Archive

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

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?

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

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.

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

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.

Summer field trip 2.1: two mythic tales of Sridhar Ramaswamy, former Google Ads chief

Aug 14, 2026

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6 min read

Summer field trip 2.1: two mythic tales of Sridhar Ramaswamy, former Google Ads chief

In the spirit of Odysseus, I’m sailing the seas of Google corporate culture for the next three weeks. Today, how senior executives, like the Gods, shaped the fate of billions even when they weren’t in the room.

Jul 31, 2026

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4 min read

News round-up: New York, France, & Google jump on the child-safety bandwagon; Meta, Tiktok, & Discord auto-moderation goes rampant

Online age verification keeps accelerating with a major new EU report and a new Android feature. Creators and regular users continue to take it on the chin from platform moderation errors. Plus, I preview this year’s summer field trip.

What if the path to open social media runs through creators, not communities?

Jul 24, 2026

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5 min read

What if the path to open social media runs through creators, not communities?

In 1992, Marvel’s top artists flexed their power to break the comic book industry wide open. The best way to open up the Internet today might be to get today’s biggest creators on our side in the same way.

Explainer #8: what connects the creator economy, Spider-Man, and the English Civil War?

Jul 17, 2026

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6 min read

Explainer #8: what connects the creator economy, Spider-Man, and the English Civil War?

In the 1600s, Parliament fought for democracy against the divine right of kings. The most radical rebels of the time have lessons for today’s online creators, via the founding of Image Comics in 1992.

Palantir's Alex Karp goes full Galaxy Brain, and the US Supreme Court gets something right for once

Jul 10, 2026

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5 min read

Palantir's Alex Karp goes full Galaxy Brain, and the US Supreme Court gets something right for once

I am back from vacation and ready to take gratuitous potshots at Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s 20-minute free-associating rant on CNBC. Plus, a big win for online rights at the US Supreme Court (which I previewed back in March)!

Jun 26, 2026

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3 min read

News round-up: lawsuits, social media bans, and a curious launch from Google

Sarah Wynn-Williams strikes back at Meta, Google blurs the line between Search and YouTube, and the child safety wars continue to rage across the globe.

Explainer #7: Trust & Safety with Chinese Characteristics

Jun 19, 2026

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5 min read

Explainer #7: Trust & Safety with Chinese Characteristics

To learn more about due process, I read a book comparing great legal traditions. I found that modern trust and safety practices have more in common with Chinese dynasties than Western democracy. Yikes.