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Max von Thun

@maxvonthun.bsky.social
3.4K followers 1.1K following 164 posts

Europe Director @openmarkets.bsky.social. Former UK Parliamentary adviser and tech policy consultant. Pro-tech, anti-monopoly.

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Reposted by Max von Thun
Amanda Marcotte @amandamarcotte.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Reports that Tucker Carlson is leaving the GOP are greatly exaggerated. He isn't really hiding that the goal is to take it over. Worse, he wants to make it even more radical than it is. An analysis. www.salon.com/2026/06/26/t...
salon.com
Tucker Carlson is not leaving the GOP. He wants to take it over
The podcast host envisions a more radical Republican Party
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
The EU is taking welcome steps to promote European tech infrastructure but it is still beholden to Silicon Valley's vision of the future, in which AI deployment is an end in itself that trumps all other societal objectives. My latest @theguardian.com piece. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Europe is starting to break up with US big tech. But it’s still abiding by the Silicon Valley rulebook | Max von Thun
The European Commission has unveiled its plans for digital sovereignty. Its proposals betray a disappointing lack of vision, says Max von Thun of the Open Markets Institute Europe
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Wacky story in @ftm.eu this morning – apparently Musk's xAI has listed a random office block in Estonia as its Europe-wide contact address, and even the building owners hadn't heard a thing about it. www.ftm.eu/articles/elo...
ftm.eu
Elon Musk’s AI firm directs complaints to dodgy address in Estonia
Follow the Money - Platform for investigative journalism
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
This story is WILD. Juan Orlando Hernandez, the Honduran ex-president pardoned by Trump for narcotrafficking, seemingly caught on tape in dozens of conversations (if true), discussing plans with GOP and other figures to attack left-wing governments, and saying Israel paid for his pardon from Trump.
english.elpais.com
‘Hondurasgate,’ the alleged US and Israeli interference plot to destabilize Mexico and other progressive governments
A leaked audio recording points to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, Javier Milei, and Donald Trump as attempting to create a platform to spread fake news about the administrations of ...
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Robin Berjon @robin.berjon.com · 08/05/2026
Because I'm a cutting-edge next-generation political analyst I can tell you: if you keep repeating far right talking points, it actually promotes the far right. Of course, no political leadership would be dumb enough not to know that.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
No one expected Keir Starmer to solve our pressing problems overnight. But what we did expect – and had every right to expect – was that he would lay out a clear vision and roadmap for doing so. Instead, we’ve had drift, appeasement and a startling absence of ideas, values and ambition. 🧵1/6
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Awful news, but I’m wondering why Zambia would destroy its ability to host an international event ever again. Foreign coercion seems most likely explanation - Zambia just signed a development deal with China and is negotiating with the US over minerals, and neither is a big fan of digital rights…
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 24/04/2026
Fellas, did you think naming the company after the evil all-seeing orb was ironic?
wired.com
Palantir Employees Are Starting to Wonder if They’re the Bad Guys
Interviews with current and former Palantir employees, along with internal Slack messages obtained by WIRED, suggest a workforce in turmoil.
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The Trump administration used tariff threats to pressure countries into gutting their own tech regulations. From Indonesia to Brazil, Big Tech's wish list became US trade policy, according to an investigation led by Agência Pública as part of the series The Invisible Hand of Big Tech.
buff.ly
How the United States Used Tariff Deals to Weaken Tech Regulation Around the World
At least ten countries signed off on deals or frameworks that benefit American tech companies in 2025, according to an investigation led by Agência Pública.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
That's $10 billion of missiles. For absolutely no benefit whatsoever.
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Kate Klonick @klonick.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Stanford AI Index Report: "The U.S.-China AI model performance gap has effectively closed." hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/202...
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 29/03/2026
“Years of garnering bad will from the public has left social media companies searching for a persuasive argument around why they are not liable for societal harms, and the trial in California at least initially shows they have yet to find it.”
theguardian.com
How Meta’s victim-blaming failed to sway jurors in landmark social media addiction trial
Aggressive strategy and loss in the trial highlight a problem for tech firms: a widespread distrust of social media companies
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
As an avid film watcher/cinema goer I found this piece on the inability of today’s FILM STUDENTS to watch an entire film very depressing. Yet another casualty of social media’s war on our attention spans, and a worrying harbinger for the future of serious cinema. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films
The attention-span crisis goes to the movies.
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Ben Phillips @benphillips76.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
This photo.
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Alex Hern @hern.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
We're all going to be using our devices for longer than we planned so my advice to you: settings > battery > charging > set limit to 80% [on iOS or macOS]. Making sure your computer or phone never goes above 80% will *quadruple* its life compared to charging it to 100% every evening.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Almost two-thirds of Europeans polled believe that replacing American tech services with European alternatives is a good idea, but those surveyed are divided if that shift is realistic, according to YouGov research shared with Tech Policy Press. Contributing editor Mark Scott details key findings.
techpolicy.press
Almost Two-Thirds of Europeans Back Replacing US Tech, Poll Finds
EU leaders are pursuing digital sovereignty plans to reduce the 27-country bloc’s dependence on the United States, writes Mark Scott.
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Imagine threatening to invade and annex NATO allies, then getting pissy when they won't help you in a mad war you started against someone else, which has nothing to do with NATO anyway
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Max Bergmann @maxbergmann.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Heckuva job Rutte
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Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 26/03/2026
Picking up newspaper to see VW will likely transition its Osnabrück factory from making cars to making missiles for Israel's Iron Dome, putting down newspaper.
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Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
These are the new Philip Morris guys except they’re also assisting in the destruction of democracies all over the world. Even if you don’t ruin your life becoming addicted to their product, their actions will still make your life/community/society worse.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 25/03/2026
“The Twitter madness is feeding back into the newspapers because these columnists are terminally online. They are obsessed with things that most people outside of Twitter don’t really care about and it’s a doom loop, isn’t it? And then it sets the agenda for what everybody else is talking about.”
thenewworld.co.uk
James O’Brien says the press have gone mad – and it’s worse than you think
The LBC host on how Brexit logic is making papers defend Trump on Iran – because ‘they’d rather look ridiculous than admit they’re wrong’
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
The new Venezuelan defence minister ran Maduro's secret police, torturing and killing people, and was sanctioned by the EU, US and UK. Good to see the liberation of the Venezuelan people is going so well. www.ft.com/content/c526...
ft.com
Venezuela’s ‘chief torturer’ takes over the military
Longtime spy chief promoted to defence minister as interim president Delcy Rodríguez consolidates power
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Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 25/03/2026
finland was planning to move its election platform to amazon web services. after all the threats from the US and concern about how it will use tech dependence against europe, that plan is on ice.
bloomberg.com
Finland Shelves Plan to Move Election Platform to Amazon Servers
Finland put on ice a plan to move its election platform to Amazon Web Services Inc., the latest development in Europe’s drive towards digital autonomy as trust in the US frays.
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Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Le Pen arriving in Budapest, Trump endorsing Orbán, Vance on his way, Netanyahu also calling for a pro-Orbán vote. I have never seen the European and wider (ironically) global far-right publicly uniting to swing behind a candidate in a national election in Europe so far:
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 23/03/2026
I see ICE are really enhancing the airport experience already, this is going great
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Teresa Ribera @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu · 23/03/2026
Starting my US mission this morning on CNBC, with two issues at the centre of the global conversation: Big Tech and energy. Innovation drives progress, but it also requires responsibility. Open markets, fair conditions and shared prosperity must remain the guiding principles.
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
The Trump administration commissioned an internal study on alleged "censorship" by EU regulators. The study found "no evidence that Member States of the European Union are overreaching the DSA to censor and criminalize online content". Whoops. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
washingtonpost.com
Inside the Trump administration’s campaign to counter content bans in Europe
The president has expanded efforts to fight what he sees as censorship overseas, using the State Department to target European governments.
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
The devil will be in the detail, but good to see Mistral acknowledging the need for AI developers to pay copyright holders for their content. Shows the role that a competitive market plays in challenging the extractive business models of incumbents. www.ft.com/content/d63d...
ft.com
Mistral CEO: AI companies should pay a content levy in Europe
A revenue-based charge would protect the livelihoods of copyright holders and bring legal certainty
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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 23/03/2026
Four years into a war launched by a 70 year old man worried about legacy and clinging to power, an 76 year old man worried about legacy and clinging to power convinced a 79 year old man worried about legacy and clinging to power that they needed to bomb Iran to take out an 86 year old man wo...
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Katja Bego @katjabego.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Posters from early in the Ukraine war (spring 2022) - let's take the sentiment to heart this time around.
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John Reed @johnreedwrites.ft.com · 23/03/2026
Ruchir Sharma: “Trump is layering a haphazard shooting war on top of an ill-conceived tariff war and largely getting away with it, in part because other nations have become too dependent on America — militarily, technologically and, above all, financially.” as.ft.com/r/62b977a6-5...
as.ft.com
America keeps bailing out Trump
[FREE TO READ] The country’s underlying strengths are absorbing his erratic choices, including the war on Iran
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
And before anyone accuses me of holding Israel to unfairly high standards: if there’s anyone on here who didn’t think it was a war crime when Russia did it to Ukraine, be interesting to hear from you.
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Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 20/03/2026
Starting to suspect DOGE wasn't primarily about costcutting fortune.com/2026/03/18/h...
fortune.com
The national debt just crossed $39 trillion—almost doubling since Trump vowed to erase it | Fortune
Budget experts agree on one thing. The debt is on an "unsustainable" trajectory.
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Casey Johnston @caseyjohnston.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
We’ve lost all concept of this, but government services are not supposed to be profit making enterprises. government services are not publicly traded corporations. They are, and I can’t stress this enough, government services
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Caroline de Gruyter @carolinedegruyter.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
The new dynamic in Europe www.politico.eu/article/norw...
politico.eu
Norway should join the EU, says opposition leader
Norwegians voted against joining the EU in 1994. Now it’s time to ask them again, said leader of country’s conservative opposition party.
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
According to this survey carried out across all 27 EU member states, nearly two-thirds of Europeans see U.S. restrictions on tech as a "real and concrete risk". Suggests that efforts to build viable European alternatives would have real backing from the wider public. www.politico.eu/article/euro...
politico.eu
Europeans think Trump can shut down their internet
More than half of people surveyed think reliance on U.S. tech is “real and concrete risk.”
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Sadiq Khan @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
The evidence is overwhelming: Brexit has been a disaster for London and the UK. Rejoining the EU is now clearly in our national interest. The option to rejoin should be on the ballot at the next General Election. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Sadiq Khan urges Labour to campaign on rejoining EU at next election
Mayor of London says returning to EU now more desirable because of economic instability caused by Donald Trump
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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 19/03/2026
Checking in on the finance bros.
A play on the dog sitting in fire saying "This is fine" meme. The dog is in a patagonia vest of the sort worn by finance-bros, and it is saying, "I can say slurs now."
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 16/03/2026
The vaccines worked
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
While it's great for Ukraine that Musk has decided (for now) to sever Russia's Starlink access, the fact remains that that no private individual should have the power – through their control of critical infrastructure – to unilaterally shape the course of wars. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
independent.co.uk
Starlink blocking Russia’s drones has given ‘enormous’ boost to Ukraine, says general
Sam Kiley reports from Ukraine’s fortress belt in Pavlohrad, and Izium in eastern Ukraine, on the dramatic effect of switching off the Starlink satellite network used by Russian forces
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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
We're at a potential slowly then suddenly collapse of all the structural feedback and information dissemination mechanisms that provided the global economic system whatever residual stability it still had
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Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
83 years ago, Hans and Sophie Scholl were executed by the Nazis for their acts of resistance against Hitler, together with their friend Christoph Probst. Sophie was 22 years old.
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
This piece by @adamtooze.bsky.social makes a critical point that isn’t discussed enough. We need an EU army not only because it would be more efficient, but also because lots of heavily armed European states - some led by nationalist parties - is a recipe for disaster. www.ft.com/content/2445...
ft.com
Only an army — and true integration — will solve Europe’s defence problem
Atlanticists fear this would hasten America’s departure from the continent, but what is the alternative?
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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 21/02/2026
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... How Palantir captured the UK Ministry of Defence
giftarticle.ft.com
How Palantir captured the Ministry of Defence
Insufficient details about the US data intelligence company’s recent contract have been made public
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Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Amazon’s cloud service suffered outages after engineers let AI assistants make key decisions. The combination of highly concentrated digital infrastructure and a rushed rollout of unreliable AI technologies is going to create many more incidents like this, and worse. www.ft.com/content/00c2...
ft.com
Amazon service was taken down by AI coding bot
Tech giant blames ‘user error, not AI error’ for incident in December involving its Kiro tool
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Fabio Chiusi @fabiochiusi.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
“Early speculation suggested ads would only surface after extended back-and-forth conversations. That’s not what’s happening. When a user asked “What’s the best way to book a weekend away?”, sponsored placements appeared immediately” searchengineland.com/chatgpt-ads-...
searchengineland.com
ChatGPT ads spotted and they are quite aggressive
ChatGPT ads are spotted by U.S. users — and they're appearing on the very first prompt, not after lengthy conversations as some predicted.
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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 18/02/2026
This is also how every call to "slash red tape" or "deregulate" should be handled. Regulations can always work better or be streamlined, but 98% of the time their purpose is still valid and the right wing clowns bloviating about it are the last people on earth you'd trust to iterate implementation.
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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
"Half of the $469bn invested by venture capitalists globally last year went to AI groups, according to CB Insights".- www.ft.com/content/dffe... I don't doubt there will be some incredible revenues and VC successes. But how can so many companies be secure from their competitors?
ft.com
British scientist raising $1bn for new AI lab in Europe’s biggest seed round
Sequoia Capital leading funding deal for David Silver’s start-up Ineffable Intelligence at $4bn valuation
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