iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 27/08/2026

New investigation from me: Waymo and Zoox test drivers were injured dozens of times across 2024/2025 as a result of harsh braking -- often for no apparent reason -- or erratic movement by the autonomous vehicles. More on @techcrunch.com but a short thread below. techcrunch.com/2026/08/27/s...

techcrunch.com

Sprains, pain and whiplash: Waymo and Zoox test drivers are getting hurt as robotaxis scale | TechCrunch

Test drivers for Waymo and Zoox sustained more than two dozen injuries in 2024 and 2025 from hard braking or other sudden movements made by the autonomous vehicles, according to a TechCrunch review of...

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Jesse Felder @jessefelder.com · 48m

‘Limited liability for torts is a subsidy to today’s shareholders paid for by tomorrow’s victims. For AI, that subsidy should end. That means if an AI company faces a mass tort and runs out of money, its controlling shareholders, like Amodei and Zuck, should have to pay.‘ www.wsj.com/opinion/shar...

wsj.com

Opinion | Shareholders Should Pay for AI Dangers

Companies that say they’re endangering the public shouldn’t get the privilege of limited legal liability.

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 3h

finally beginning to believe AI is going to create more jobs because how else can AI reporters keep up with all of this

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 3h

did sam altman write this

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The Onion @theonion.com · 29/09/2026

Creatively Tapped-Out Peter Thiel Launches Startup Called ‘Frodo, But Evil’ theonion.com/creatively-tapped-out-…

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e.w. niedermeyer @niedermeyer.online · 5h

hell yeah

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e.w. niedermeyer @niedermeyer.online · 5h

the Autonocast episode with John Harris was so much fun, such a great view of the excesses of EV 1.0 and how it informed the pragmatism of an EV 2.0 startup like Harbinger www.autonocast.com/blog/2025/5/...

autonocast.com

#335: John Harris of Harbinger — Autonocast

Before co-founding the medium duty electric truck startup Harbinger, John Harris lived through some of the wildest highs and lows of the post-Tesla EV startup bubble. On this week's episode, he explai...

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Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 5h

And this is almost an aside in the story, but also absolutely bonkers. Meta claimed Zuck as a "researcher" to get a $355 million tax break on his $4.1 billion stock-based compensation.

Screenshot from New York Times article: "Meta is already in one sizable dispute with the I.R.S. over this tax break, for using it to subsidize its chief executive’s multibillion-dollar pay package. In 2013, Meta claimed that $4.1 billion of stock options exercised by Mr. Zuckerberg counted as a research expense because he helped invent new software, such as Facebook’s News Feed. The I.R.S. is trying to claw back the company’s resulting $355 million in tax savings, court filings show."

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Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 8h

Meta is using a radical interpretation of a tax credit for “research and experimentation” to get billions of dollars off GPUs for its A.I. data centers. My latest with Jesse Drucker, @elitan.bsky.social and @mikeisaac.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/t...

nytimes.com

How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes (Gift Article)

Meta is exploiting a lucrative tax break intended to support research and experimentation. Its own accountants say the gambit is risky.

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Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · 8h

NEW: As Trump’s White House and influencers keep touting the unproven benefits of raw milk, hundreds across the country are falling ill from outbreaks. Some people get severe indigestion. And some nearly die. Here's the story of one toddler who drank it. 🧵👇 www.propublica.org/article/cali...

propublica.org

A Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.

California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But...

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 18h

Hate to say it but this is just the natural progression of TV ad campaigns these days. The idea is to play the bit out as much as possible in the hopes of creating a mini MCU of commercials. Defunctland did a great video about this with the “Capital One Guy” youtu.be/256FF1yclB4?...

youtu.be

Defunctland After Dark: The Capital One Bank Guy

YouTube video by Defunctland After Dark

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 18h

Find yourself someone who loves you as much as Aaron Boone loves trying to steal outs with starting pitchers

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Amanda Silberling @amanda.omg.lol · 21h

sometimes writing about bluesky discourse means you're just too deep in the echo chamber but other times bluesky discourse uncovers the unsettling reality that there are minecraft jokes coded into an official government website techcrunch.com/2026/09/29/a...

techcrunch.com

America.gov gets really weird when you ask it about Minecraft, but it's not a glitch | TechCrunch

For the sake of national security, it's a relief to learn that America.gov is not hallucinating to the point that it's penning lengthy poetry.

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River Ave. Blues @riveraveblues.bsky.social · 20h

Yankees vs. Red Sox, best-of-three, winner plays the Rays. It’s time for Yankees baseball.

Space ghost saying it's time to die ... this isn't so bad.

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 29/09/2026

actually it's Counts Dracula

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Adi Robertson @thedextriarchy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

the past week reminds me of this @lopatto.bsky.social piece about *just how much* of the past several years has been shaped by powerful men dismantling the court of public opinion, because it was the last court they might face any consequences in

theverge.com

How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo

The emails show the “anti-woke” crusaders are afraid of accountability.

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Amanda Silberling @amanda.omg.lol · 29/09/2026

this post inspired by me DMing sean about baseball

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 29/09/2026

bringing back this one for anyone who's feeling stressed or overwhelmed lately

a tweet from sean that reads:

my tip for dealing with… everything, lately, is to just occassionally say “on the bright side…” out loud. no need to follow it up with anything. just throw it out in the middle of a bleak conversation and let the mood lift for even a brief moment

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 29/09/2026

"But the Boynton Beach properties weren’t for Ellison himself. They were for his family’s staff, including tutors for some of the five children he shares with his sixth wife" www.wsj.com/real-estate/...

wsj.com

Exclusive | The Gated Community Where Larry Ellison Bought Eight Homes for His Staff

The Oracle billionaire spent almost $10 million on houses for his children’s tutors and others about 30 minutes from his Florida compound.

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Pablo Torre @pablo.show · 29/09/2026

Prominent megachurch pastor Craig Groeschel has just cancelled his scheduled appearances at four upcoming Life Surge events, following our investigation with @motherjones.com @kieraevebutler.bsky.social:

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 29/09/2026

Johncock set a longstanding lap record at Winchester speedway in Indiana by his own admission because he “had no brakes on the car that day.” A genuine legend of racing in large part because he avoided the spotlight. Big RIP.

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Jaya Saxena @jayasaxena.com · 28/09/2026

Loved this piece from @francesdoingthings.bsky.social about Filipino eating in Forgotten Island

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Amanda Silberling @amanda.omg.lol · 28/09/2026

I'm interviewing Bluesky execs on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt in a few weeks, so it's only fitting to ask on Bluesky... what do people want to know?

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Ed Lynch @goatburgler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We are very passionate about our product, whatever it happens to be at the time.

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 28/09/2026

Faraday Future (wait come back) is selling its robot business (importing Chinese robots) to its separate crypto company (which was once a biopharmaceutical thing) and acquiring most of that company’s stock, and meanwhile Faraday is becoming (wait for it) a robotaxi operator that might buy Cybercabs

x.com

Faraday Future (@FaradayFuture) on X

Faraday Future Announces Strategic Upgrade into Robotaxi and EAI Cabin Technology Operator and Physical AI Investment Holding Company; To Combine Its Robotics Business at Approx. $200 Million Valuatio...

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 28/09/2026

Sony is apparently quitting CES which means it's time to post (and watch) maybe the greatest thing that ever happened at CES: Tom Hanks going absolutely feral during the Sony keynote in 2009 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngf6...

youtube.com

GameSpot @ CES 09: Tom Hanks Sony Intro

YouTube video by GameSpot

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Techmeme @techmeme.com · 28/09/2026

Quartermaster, which builds a SmartMast for ships to relay real-time maritime data, raised a $140M Series B, with $100M in equity, after a $43M Series A in May (Sean O'Kane/TechCrunch) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 28/09/2026

Once again thinking about how Elon Musk said everyone in the world can have a penthouse because of AI and robots

An Elon musk tweet. It reads:

Actually, Al/Robotics will mean everyone can have a penthouse if they want. The output of goods & services will be several orders of magnitude higher than today's economy.
Read the lain Banks Culture books for the best imagining of how it will be.
That said, what is the future you want? Amazing abundance seems the best to me.

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Eileen Guo @eileenguo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Excited to be sharing @technologyreview.com’s investigation, Dying on Camera, live on MS NOW shortly. Tune in to our interview… and then check out our full package here: www.technologyreview.com/supertopic/b...

technologyreview.com

Dying on Camera

AN MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW INVESTIGATION Dying on Camera The US has spent billions building a “virtual wall” of surveillance towers along its southern border over the past 25 years, promising they will ...

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William Turton @williamturton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Portland Press Herald Editorial Board: "It is extremely disappointing to watch Collins and members of her staff move to immediately discredit a thorough and fair piece of investigative journalism on political and personal grounds." www.pressherald.com/2026/09/27/i...

pressherald.com

It’s Maine’s turn to be concerned about Susan Collins | Editorial

The senator's complacent response to open allegations of bribery sends voters a very clear and disrespectful message.

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 27/09/2026

“During the Biden administration, the Treasury Department made cracking down on sanctions evasion a centerpiece of its effort to punish Russia... The pressure has largely disappeared. Since President Trump returned to office, the administration has removed more restrictions than it has added”

nytimes.com

The ‘Monster’ Behind Russia’s Global Effort to Evade Western Sanctions

A Moscow firm uses shell companies and cryptocurrency to launder money, and a custom app to forge trade records, to help Russia bypass sweeping financial restrictions.

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 27/09/2026

Snap going with the old-fashioned “wrap the entire Sunday NY Times” move for the new Specs

A Snap Specs ad wrapping the Sunday NY Times paper, with four people in black and white wearing the camera glasses

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Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Journalism gets the goods: Tim Tebow "pauses" his partnership with this wealth seminar company after @kieraevebutler.bsky.social's investigation. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

motherjones.com

Tim Tebow “pausing” Christian seminar promotion after our investigation

“I think the allegations are extremely serious."

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your friend oriana @schwindter.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

i know i shouldn't pass judgment on parents because i'm not one but i just don't think you should bring your 10-year-old son to the movie theater to see primetime

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Nathaniel William Horadam @horadam.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I heard Navarro's claim about exporting magnets to allies when I worked at DOE, but had never seen it in writing so was hesitant to discuss it. It is absolute BS. Not only are we many years away, we will be producing cost-uncompetitive magnets that cannot be sold to customers outside the US.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore @charlespulliam.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Spent a lot of this past week hanging out in Pokémon card scalping Discords to learn about how and why resellers became so focused on this specific franchise. Pokémon's popularity is part of it, but it also has a lot to do with the evolution of the creator economy

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Sean O’Kane @okane.fyi · 26/09/2026

still can’t believe NY Times snubbed John From Cincinnati

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