Jeff Johnston
@koeselitz.bsky.social
he/him | db programmer | New Mexican | piano, accordion, &c | bi, monogamous, married | medievalist: Dante; Farabi | now leading study groups on: Bach’s Matthew Passion; Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives
Oh definitely! I didn’t take you to be defending Lizza at all. I only hope people remember who HE is, too. He’s making a lot of money off of that Substack post right now I’m sure… and that’s kinda gross to me (as is every single other aspect of this awful situation, lol)
November 22, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Oh definitely! I didn’t take you to be defending Lizza at all. I only hope people remember who HE is, too. He’s making a lot of money off of that Substack post right now I’m sure… and that’s kinda gross to me (as is every single other aspect of this awful situation, lol)
I mean: I would agree that very often the left is sloppy in its accusations. And I know that’s your point here, so probably we don’t disagree much. I just think that, very specifically, blaming billionaires for everything comes closer to the truth than any other random accusation one could make.
November 22, 2025 at 6:33 PM
I mean: I would agree that very often the left is sloppy in its accusations. And I know that’s your point here, so probably we don’t disagree much. I just think that, very specifically, blaming billionaires for everything comes closer to the truth than any other random accusation one could make.
This is the thing: I do actually think it is true, in a very real sense, that billionaires are to blame for traffic. To wit: car culture was pushed on the US, at the cost of the dismantling and defunding of the public transit system, by corporate interests aimed at shareholder value. That is true.
November 22, 2025 at 6:30 PM
This is the thing: I do actually think it is true, in a very real sense, that billionaires are to blame for traffic. To wit: car culture was pushed on the US, at the cost of the dismantling and defunding of the public transit system, by corporate interests aimed at shareholder value. That is true.
in hindsight, yeah. how can anybody look at this picture and not conclude that the guy has sucked down copious bluntage
November 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
in hindsight, yeah. how can anybody look at this picture and not conclude that the guy has sucked down copious bluntage
ah. I admittedly have not actually read that, thanks for that detail
November 22, 2025 at 6:19 PM
ah. I admittedly have not actually read that, thanks for that detail
hot take: having sex is cool, and having had sex with a lot of people makes you a very cool person
November 22, 2025 at 6:17 PM
hot take: having sex is cool, and having had sex with a lot of people makes you a very cool person
good for you, but don’t call me Robert
November 22, 2025 at 6:14 PM
good for you, but don’t call me Robert
If you’ve seen anything about Olivia Nuzzi on the timeline, he’s the source - and her ex, after a contentious 2024 breakup.
But if you haven’t, then thank the powers that be and move on
But if you haven’t, then thank the powers that be and move on
November 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
If you’ve seen anything about Olivia Nuzzi on the timeline, he’s the source - and her ex, after a contentious 2024 breakup.
But if you haven’t, then thank the powers that be and move on
But if you haven’t, then thank the powers that be and move on
He was still working at Politico then- presumably holding onto this so he’d have material to launch his dumb substack.
Also, Nuzzi had a (probably justified) protection order against him from Oct to Nov 2024, so releasing his blackmail material might’ve looked odd.
Last slide provided w/o comment.
Also, Nuzzi had a (probably justified) protection order against him from Oct to Nov 2024, so releasing his blackmail material might’ve looked odd.
Last slide provided w/o comment.
![screenshot from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Nuzzi
In October 2024, Nuzzi filed a protection order against Lizza saying he "explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation—a threat he has since carried out." [48] Nuzzi
alleged Lizza hacked her devices "for the purposes of stalking and surveilling me and to collect materials to deploy as blackmail to intimidate me back into a relationship and to inflict public ridicule and humiliation as well as professional damage as punishment when I would not return to the relationship."[49] She asked a court to drop the protection order against Lizza in November 2024. 150]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:leysmyft7ckos2sdkmstapw6/bafkreifzifywjsqazlplnx5wzuqbjncwcjuya4ok4gt5xpq7u7hfblyk2u@jpeg)
![screenshot from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Lizza
- Sexual misconduct allegation
On December 11, 2017, The New Yorker fired Lizza, saying that he engaged in "improper sexual conduct". 6] Lizza called The New Yorker's characterization a "terrible mistake" that had been "made hastily and without a full investigation of the relevant facts". 6] The alleged victim supported the magazine's version of the events; in a statement, her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, said, "I]n no way did Mr. Lizza's misconduct constitute a
'respectful relationship' as he has now tried to characterize it."[25][6] Lizza was temporarily suspended by CNN pending an investigation; six weeks later, the network announced that its
"extensive investigation" had yielded "no reason to continue to keep Mr. Lizza off the air" 26) Politico, Rolling Stone, and other media organizations were later said to have reached similar conclusions during their investigations, determining not to bar Lizza from employment.
[7][8][25]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:leysmyft7ckos2sdkmstapw6/bafkreiei673pd2efndnihwarcs32twhvfmlrewiztfz5lphxagsdp7vmfu@jpeg)
November 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Yeah, this was a great piece about that. It’s really unfortunate that we gave this up, but it’s pointless to pretend we didn’t.
November 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Yeah, this was a great piece about that. It’s really unfortunate that we gave this up, but it’s pointless to pretend we didn’t.
Worth noting that he’s skipping the part where he apparently - according to her Oct 2024 restraining order, which I see no reason to distrust on this point - snooped through her emails and papers (consistent with his story) and used what he found to try to blackmail her into staying with him.
November 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Worth noting that he’s skipping the part where he apparently - according to her Oct 2024 restraining order, which I see no reason to distrust on this point - snooped through her emails and papers (consistent with his story) and used what he found to try to blackmail her into staying with him.
Olivias I am aware of:
> the Olivia of John Mulaney
> the Olivia of Bari Weiss, “journalist” who wrote the “Palestinian kids were already pretty sick before Israel started starving them” piece
> the Olivia of RFK Jr, also a “journalist”
> various actresses? Olivia Colman, tho that’s a stage name
> the Olivia of John Mulaney
> the Olivia of Bari Weiss, “journalist” who wrote the “Palestinian kids were already pretty sick before Israel started starving them” piece
> the Olivia of RFK Jr, also a “journalist”
> various actresses? Olivia Colman, tho that’s a stage name
November 22, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Olivias I am aware of:
> the Olivia of John Mulaney
> the Olivia of Bari Weiss, “journalist” who wrote the “Palestinian kids were already pretty sick before Israel started starving them” piece
> the Olivia of RFK Jr, also a “journalist”
> various actresses? Olivia Colman, tho that’s a stage name
> the Olivia of John Mulaney
> the Olivia of Bari Weiss, “journalist” who wrote the “Palestinian kids were already pretty sick before Israel started starving them” piece
> the Olivia of RFK Jr, also a “journalist”
> various actresses? Olivia Colman, tho that’s a stage name
doing research. hm…
November 22, 2025 at 5:53 PM
doing research. hm…
A propos of nothing, what is with the wild(e) proliferation of Olivias all of a sudden? Some gen x parents decided around 1995 that it was just a wonderful name or sthing? Half of them seem to be insane journalists, which is confusing in a way that should be illegal
November 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM
A propos of nothing, what is with the wild(e) proliferation of Olivias all of a sudden? Some gen x parents decided around 1995 that it was just a wonderful name or sthing? Half of them seem to be insane journalists, which is confusing in a way that should be illegal
I agree! It seems very unlikely. But Google is a huge company with a few decades under its belt, and in that time they have made a few surprisingly bad and silly mistakes - they haven’t made a habit of it, clearly, but it’s happened.
I’m not willing to assume anything from their public statements.
I’m not willing to assume anything from their public statements.
November 22, 2025 at 5:46 PM
I agree! It seems very unlikely. But Google is a huge company with a few decades under its belt, and in that time they have made a few surprisingly bad and silly mistakes - they haven’t made a habit of it, clearly, but it’s happened.
I’m not willing to assume anything from their public statements.
I’m not willing to assume anything from their public statements.
it was one meeting, I can understand being nervous about it but it ain’t “appeasement” yet
November 22, 2025 at 5:44 PM
it was one meeting, I can understand being nervous about it but it ain’t “appeasement” yet
Tech companies have made stupider decisions before.
Just feels like we don’t know.
We all decided to let Google manage our emails - myself included. That means they get access, and they can and will do whatever they want. And they won’t often give us a setting to change to stop them.
Just feels like we don’t know.
We all decided to let Google manage our emails - myself included. That means they get access, and they can and will do whatever they want. And they won’t often give us a setting to change to stop them.
November 22, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Tech companies have made stupider decisions before.
Just feels like we don’t know.
We all decided to let Google manage our emails - myself included. That means they get access, and they can and will do whatever they want. And they won’t often give us a setting to change to stop them.
Just feels like we don’t know.
We all decided to let Google manage our emails - myself included. That means they get access, and they can and will do whatever they want. And they won’t often give us a setting to change to stop them.
I’m sorry but per this The Verge article you’ve posted here I am not sure I trust Google when they say that
Like: I agree, it would be very foolish for them to use emails to train Gemini. but also: we really do not know
We should remember that letting someone else manage our emails has a price.
Like: I agree, it would be very foolish for them to use emails to train Gemini. but also: we really do not know
We should remember that letting someone else manage our emails has a price.
November 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
I’m sorry but per this The Verge article you’ve posted here I am not sure I trust Google when they say that
Like: I agree, it would be very foolish for them to use emails to train Gemini. but also: we really do not know
We should remember that letting someone else manage our emails has a price.
Like: I agree, it would be very foolish for them to use emails to train Gemini. but also: we really do not know
We should remember that letting someone else manage our emails has a price.
By any reasonable metric, billionaires do not provide any labor to the market; the work they do is minuscule in proportion to compensation, and offset by active harm to the economy that nullifies any benefit.
November 22, 2025 at 5:12 PM
By any reasonable metric, billionaires do not provide any labor to the market; the work they do is minuscule in proportion to compensation, and offset by active harm to the economy that nullifies any benefit.
this makes me feel pretty alone, though. like in my heart
November 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
this makes me feel pretty alone, though. like in my heart
Point to the part where I said that people and their labor don’t generate money.
November 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Point to the part where I said that people and their labor don’t generate money.
Reposted by Jeff Johnston
Machine learning (umbrella term, I know) is a useful, sometimes transformative tool in the hands of trained researchers who understand how to deploy it and critically assess the results.
A chatbot is not useful in the same ways (though underlying technologies may be, in other contexts).
A chatbot is not useful in the same ways (though underlying technologies may be, in other contexts).
November 22, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Machine learning (umbrella term, I know) is a useful, sometimes transformative tool in the hands of trained researchers who understand how to deploy it and critically assess the results.
A chatbot is not useful in the same ways (though underlying technologies may be, in other contexts).
A chatbot is not useful in the same ways (though underlying technologies may be, in other contexts).