Ben Werdmuller
benwerd@nos.social
npub183ng...4n09
I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account.
Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io.
More about me: https://about.werd.io
This Physicist Says We Don’t Take COVID Seriously Enough 
Ben Werdmuller
This Physicist Says We Don’t Take COVID Seriously Enough
The pandemic isn't over, and there's still much to fear from the COVID-19 virus.
There's no such thing as neutral technology 
Ben Werdmuller
There's no such thing as neutral technology
Why organizations must evaluate values, not just features
Trump Administration's Arrival on Bluesky Highlights Growing Pains for Open Networks
Ben Werdmuller
Trump Administration's Arrival on Bluesky Highlights Growing Pains for Open Networks
"It’s no accident that US political operatives have been singling out Bluesky as a target for political control and retribution for months." But ...
This Is How Much Anthropic and Cursor Spend On Amazon Web Services
Ben Werdmuller
This Is How Much Anthropic and Cursor Spend On Amazon Web Services
AI at scale isn't scaling.
Why the open social web matters now 
Ben Werdmuller
Why the open social web matters now
The needs are real – and you have so much power.
Build what makes you special. Buy the rest. 
Ben Werdmuller
Build what makes you special. Buy the rest.
A framework for newsroom build vs buy decisions.
What AI means for the business of: journalism
Ben Werdmuller
What AI means for the business of: journalism
"[An] archipelago of high-trust communities [is] where journalists are uniquely capable of building thriving businesses."
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
Ben Werdmuller
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
Many of our colleagues' communities are being directly targeted by an increasingly authoritarian, anti-immigrant regime. As managers and leaders, w...
Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news
Ben Werdmuller
Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news
It turns out that "we're protecting democracy and our industry is dying, please pay us money" is not a great sales pitch.
Your private data isn't as private as you think 
Ben Werdmuller
Your private data isn't as private as you think
How law enforcement and private parties can access your information without your knowledge, and what you can do about it.
Building distributed media for a democratic breakdown 
Ben Werdmuller
Building distributed media for a democratic breakdown
Preparing viable alternatives for broadcast censorship and a restricted internet.
Using technology skills for positive change 
Ben Werdmuller
Using technology skills for positive change
Let's help build the world we want to see.