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Catherine Thorbecke

@thorbecke.bsky.social
165 followers 10 following 2 posts

Asia technology columnist at Bloomberg Opinion. Based in Tokyo. For tips and love letters: cthorbecke1@bloomberg.net

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Catherine Thorbecke @thorbecke.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
I’ve been cheering for Bluesky for a while, but for me the biggest thing that felt missing as someone outside the US was the int’l users and trends. Sharing a (free to read!) link to my latest column for @opinion.bloomberg.com here because seems only fitting: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Bluesky Needs to Burst Its American Bubble
X, formerly Twitter, has kept finding new ways to get worse ever since it was taken over by the world’s richest man. And that was before it began doubling as a generator of non-consensual AI porn, som...
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
DeepSeek exposes an uncomfortable truth: US exceptionalism and xenophobia mean the tech broligarchy will keep being surprised, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Why Chinese Tech Keeps Surprising the West
DeepSeek is the latest product from China to shock the US tech broligarchy. It won’t be the last.
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Bloomberg Opinion @opinion.bloomberg.com · 30/01/2025
People are jailbreaking DeepSeek to get around China’s strict censorship laws. @thorbecke.bsky.social tried it to uncover the truth. Here’s what she found 🎥
youtube.com
#DeepSeek shook up #AI but at what cost? #China #ChatGPT #OpenAI #news
YouTube video by Bloomberg Opinion
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
For now, DeepSeek is no Chat(Xi)PT, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social China’s most popular AI product is expected to perpetuate communist party values, but there are cracks @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
DeepSeek Is No Chat(Xi)PT. For Now
China’s most popular AI product is expected to perpetuate Communist Party values, but there are cracks.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
If you're wondering what all the DeepSeek fuss is about, read this smart piece from @thorbecke.bsky.social @opinion.bloomberg.com (free to read) www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
DeepSeek and Masa Son Have Lessons for Stargate
China has shown that scarcity can fuel innovation. Americans should be cautious that excess doesn’t breed waste.
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Bloomberg Opinion @opinion.bloomberg.com · 27/01/2025
China has shown that innovation doesn’t have to be expensive, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social. Americans should be cautious:
bloomberg.com
DeepSeek and Masa Son Have Lessons for Stargate
China has shown that scarcity can fuel innovation. Americans should be cautious that excess doesn’t breed waste.
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Dave Lee @davelee.me · 27/01/2025
This -- from @thorbecke.bsky.social -- saw this moment coming in June: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
China’s AI Strength Suggests US Curbs Could Backfire
Washington shouldn’t discount how imposing scarcity all too often breeds innovation.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
A barrage of cyberattacks reveal just how vulnerable the US would be in a serious conflict, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Trump’s Bigger China Cyber Threat Isn’t TikTok
Hackers penetrating critical facilities or the devices of top officials show glaring US weaknesses if there’s ever a major conflict. It’s time to get serious.
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Catherine Thorbecke @thorbecke.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
If Musk’s deconstruction of X indicates what’s in store for TikTok, it’s not likely to be a win for the more than 170 million American users. My latest for @opinion.bloomberg.com , free to read: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Elon Musk Won’t Save TikTok
If Musk’s deconstruction of X indicates what’s in store for TikTok, it’s not likely to be a win for the more than 170 million American users.
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Bloomberg Opinion @opinion.bloomberg.com · 14/01/2025
If Musk’s deconstruction of X indicates what’s in store for TikTok, it’s not likely to be a win for the more than 170 million American users, says @thorbecke.bsky.social
bloomberg.com
Elon Musk Won’t Save TikTok
If Musk’s deconstruction of X indicates what’s in store for TikTok, it’s not likely to be a win for the more than 170 million American users.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
It's time for a truce, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Indonesia’s Showdown With Apple Is Far From Over
Jakarta may think it has won the first round, but now is the time to reach a truce with the US tech giant.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
A messier, America First-focused breakup will only embolden Beijing while inhibiting its own consumer-tech industry, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
US-China Tech Breakup Is a Race to the Bottom
The US must clarify the link between consumer tech and national security threats.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 25/12/2024
Waymo’s Japan road trip should veer outside of Tokyo: Autonomous vehicles can head to rural areas to fill labor shortages and transit gaps, writes @thorbecke.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Waymo’s Japan Road Trip Should Drift Outside Tokyo
Driving in the capital is difficult, even for humans. But autonomous vehicles can head to rural areas to fill labor shortages and transit gaps.
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Bloomberg Opinion @opinion.bloomberg.com · 27/12/2024
Here are six books recommended by @davelee.me , @parmy.bsky.social and @thorbecke.bsky.social to help you make sense of technology in 2025
bloomberg.com
Books We Read in 2024 to Prepare Us for the Future
Reading and writing isn’t something to be surrendered to AI. Here are six books written by humans to give insight into a world changed rapidly by technology.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
The power of “persuasion” has been identified as a potentially catastrophic risk right alongside fears that models could gain autonomy or help build a nuclear weapon, @thorbecke.bsky.social writes www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
Chinese Technology Is Getting More Persuasive
Tools that nudge your decision-making is a concern that extends far beyond how Beijing could use it.
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Ruth Pollard @ruthpollard.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Trump's program "devolved into an ineffective racial profiling campaign targeting Asian American academics, and left a string of wrongful accusations that upended researchers’ lives while doing little to stamp out suspected spying," writes @thorbecke.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
bloomberg.com
US Cannot Repeat Trump’s Attacks on Chinese Scientists
His first-term China Initiative was a failure. Bringing it back would play into Beijing’s hands and impact US innovation.
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