A weekly newsletter that tells the story of how tech companies became unelected governments and what to do about it, by former Google executive and 30-year Internet veteran Jonathan Bellack.

Posts

Sep 18, 2026

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4 min read

News roundup: the EU's age restriction proposal, a new book calls bullshit on Haidt, and another identity hack from hell

A Boston College professor calls out the moral panic over social media and the EU’s big age-restriction proposal rolls out. Plus excerpts from my other op-ed with Mariana Rosenblat.

Sep 11, 2026

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5 min read

“Blood and soil” politics are undermining our online future

A unique book about ancient Athens got me thinking about why billionaires are trying to destroy the global Internet culture that made them rich.

Sep 4, 2026

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6 min read

Summer field trip 2.3: Is Google too big to succeed?

Wrapping up my second summer field trip, is size destiny when it comes to corporate culture? A tour through my own career, from startups to a 200,000-person leviathan. Is Gemini a Google rebirth, or its last gasp of creativity?

Aug 28, 2026

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4 min read

Meta’s new settlement with the states should only be the first step toward real regulation.

The Meta settlement requires limited oversight of Instagram and Facebook for just five years. Making it permanent, independent, and industry-wide requires a law.

Aug 28, 2026

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5 min read

Summer field trip 2.2: Strategy theatre at Google: was I the hero or the fool?

My summer field trip into Google corporate culture continues with a memoir of twenty years of strategic planning success and debacle.