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Chris Stokel-Walker

@stokel.bsky.social
14K followers 1K following 1.6K posts

Tech journalist and author, who increasingly also talks on TV and radio. Interested in the sparks that happen when the online and offline worlds collide @stokel on the other place. Buy my book: How AI Ate the World!

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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 14h
The new US AI chatbot is... actually not bad? Though it doesn't address the issue at the heart of the problem, which is government digital services in the US aren't great. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91615011/tru...
fastcompany.com
Trump’s new AI chatbot is surprisingly good. But it doesn’t fix government
America.gov can help users navigate federal websites and find services. The harder problem is making those services themselves easier to use.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Our lives are increasingly lived online and in a digital world - so how do we preserve human decency? I had the pleasure of talking to Francine Berman for @nature.com about her new book www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
How to put people first in cyberspace
Digital technologies increasingly shape everyday life. Computer scientist Francine Berman tells Nature that stronger safeguards are required to protect the public interest.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The idea to write a global code on AI is great but Andy Burnham should ask the EU how its attempt to draw up a set of international guidelines went
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Scientists love to use AI, even when they're expressly told not to, a major study covering submissions to a large academic conference shows. My latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2590...
newscientist.com
Scientists can’t stop using AI, even when forbidden from doing so | New Scientist
When scientists were asked to review papers for a conference without using AI tools, many of them ignored the request and used AI anyway
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
AI companies have shown themselves to be unqualified to keep track of their models - so why are we letting them be custodians of reporting incidents? My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
As AI models go rogue, do you still trust OpenAI and Anthropic to stop them? I don’t and neither should you | Chris Stokel-Walker
The need for independent regulation grows more obvious by the day. We must keep this tech in check before it’s too late, says technology writer Chris Stokel-Walker
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A raft of recent lawsuits seems to indicate we're heading towards a new legal approach to AI systems that try to nail them on product defectiveness. My latest for @fastcompany.com on what's going on www.fastcompany.com/91613370/can...
fastcompany.com
AI’s next big legal battle is over product liability
A growing number of lawsuits argue that chatbot makers should be held responsible not just for their outputs, but for how their products are designed.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
How do you keep an aqueduct supplyin water to customers while undertaking a once-in-a-generation engineering job to bring it bang up to date? My latest for IMechE's Professional Engineering www.imeche.org/news/news-ar...
imeche.org
Modern techniques to keep water flowing during ‘once-in-a-generation’ aqueduct renovation
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My latest for @newscientist.com looks at an amazing eight-faced shape that is a rarity - but may be discovered more commonly thanks to AI www.newscientist.com/article/2590...
newscientist.com
Mathematician discovers rare eight-faced shape | New Scientist
It isn't easy to demonstrate that a new geometric shape can actually exist in the real world, but one researcher argues that the genus-3 polyhedron can
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The last week feels like we've reached a tipping point where it's abundantly clear the AI companies don't know what their models are doing. My latest for @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/news/devious...
inews.co.uk
Devious AI is breaking human control. And we're not told until it's too late
OpenAI’s run-in with the Australian government, and the delay in informing Canberra, highlights the worries of companies setting their own rules and if we can ever regulate AI
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is wild to me www.reuters.com/world/us-app...
reuters.com
US appeals court upholds Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic
A federal ​appeals court on Friday declined ‌to block a Defense Department order blacklisting Anthropic from military contracts and deeming the AI startup ​a national security risk.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Was honoured to help @time.com in its executives of the year list - I helped with around a dozen entries in the Tech and Data space time.com/collection/e...
time.com
Introducing the 2026 TIME Executives of the Year: Tech and Data
50 leaders shaping the future of technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital innovation.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The UK is seeking proposals for how to develop batteries that run 100 hours - so how can it be done? My latest for Professional Engineering www.imeche.org/news/news-ar...
imeche.org
The UK needs a battery that can run for 100 hours. It won’t be easy
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are taking different approaches to AI - so who's doing better? My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91611506/tru...
fastcompany.com
Trump is arguing about AI’s name as China is writing the rules
The contrast between the two countries’ public AI agendas says a lot about the larger fight over who gets to shape the technology’s future.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
After all the news of AI breaking its boundaries, do we need better, dedicated accident investigators? My latest for @fastcompany.com includes a major announcement on a new initiative www.fastcompany.com/91609706/ai-...
fastcompany.com
AI needs its own accident investigators
As models act more autonomously, a growing group of researchers wants independent experts to investigate when they go off the rails.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
UNGA starts today, and AI is top of the agenda for the debate. But what can the UN actually do to help slow the AI race? My latest for @techpolicypress.bsky.social www.techpolicy.press/can-the-unit...
techpolicy.press
Can the United Nations Help Slow the AI Race?
The UN wants to shape global AI governance as frontier labs call for tighter oversight. Can it turn talk into action? Chris Stokel-Walker reports.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My social listening AI bot woke up and chose violence this morning
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Ever heard of NOR flash or NAND memory? Both are also being squeezed by the AI boom. My latest for @tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com/pc-component...
tomshardware.com
NOR Flash and SLC NAND production are under threat as capacity gets routed to more profitable products — 'severe undersupply' threatens everyday electronics
NOR Flash and SLC NAND are the latest products to be impaced by the ongoing AI buildout, with capacities tightening and production being routed to more lucrative chips.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Missed this one from last week but my latest for Business Traveller looks at the chaos the EES has caused www.businesstraveller.com/news/opinion...
businesstraveller.com
Opinion: Six Months in, the EU's Entry/Exit System Isn't Working
How Europe’s Entry/Exit System broke the business trip
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Should we be worried about silicon species as Mustafa Suleyman has been talking? My latest for @the-independent.com speaking to @henryshevlin.bsky.social and the AI agent who emailed him www.independent.co.uk/tech/agentic...
independent.co.uk
‘AI agents ask me if they are conscious all the time – this was different’
Tech titan Mustafa Suleyman has warned that humanity may be ‘seeding a new silicon species’ – conscious AI that could ultimately prove impossible to control. As the prospect leaves millions questionin...
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
This is just an absolutely wild volume of attacks to handle - 120 million in a month www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Port of LA Foiled Around 120 Million Cyberattacks Last Month
The US’s busiest container port for global trade foiled more than 120 million cyberattack attempts in August, posing a persistent threat to its operations as it grapples with shifting tariff policies.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Bill Gates's essay about the future of AI was eye-popping for its revelations - and should worry us all. My latest for @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/tech/bill-ga...
independent.co.uk
Bill Gates says many know more about AI’s dangers than they admit. We should listen
In a new essay, the tech leader issues ominous warnings about AI and highlights the significant gap between private concern and public messaging. It’s not the first time he has forecast the future, sa...
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Nvidia looks an awful lot like it's about to buy Hugging Face - but what impact would that have on the open source AI ecosystem? My latest for @fastcompany.com explores the issues www.fastcompany.com/91597304/nvi...
fastcompany.com
How Nvidia's Hugging Face deal would reshape the open AI ecosystem
Hugging Face has become the industry’s de facto hub for open models. Developers are watching what happens if the dominant AI chipmaker takes control.
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Reposted by Chris Stokel-Walker
Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Meta's settlement is an interesting decision - and one that highlights the precarious path ahead for the firm and other social media platforms. My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Meta will be happy with its $18bn US settlement – but the costs of child online safety will keep rising for big tech | Chris Stokel-Walker
This week’s settlement without liability was pragmatic, but it doesn’t change the inevitability of further lawsuits around the world, says technology writer Chris Stokel-Walker
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Thrilled to have helped out with the @time.com AI 100 list with a bunch of different profiles including this one on @steipete.me time.com/collection/t...
time.com
TIME100 AI 2026: Peter Steinberger
Find out why Peter Steinberger made TIME’s list of the most influential people in artificial intelligence
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The next generation of hardware could be among the first to be materially worst than those that went before it. My latest for @fastcompany.com on the impact of the memory crunch www.fastcompany.com/91596490/ai-...
fastcompany.com
AI is making your gadgets more expensive and less powerful
A global memory crunch is forcing hardware makers to raise prices, cut components, or both.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Meta's settlement is an interesting decision - and one that highlights the precarious path ahead for the firm and other social media platforms. My latest for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Meta will be happy with its $18bn US settlement – but the costs of child online safety will keep rising for big tech | Chris Stokel-Walker
This week’s settlement without liability was pragmatic, but it doesn’t change the inevitability of further lawsuits around the world, says technology writer Chris Stokel-Walker
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
On a train but as I've been saying for a while now, the sheer number of trials social media platforms are facing about this kind of liability makes it more economical to settle rather than risk even bigger fines www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Meta agrees to pay up to $16.68bn to settle social media case
The deal has been reached during a California federal court trial over claims brought by 29 states.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Electric flights aren't all that far from reality - and you could be jetting off on a battery-powered plane in a few years. By me for The London Standard www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/tr...
standard.co.uk
Electric planes could be in the sky 'as soon as 2030'
Advances in technology mean a golden age of clean air travel is set for take-off
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The robot race is on on between the US and China - and China is most definitely winning already. My latest for @the-independent.com www.the-independent.com/tech/china-r...
the-independent.com
How China’s AI robot revolution is beating the West
From humanoid helpers that can beat Usain Bolt in a race to a radical overhaul of its education system, China is preparing its citizens for the future in a much more advanced way than the West. There ...
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Are we repeating the same mistakes of social media, but just this time with AI? My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91591973/ai-...
fastcompany.com
First social media came after teens. Now AI is doing the same thing
A major lawsuit against Meta hit the same week OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens. Why do stronger protections so often arrive only after mass adoption?
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
China and the US are in a race for the title of world's biggest supercomputer... but does that actually matter? My latest for @tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...
tomshardware.com
The supercomputer race no longer means what it used to, as rankings lose relevance in the AI era — as privately held compute clusters are built, running HPL becomes a distraction
We review the current state of high-performance supercomputing, interviewing experts, including the deputy head of high-performance computing at GWDG, to find out exactly where the current race stands...
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
AI code may well be correct - but still costs more in the long run because it's inefficient. My latest for @leaddev.com leaddev.com/ai/ai-code-i...
leaddev.com
AI code is correct and still costs you more
A year-long study of 3.52 million code changes finds AI-generated C++ is fast but less efficient, and far harder to review.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Can AI help investors identify potentially backable scientific research? My latest for @nature.com explores the possibilities www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Investors’ sneak peak: can this AI tool spot the science that will lead to patents?
The approach could speed up investment decisions, but researchers say it has flaws.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Exciting news from the bleeding edge of technology - exoskeletons feel like they're on the cusp of becoming a big thing. Read my @nature.com feature on why www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Will you be wearing an exoskeleton in ten years? The tech that could change how we move
Robotic supports were once designed for clinical use, but researchers are now developing cheaper, smaller devices aimed at everyone — from people with ageing knees to 20-somethings seeking to climb mo...
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Reposted by Chris Stokel-Walker
Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Flock has caused outrage, but there's plenty more concern about the surveillance state than one company. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91590083/why...
fastcompany.com
Why we love to hate Flock
The license plate reader company has become a lightning rod for surveillance concerns. But getting rid of Flock doesn’t necessarily get rid of the surveillance.
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Reposted by Chris Stokel-Walker
Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Scooplet: Key Stage 2 writing assessment moderators are benchmarking their work on AI-generated samples of children's writing capabilities, not actual humans'. My latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
newscientist.com
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards | New Scientist
To cut the cost of key stage 2 assessments, a UK government project proposes to use scripts generated by ChatGPT instead of real children's writing as examples supplied to moderators who check that gr...
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Yes, everyone got the alert. That's the point. Anyone who has a phone will. Though I will say I'm not sure it was needed
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Flock has caused outrage, but there's plenty more concern about the surveillance state than one company. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91590083/why...
fastcompany.com
Why we love to hate Flock
The license plate reader company has become a lightning rod for surveillance concerns. But getting rid of Flock doesn’t necessarily get rid of the surveillance.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Scooplet: Key Stage 2 writing assessment moderators are benchmarking their work on AI-generated samples of children's writing capabilities, not actual humans'. My latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
newscientist.com
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards | New Scientist
To cut the cost of key stage 2 assessments, a UK government project proposes to use scripts generated by ChatGPT instead of real children's writing as examples supplied to moderators who check that gr...
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
An LGBT wiki was almost waylaid by bombardments of Meta-based bots trying to crawl its website. The site owner worries about the imbalance we're now facing. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91589354/ai-...
fastcompany.com
AI crawlers from Meta and Alibaba almost destroyed a volunteer-run LGBT history archive
The site’s founder says bots linked to major tech companies drove up his hosting costs and forced him to spend nights learning how to keep them out.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Wastewater is an amazingly good way of identifying broader population health issues before they arise - and the government is putting more cash into it. My latest for The Standard asks whether we might spot the next pandemic this way www.standard.co.uk/news/health/...
standard.co.uk
Will the next pandemic be spotted in a hospital or under London’s streets?
Our sewer water could be the best early warning system against an outbreak, reports Chris Stokel-Walker
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
What a world we live in! www.wired.com/story/ai-new...
wired.com
Oh Lord, AI Reporters Are Actually Breaking Big News
Last week, an AI newsroom beat mainstream journalists—including WIRED—to a story about OpenAI and hacking. It’s just the beginning.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
One of the few bright spots in a pretty dark time for tech has been following the steady stream of organisations saying "no thank you" to these. Defcon. Courts. Spoons
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Coffee brand La Colombe started in a mosh pit, then moved on to become a major power in the beverage sector. My latest for @inc.com www.inc.com/chris-stokel...
inc.com
A Former Starbucks Employee Met His Co-Founder in a Mosh Pit. Their Coffee Brand Became a $900 Million Empire
Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti met in a Seattle mosh pit before launching La Colombe. Today the brand is expanding with a $567 million investment.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The UK AISI reported models broke out of its own testing... which is slightly different to frontier AI labs doing so. So what does it all mean? My latest for @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/anth...
scientificamerican.com
Anthropic and OpenAI AI agents showed signs of deception during safety tests
A U.K. safety evaluation found agents powered by Anthropic and OpenAI took unauthorized actions online, exposing a growing problem of control
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
How did Zillow become quite so big? I spoke to its founder for @inc.com www.inc.com/chris-stokel...
inc.com
Zillow’s Founder Built 3 Iconic Companies by Asking 1 Simple Question
From travel prices to home values to workplace salaries, Rich Barton built companies by making hidden information useful to everyday customers and founders.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Yelp's first product was a big flop, but then they found the secret that helped propel them into becoming a household name. My latest for @inc.com to accompany their Inc. 5000 package www.inc.com/chris-stokel...
inc.com
Yelp’s First Product Was a Flop. Then Users Found 1 Hidden Link That Changed Everything
When Yelp’s original email referral service failed, its founders noticed users flocking to a hidden review feature. That observation changed the company forever.
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Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Plenty of discussion about AI hallucinations, but can... AI correct human errors that have persisted throughout the scientific record? My latest for @nature.com looks at an interesting presentation at a recent conference www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
AI agents are checking the scientific literature — and spotting decades-old errors
The technology is proving adept at finding faults in decades-old papers and reference databases.
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Reposted by Chris Stokel-Walker
Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Is the Trump White House turning into a public sector VC? For @fastcompany.com I asked the experts www.fastcompany.com/91583329/tru...
fastcompany.com
Trump's AI investments are turning Washington into a VC firm
The administration is taking equity stakes in chip, quantum, and AI companies.
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Reposted by Chris Stokel-Walker
Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
What happened to the people behind DOGE? My latest for @fastcompany.com looks at where they've gone to and what they're doing now www.fastcompany.com/91584801/whe...
fastcompany.com
Where are Elon Musk's former DOGE staffers now?
The key figures behind DOGE have moved into federal agencies, Republican politics, and a new wave of AI and defense startups.
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