Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson

@dkthomp.bsky.social

derekthompson.substack.com

43.5K followers113 following260 posts

Derek Thompson reposted

katepichon.bsky.social
@katepichon.bsky.social

“What do we want from technology? Solve every problem we have without creating any problem we don’t have. Cure diseases, but safely. Jailbreak the secrets of the cosmos, but do it with some respect. This is a lot to ask for, but it is not too much to want.”

Derek Thompson@dkthomp.bsky.social

I wrote about crying mathematicians, mean smart machines, and the emergence of technological grief, as a rapidly improving intelligence makes violent contact with a modern sensibility that prizes human intellect and often equates it with purpose, dignity, and self-worth.

derekthompson.orgI Know Why the Mathematicians WeepOn technological grief

Derek Thompson reposted

Jeff Vogt
@jeff-vogt.bsky.social

This is an excellent post by Derek Thompson. I’m hopeful that the future of science will be in applications and understanding. We will partner with AI to find answers, but our job will be to put those answers to good use, and to interpret the rationale to be intuitive and useful for creative thought

Derek Thompson@dkthomp.bsky.social

I wrote about crying mathematicians, mean smart machines, and the emergence of technological grief, as a rapidly improving intelligence makes violent contact with a modern sensibility that prizes human intellect and often equates it with purpose, dignity, and self-worth.

derekthompson.orgI Know Why the Mathematicians WeepOn technological grief
Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

Daniel Cox: “Men with larger social circles tend to have much more romantic success. But that’s only true for men! The number of close friends a woman has seems to have little bearing on her ability to go on dates.” www.derekthompson.org/p/are-men-th...

derekthompson.orgWhy Americans Stopped Falling in LoveAmericans—and young Americans, in particular—are dating less, coupling less, marrying less, and having fewer children. A new book offers several theories for why.
Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

With charts answering Qs, such as: 1. How many of the top stocks of 2026 are basically AI stocks? 2. People keep talking about "AI capex" in the abstract, but where exactly is all that money going? 3. Do American find AI useful, or do they hate it? 4. Is AI saving or strangling the economy?

Derek Thompson reposted

Jeff Greene
@jeffgreene.bsky.social

Are you thinking or hoping there's a "middle path" between #GenAI hype, doomerism, all-gas-no-brake, and shut-it-all-down views? Then you should check out this podcast with @dkthomp.bsky.social, @randomwalker.bsky.social, and @sayash.bsky.social. Here's to a "normal" view. youtu.be/8a-08uMl5Js?...

youtu.beThe Single Smartest Case Against AI Doom | Plain EnglishWith new breakthroughs in math and biology alongside reports of AI agents escaping and hacking systems, suffice it to say AI has had an interesting few weeks. How worried should we be about it…

Derek Thompson reposted

Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

ANNOUNCEMENT! The Plain English podcast is growing, and we're hiring. We're looking for a part-time Social Media Producer. 2-3 days a week, day rate of $500 Send your resume and info to PlainEnglish@Spotify.com with the subject [YOUR NAME] Resume - Plain English Social Producer

Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

ANNOUNCEMENT! The Plain English podcast is growing, and we're hiring. We're looking for a part-time Social Media Producer. 2-3 days a week, day rate of $500 Send your resume and info to PlainEnglish@Spotify.com with the subject [YOUR NAME] Resume - Plain English Social Producer

Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

The Chargers are supposed to be a fun, unserious team with a high-powered offense, and the Packers are supposed to be a serious, disciplined contender that doesn't do stupid shit at the end of every game. The league would make more sense if Matt LaFleur and Jim Harbaugh were forced to switch places.

Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

New pod/transcript: PANGRAM VS THE MACHINE An interview with Pangram founder and CEO Max Spero about why AI writing took over the Web, how Pangram works, why we should trust it, and what he sees as the fundamental differences between machine vs. human writing www.derekthompson.org/p/the-intern...

derekthompson.orgWe Can't Let AI Writing Take Over the InternetAn interview with Pangram founder and CEO Max Spero on how AI writing has flooded the internet, why it matters, and why it’s worth cleaning up

Derek Thompson reposted

Michael S. Pollard
@sociologian.bsky.social

Here's an interesting and engaging 67 minutes on a wide range of topics under this umbrella, not just for academics and policy wonks.

Beau Kilmer@beaukilmer.bsky.social

Frequent use is ⬇️ for alcohol and ⬆️ for cannabis. What’s going on? Had a great conversation about this with @dkthomp.bsky.social & Jon Caulkins on the Plain English pod www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn5I... For more on cannabis legalization & alcohol use check out @rand.org: www.rand.org/content/dam/...

youtube.comWhy America Is Switching From Booze to Weed | Plain EnglishYouTube video by Plain English with Derek Thompson
Derek Thompson
@dkthomp.bsky.social

Today's newsletter: The many-headed hydra of risks facing AI today The hyperscalers are taking on hundreds of billions of dollars of debt to build a profit-challenged product whose global competition could compress margins, while the political backlash grows www.derekthompson.org/p/the-four-h...

derekthompson.orgThe Four Horsemen of the AI Bubble ApocalypseThe smartest reasons to worry about the state of AI in an age of intense volatility—and my best attempt to explain why each of those worries might be wrong.

Derek Thompson reposted

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝙲. 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚗
@charlescmann.bsky.social

A side benefit of the fuss over the Odyssey movie is that people have been interviewing Homer translator Emily Wilson, who is unfailingly interesting on these matters. Her new talk with @dkthomp.bsky.social, who has the wit (all too rare among interviewers) to stay out of the way, is terrific.

derekthompson.orgWhat Is Lost When We Make 'The Odyssey' ModernChristopher Nolan's 'Odyssey' is an extraordinary, modern epic. Homer's Odyssey is an even more extraordinarily strange one.

Derek Thompson reposted

Tom Ziller
@teamziller.bsky.social

Interesting insights from Derek that probably apply to very few modern writers based on his pre-existing audience and niche (which is breadth).

Derek Thompson@dkthomp.bsky.social

One year ago, I quit The Atlantic to start a Substack. Today, I write about: - the state of the business - what I’ve learned - the difference between viral essays in The Atlantic vs the Substack ecosystem www.derekthompson.org/p/the-derek-...

derekthompson.orgThe Derek Thompson Substack Birthday! An Overview of the Business and What’s NextPlus: a one-time offer for free subscribers

Derek Thompson reposted

Matteo Wong
@matteowong.bsky.social

"Our fear of death motivates an all-consuming neuroticism about outrunning mortality, even when the price we pay is putting health optimization above everything else, including other people." One of many clear and insightful lines in a very clear and insightful essay

Derek Thompson@dkthomp.bsky.social

THE CULT OF THE ENHANCED SELF The post-pandemic fitness craze, MAHA, the cultural rise of Nietzschean tech moguls, the dawn of GLP-1s & supplements, and fitness trackers have combined to create a new cultural norm that is (unhealthily) obsessed w/ health www.derekthompson.org/p/the-cult-o...

derekthompson.orgWhy the Healthiest Generation Is the LoneliestAmericans have never been healthier, or more alone. These things might be related.