream come true. Thanks to my brilliant reporter friends and talented editors who made the stories stronger and banter funnier.
February 6, 2026 at 7:20 PM
The number of talented, resourceful and truly good people who worked their whole careers for a job like this only to have the rug pulled from them by feckless rich men is staggering.
Naomi is one of the best — best tech reporters, best people — and I hope a wiser outlet than ours hires her soon.
Naomi is one of the best — best tech reporters, best people — and I hope a wiser outlet than ours hires her soon.
This story published shortly after the Post laid off the author, ace cybersecurity reporter Joe Menn, along with the majority of our colleagues on the tech team and hundreds of others across the organization. Like so many others, this was Joe's dream job, and he was very, very good at it.
My story on how Epstein worked with a former leader of Putin’s youth movement, who promised him racy pictures and introduced him to an emigre who helped build out Russia’s quantum computing initiative. His security company was banned from U.S. intelligence deals last year. Giftish. wapo.st/4ccTtxy
Epstein’s network included Russian tech investors with past Kremlin ties
Documents released by the Justice Department show that Epstein had links with Russian tech investors who had drawn scrutiny from U.S. intelligence officials.
wapo.st
February 6, 2026 at 5:39 PM
This story published shortly after the Post laid off the author, ace cybersecurity reporter Joe Menn, along with the majority of our colleagues on the tech team and hundreds of others across the organization. Like so many others, this was Joe's dream job, and he was very, very good at it.
I suspect that the echo chamber of Truth Social and conservative media, along with X becoming a safe space for racism and extremism under Musk, has given our Republican leaders a deeply skewed idea of what ordinary Americans find acceptable www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump shares video depicting Obamas as apes
Tim Scott, the sole Black Republican in the Senate, called it ‘the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.’
www.washingtonpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:31 PM
I suspect that the echo chamber of Truth Social and conservative media, along with X becoming a safe space for racism and extremism under Musk, has given our Republican leaders a deeply skewed idea of what ordinary Americans find acceptable www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
NEW: NewsGuard, a company that rates the credibility of online news sites and tracks misinformation, just filed a federal First Amendment lawsuit against Trump's FTC, alleging that the agency is strangling its business because it disagrees with the low ratings of right-wing outlets. wapo.st/4a28gdd
A company that rates news sites says the Trump administration is strangling it
NewsGuard sues Trump’s FTC alleging censorship after Chairman Andrew Ferguson barred a major ad agency from using its ratings
www.washingtonpost.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:35 PM
NEW: NewsGuard, a company that rates the credibility of online news sites and tracks misinformation, just filed a federal First Amendment lawsuit against Trump's FTC, alleging that the agency is strangling its business because it disagrees with the low ratings of right-wing outlets. wapo.st/4a28gdd
Laying off the tech reporter who was our smartest chronicler of internet culture and is brilliant on TikTok herself is one of the many, many decisions taken by Washington Post leadership this week that I will never understand.
Follow Tatum on both TikTok and now Substack, she is the best!
Follow Tatum on both TikTok and now Substack, she is the best!
Not that it'll stop me! -- you can keep following my internet culture coverage here on my new Substack. Please feel free to share.
bytatumhunter.substack.com
bytatumhunter.substack.com
Tatum Hunter | Substack
My internet coverage to your inbox. Click to read Tatum Hunter, a Substack publication. Launched 2 hours ago.
bytatumhunter.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Laying off the tech reporter who was our smartest chronicler of internet culture and is brilliant on TikTok herself is one of the many, many decisions taken by Washington Post leadership this week that I will never understand.
Follow Tatum on both TikTok and now Substack, she is the best!
Follow Tatum on both TikTok and now Substack, she is the best!
No one writes more incisively, accessibly and credibly than Geoffrey about the ways tech companies are serving — or, far more often these days, disserving — everyday consumers than Geoffrey. He’s worth following wherever he goes.
After 8 years writing the tech column
@washingtonpost.com, I am among folks who were laid off today. I’m grateful for the stories I got to tell and the impact we made on privacy, sustainability & AI.
You can keep following my work on my new (free) Substack geoffreyafowler.substack.com
@washingtonpost.com, I am among folks who were laid off today. I’m grateful for the stories I got to tell and the impact we made on privacy, sustainability & AI.
You can keep following my work on my new (free) Substack geoffreyafowler.substack.com
Geoffrey's Substack | Geoffrey Fowler | Substack
My personal Substack. Click to read Geoffrey's Substack, by Geoffrey Fowler, a Substack publication. Launched 16 hours ago.
geoffreyafowler.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:18 PM
No one writes more incisively, accessibly and credibly than Geoffrey about the ways tech companies are serving — or, far more often these days, disserving — everyday consumers than Geoffrey. He’s worth following wherever he goes.
imagine having one of the best tech reporters of all time on your staff and then choosing to lay them off
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
February 6, 2026 at 2:47 AM
imagine having one of the best tech reporters of all time on your staff and then choosing to lay them off
"If your yacht fails to endorse a candidate for president in an existential election, people will say, 'Good. A boat should not endorse candidates for president.'"
Food for thought as zillionaires mull how to spend their pocket change www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/... ht @suellentrop.bsky.social
Food for thought as zillionaires mull how to spend their pocket change www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/... ht @suellentrop.bsky.social
Should You Buy a Newspaper or a Yacht?
Advice for Jeff Bezos
www.theatlantic.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:56 PM
"If your yacht fails to endorse a candidate for president in an existential election, people will say, 'Good. A boat should not endorse candidates for president.'"
Food for thought as zillionaires mull how to spend their pocket change www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/... ht @suellentrop.bsky.social
Food for thought as zillionaires mull how to spend their pocket change www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/... ht @suellentrop.bsky.social
can vouch for heather’s editing, writing, and personality. getting to work with her was one of the best things about working at the post and soon it will be one of the best things about working wherever heather lands next.
If you need editing or writing or a personality hire, my email is hkellywork@gmail.com, Signal is hkelly.11, Insta/Tiktok are @heatherthereporter
February 5, 2026 at 5:22 AM
can vouch for heather’s editing, writing, and personality. getting to work with her was one of the best things about working at the post and soon it will be one of the best things about working wherever heather lands next.
Reposted by Will Oremus
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
February 5, 2026 at 2:48 AM
Jeff Bezos’s wealth has increased an average of $70 million every day of 2026, meaning that he could have offset The Post’s losses with what he’s made since Monday.
Reposted by Will Oremus
Lost my job at the Washington Post today, along with many of the best in the business. I want to keep covering tech and the internet. If you have leads on jobs for me or my colleagues, please reach out. I’m so proud of our work.
February 4, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Lost my job at the Washington Post today, along with many of the best in the business. I want to keep covering tech and the internet. If you have leads on jobs for me or my colleagues, please reach out. I’m so proud of our work.
Reposted by Will Oremus
again we do not really do a good job of explaining how wealthy people like Jeff Bezos are
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
February 4, 2026 at 5:41 PM
again we do not really do a good job of explaining how wealthy people like Jeff Bezos are
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
his net worth is $253.2 billion.
so he could take one million dollars, and just light it on fire
and then do it again tomorrow
and again the day after that
and then do it every day for 693 years and 8 months
Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙
Donate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel Siegel
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund
www.gofundme.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙
I've been through some shitty times in my 20 years as a journalist but today just might take the shit cake
February 4, 2026 at 2:16 PM
I've been through some shitty times in my 20 years as a journalist but today just might take the shit cake
On today's Vergecast, I talked w/ @davidpierce.xyz about Anthropic's wild plan to "destructively scan all the books in the world:" why they did it, why a judge found it legal, and why — nefarious as it might sound — what other tech giants did was arguably worse. www.theverge.com/the-vergecast
February 3, 2026 at 8:34 PM
On today's Vergecast, I talked w/ @davidpierce.xyz about Anthropic's wild plan to "destructively scan all the books in the world:" why they did it, why a judge found it legal, and why — nefarious as it might sound — what other tech giants did was arguably worse. www.theverge.com/the-vergecast
im usually pretty decent at pushing through distractions to focus on the work but this is a pretty tough one to tune out ngl
February 3, 2026 at 8:01 PM
im usually pretty decent at pushing through distractions to focus on the work but this is a pretty tough one to tune out ngl
"He had decided that the America he believed in would not make it if people like him didn’t speak up, so on a cool, rainy morning in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Jon, 67 and recently retired, marched up to his study and began to type... " (cont.)
February 3, 2026 at 7:33 PM
"He had decided that the America he believed in would not make it if people like him didn’t speak up, so on a cool, rainy morning in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Jon, 67 and recently retired, marched up to his study and began to type... " (cont.)
Reposted by Will Oremus
DOCTOR: I told him he needed to get out to a show, that was how he would cure his depression.
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
February 2, 2026 at 3:58 AM
DOCTOR: I told him he needed to get out to a show, that was how he would cure his depression.
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
CHOTINER: So you learned this technique in school?
DR: No, not— listen it was good advice. Pagliacci was in town.
C: Right. Is it standard to give advice before learning a patient’s name?
DR: Now look
10 is in the shower singing to the tune of “hot to go”
🎵 H-O-T-D-O-G-S
I love hot dogs they’re the best 🎵
🎵 H-O-T-D-O-G-S
I love hot dogs they’re the best 🎵
January 31, 2026 at 2:57 AM
10 is in the shower singing to the tune of “hot to go”
🎵 H-O-T-D-O-G-S
I love hot dogs they’re the best 🎵
🎵 H-O-T-D-O-G-S
I love hot dogs they’re the best 🎵
On today's Post Reports podcast, I talked w/ @martinepowers.bsky.social about Anthropic's project to "destructively scan all the books in the world" and why that was actually seen as the *more* ethical/legal path than what all the other AI firms were doing. www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
The quest to ‘destructively scan’ all the world’s books - The Washington Post
AI companies wanted to train their language models on books. But they didn’t want to pay.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:17 PM
On today's Post Reports podcast, I talked w/ @martinepowers.bsky.social about Anthropic's project to "destructively scan all the books in the world" and why that was actually seen as the *more* ethical/legal path than what all the other AI firms were doing. www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
New: Unsealed court docs detail Big Tech’s yearslong, secret race to ingest the collective works of humanity, including Anthropic’s project to “destructively scan all the books in the world.”
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
How Silicon Valley built AI: Buying, scanning and destroying millions of books
Court filings reveal how AI companies raced to obtain more books to feed chatbots, including by buying, scanning and disposing of millions of titles.
wapo.st
January 27, 2026 at 3:20 PM
New: Unsealed court docs detail Big Tech’s yearslong, secret race to ingest the collective works of humanity, including Anthropic’s project to “destructively scan all the books in the world.”
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos turn heads in the front row at Paris Haute Couture Week pagesix.com/2026/01/26/s...
Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos turn heads in the front row at Paris Haute Couture Week
The couple made front-row appearances at Schiaparelli and Dior ahead of their Met Gala 2026 sponsorship.
pagesix.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos turn heads in the front row at Paris Haute Couture Week pagesix.com/2026/01/26/s...