Nicholas Thompson
@nxthompson.bsky.social
CEO of The Atlantic. Author of “The Running Ground: A Father, A Son, and the Simplest of Sports.”
November 10, 2025 at 2:47 AM
"America’s life-or-death challenge as a nation, whether it be in 1776 or 2026, is this: When there are so many forces dedicated to dividing us, how can we best hang together?" www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The Ideal That Underlies the Declaration of Independence
Restoring stability to American politics will require reviving an age-old concept: common ground.
www.theatlantic.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:54 AM
"America’s life-or-death challenge as a nation, whether it be in 1776 or 2026, is this: When there are so many forces dedicated to dividing us, how can we best hang together?" www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
"The affordability issue, which seemed to be a rocket exploding upwards 12 months ago, now looks more like a bomb to which the Republican Party finds itself tightly strapped” www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
The Affordability Curse
Politics isn’t just about the words you put on your bumper stickers. It’s about what you do if the bumper stickers work.
www.theatlantic.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:54 PM
"The affordability issue, which seemed to be a rocket exploding upwards 12 months ago, now looks more like a bomb to which the Republican Party finds itself tightly strapped” www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
Abby Spanberger will now be governor of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill governor of NJ. I wrote about both of them, and their friend group, last year
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Democrats’ Patriotic Vanguard
A small group of lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds prefigured Harris’s overtly patriotic campaign.
www.theatlantic.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Abby Spanberger will now be governor of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill governor of NJ. I wrote about both of them, and their friend group, last year
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
“When people say the A.I. reasons, they misunderstand. The A.I. does not reason. They reason.”
I had a fascinating chat with @leecronin.bsky.social about autonomous A.I. Listen: buff.ly/36MBR5O
Produced by Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.
I had a fascinating chat with @leecronin.bsky.social about autonomous A.I. Listen: buff.ly/36MBR5O
Produced by Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.
November 5, 2025 at 7:40 PM
“When people say the A.I. reasons, they misunderstand. The A.I. does not reason. They reason.”
I had a fascinating chat with @leecronin.bsky.social about autonomous A.I. Listen: buff.ly/36MBR5O
Produced by Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.
I had a fascinating chat with @leecronin.bsky.social about autonomous A.I. Listen: buff.ly/36MBR5O
Produced by Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.
"One thing that last night’s results seem to convey clearly is that many voters are unhappy with President Donald Trump." www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
The Anti-MAGA Majority Reemerges
Democrats won up and down the ballot yesterday, riding a backlash to Donald Trump’s second term.
www.theatlantic.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 PM
"One thing that last night’s results seem to convey clearly is that many voters are unhappy with President Donald Trump." www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
I thought the name was familiar. Seems like he's exactly the same guys as he was in ninth grade.
"What began as a ninth-grade prank...has earned Rich Skrenta notoriety as the first person ever to let loose a personal computer virus."
web.archive.org/web/20080107...
"What began as a ninth-grade prank...has earned Rich Skrenta notoriety as the first person ever to let loose a personal computer virus."
web.archive.org/web/20080107...
November 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM
I thought the name was familiar. Seems like he's exactly the same guys as he was in ninth grade.
"What began as a ninth-grade prank...has earned Rich Skrenta notoriety as the first person ever to let loose a personal computer virus."
web.archive.org/web/20080107...
"What began as a ninth-grade prank...has earned Rich Skrenta notoriety as the first person ever to let loose a personal computer virus."
web.archive.org/web/20080107...
"'The robots are people too,'" he told me. 🧐🧐
Common Crawl, a nonprofit---funded in part by AI companies--- that runs a giant database, has been sending paywalled articles to AI companies. And they've been lying to publishers about it. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Common Crawl, a nonprofit---funded in part by AI companies--- that runs a giant database, has been sending paywalled articles to AI companies. And they've been lying to publishers about it. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Nonprofit Doing the AI Industry’s Dirty Work
The web archive Common Crawl has been quietly funneling paywalled articles to AI companies—and lying to publishers about it.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:18 PM
"'The robots are people too,'" he told me. 🧐🧐
Common Crawl, a nonprofit---funded in part by AI companies--- that runs a giant database, has been sending paywalled articles to AI companies. And they've been lying to publishers about it. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Common Crawl, a nonprofit---funded in part by AI companies--- that runs a giant database, has been sending paywalled articles to AI companies. And they've been lying to publishers about it. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
"These are not the actions of mature adults. They are examples of crude people displaying their incompetence as they flail about in jobs—including the presidency—for which they are not qualified” @radiofreetom.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
A Confederacy of Toddlers
The Trump administration is a regime of troubled children.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:11 AM
"These are not the actions of mature adults. They are examples of crude people displaying their incompetence as they flail about in jobs—including the presidency—for which they are not qualified” @radiofreetom.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
“You won’t fuck this up,” Rahm Emanuel said, faux-menacing, jabbing four-and-a-half fingers at me, “because if you do, your kids won’t have a mother anymore.”
A terrific Ashley Parker profile. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
A terrific Ashley Parker profile. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Rahm Emanuel … For President?
He’d like you to keep an open mind.
www.theatlantic.com
November 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
“You won’t fuck this up,” Rahm Emanuel said, faux-menacing, jabbing four-and-a-half fingers at me, “because if you do, your kids won’t have a mother anymore.”
A terrific Ashley Parker profile. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
A terrific Ashley Parker profile. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
The book from which this extraordinarily open-hearted and moving essay is excerpted in @theatlantic.com is out this week from @nxthompson.bsky.social. Buy it here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678434...
October 30, 2025 at 10:58 PM
The book from which this extraordinarily open-hearted and moving essay is excerpted in @theatlantic.com is out this week from @nxthompson.bsky.social. Buy it here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678434...
Pete Wehner: "America has lost its moral bearings; as a result, it has also lost its moral standing in the world. A curtain of darkness is settling over our nation. And it’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open
It’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots.
www.theatlantic.com
November 1, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Pete Wehner: "America has lost its moral bearings; as a result, it has also lost its moral standing in the world. A curtain of darkness is settling over our nation. And it’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
One recommendation to authors: record your own audiobook!
It's scary at first and it takes forever. But turns out it's wonderful to revisit it all out loud, and it's much more intimate and real for the listener. Definitely don't use AI.
It's scary at first and it takes forever. But turns out it's wonderful to revisit it all out loud, and it's much more intimate and real for the listener. Definitely don't use AI.
November 1, 2025 at 3:03 PM
One recommendation to authors: record your own audiobook!
It's scary at first and it takes forever. But turns out it's wonderful to revisit it all out loud, and it's much more intimate and real for the listener. Definitely don't use AI.
It's scary at first and it takes forever. But turns out it's wonderful to revisit it all out loud, and it's much more intimate and real for the listener. Definitely don't use AI.
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
“There are a lot of reasons I run,” @nxthompson.bsky.social writes. “I like to remember that I’m still alive, and that I survived my cancer. But really I run because of my father.” Running “reminds me of my father, and gives me a way to avoid becoming my father.”
Why I Run
I took up the sport to be like my father. I kept going because he stopped.
bit.ly
October 31, 2025 at 5:15 AM
“There are a lot of reasons I run,” @nxthompson.bsky.social writes. “I like to remember that I’m still alive, and that I survived my cancer. But really I run because of my father.” Running “reminds me of my father, and gives me a way to avoid becoming my father.”
My conversation with Reuters about running, my new book, and how to balance hard things in life. www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ni...
October 30, 2025 at 7:12 PM
My conversation with Reuters about running, my new book, and how to balance hard things in life. www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ni...
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
For @reuters.com's Culture Current, I spoke with elite runner and The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson.bsky.social) about his new book "The Running Ground," the sport's global boom, and why he's grateful he didn't run faster sooner.
Read the full Q&A: www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ni...
Read the full Q&A: www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ni...
www.reuters.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:47 PM
For @reuters.com's Culture Current, I spoke with elite runner and The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson.bsky.social) about his new book "The Running Ground," the sport's global boom, and why he's grateful he didn't run faster sooner.
Read the full Q&A: www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ni...
Read the full Q&A: www.reuters.com/lifestyle/ni...
“If you’re not frightened, you’re not paying attention.”
A detailed story on how the 2026 midterms could be subverted—and how the subversion could be stopped. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
A detailed story on how the 2026 midterms could be subverted—and how the subversion could be stopped. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way
Our election system is reaching a breaking point.
www.theatlantic.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:26 PM
“If you’re not frightened, you’re not paying attention.”
A detailed story on how the 2026 midterms could be subverted—and how the subversion could be stopped. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
A detailed story on how the 2026 midterms could be subverted—and how the subversion could be stopped. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
People keep asking me about my book title: "The Running Ground'"
The line comes from Maximus of Tyre. My father had given me this print to forgive a loan. Reading it after his death, I realized that among all the objects that could evoke memory and love, Maximus included an ancient Greek track.
The line comes from Maximus of Tyre. My father had given me this print to forgive a loan. Reading it after his death, I realized that among all the objects that could evoke memory and love, Maximus included an ancient Greek track.
October 29, 2025 at 4:54 PM
People keep asking me about my book title: "The Running Ground'"
The line comes from Maximus of Tyre. My father had given me this print to forgive a loan. Reading it after his death, I realized that among all the objects that could evoke memory and love, Maximus included an ancient Greek track.
The line comes from Maximus of Tyre. My father had given me this print to forgive a loan. Reading it after his death, I realized that among all the objects that could evoke memory and love, Maximus included an ancient Greek track.
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
"We get through most days in life without having to really think about death, which also means that we don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the remarkable fact that we are alive." Astonishing writing, beautiful piece.
I've just written about my intense relationship with my father and how running helped me both connect with him and avoid becoming him. It's my first article ever for @theatlantic.com My dad wrote here in 1967, and it seems fitting to publish this 58 years later.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Why I Run
I took up the sport to be like my father. I kept going because he stopped.
www.theatlantic.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
"We get through most days in life without having to really think about death, which also means that we don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the remarkable fact that we are alive." Astonishing writing, beautiful piece.
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
I was Nick's @wired.com intern in 2008, and he rolled into the offices (late) on my first day in his running clothes.
What a delight some 17 years later to interview Nick, a former WIRED EIC and now The Atlantic's CEO, about his excellent new book, which is about running and so much more:
What a delight some 17 years later to interview Nick, a former WIRED EIC and now The Atlantic's CEO, about his excellent new book, which is about running and so much more:
Why Nicholas Thompson Made a Custom GPT to Run Faster
The Atlantic CEO’s new book, The Running Ground, examines his complicated relationship with the sport. On this week’s episode of “The Big Interview,” he talks about the ways tech is helping him become...
www.wired.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:10 PM
I was Nick's @wired.com intern in 2008, and he rolled into the offices (late) on my first day in his running clothes.
What a delight some 17 years later to interview Nick, a former WIRED EIC and now The Atlantic's CEO, about his excellent new book, which is about running and so much more:
What a delight some 17 years later to interview Nick, a former WIRED EIC and now The Atlantic's CEO, about his excellent new book, which is about running and so much more:
I had a wonderful time talking to my old WIRED colleague @katie-drummond.bsky.social for the release of The Running Ground.
I am so glad she didn't quit when I showed up to the office on her first day in my running gear. She was incredible then and she's doing an amazing job now.
I am so glad she didn't quit when I showed up to the office on her first day in my running gear. She was incredible then and she's doing an amazing job now.
Why Nicholas Thompson Made a Custom GPT to Run Faster
The Atlantic CEO’s new book, The Running Ground, examines his complicated relationship with the sport. On this week’s episode of “The Big Interview,” he talks about the ways tech is helping him…
www.wired.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I had a wonderful time talking to my old WIRED colleague @katie-drummond.bsky.social for the release of The Running Ground.
I am so glad she didn't quit when I showed up to the office on her first day in my running gear. She was incredible then and she's doing an amazing job now.
I am so glad she didn't quit when I showed up to the office on her first day in my running gear. She was incredible then and she's doing an amazing job now.
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
The number of times my jaw dropped reading this story… it was many times! www.wired.com/story/ai-tea...
Parents Fell in Love With Alpha School’s Promise. Then They Wanted Out
In Brownsville, Texas, some families found a buzzy new school’s methods—surveillance of kids, software in lieu of teachers—to be an education in and of itself.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 9:32 PM
The number of times my jaw dropped reading this story… it was many times! www.wired.com/story/ai-tea...
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
“When running was going right, the rest of my life seemed to follow,” writes @nxthompson.bsky.social in this lyrical, deeply affecting essay about cancer, endurance and the lessons we learn from our fathers. @dvnjr.bsky.social's pick this week via @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Why I Run
I took up the sport to be like my father. I kept going because he stopped.
www.theatlantic.com
October 26, 2025 at 2:52 PM
“When running was going right, the rest of my life seemed to follow,” writes @nxthompson.bsky.social in this lyrical, deeply affecting essay about cancer, endurance and the lessons we learn from our fathers. @dvnjr.bsky.social's pick this week via @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Reposted by Nicholas Thompson
"One lesson I learned about running that also applies to writing: The best time to do something important is usually right now. And when you have to get something done in a short amount of time, it’s wise not to spend that time complaining about how little time you have."
I've just written about my intense relationship with my father and how running helped me both connect with him and avoid becoming him. It's my first article ever for @theatlantic.com My dad wrote here in 1967, and it seems fitting to publish this 58 years later.
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Why I Run
I took up the sport to be like my father. I kept going because he stopped.
www.theatlantic.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:06 PM
"One lesson I learned about running that also applies to writing: The best time to do something important is usually right now. And when you have to get something done in a short amount of time, it’s wise not to spend that time complaining about how little time you have."
