Ellen Huet

Brad Lander is shown being detained by federal agents in a courthouse. Lander wears a dark blue suit, blue shirt and blue striped tie. The agents wear sweatshirts and blue jeans. A headline reads: "Brad Lander Is Detained By ICE Agents at Immigration Courthouse." Photo by Olga Fedorova/Associated Press.

Breaking News: Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller who is running for mayor, was detained by ICE agents at an immigration court as he tried to escort a migrant out of the courthouse to prevent his arrest. nyti.ms/4jWkANE

most importantly, i got @bloomberg.com to print "these nuts"

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Scale AI’s Wang Brings to Meta Knowledge of What Everyone Else is Doing Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang is such an enthusiastic networker that his former roommate — OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman — once jokingly told him to tone it down a bit.

NEW from me: a quick profile of Alexandr Wang, who left his company Scale to become one of Meta's most $$$ expensive hires

with some fun details like
- why his name is missing an e
- how YC thought he "may be arrogant or brilliant"

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

‘I’m an American, Bro!’: Latinos Report Raids in Which U.S. Citizenship Is Questioned

“I was born here,” Jason Brian Gavidia shouted as a federal agent twisted his arm & pressed him against a fence outside his auto body shop in a working-class L.A. suburb. “I’m an American, bro!”

Vivid @nytimes.com reporting on the targeting of U.S. citizens of Hispanic descent.

The Spying Scandal Rocking the World of HR Software HR software maker Rippling accused Deel, a key rival, of hiring a staff member to serve as a mole. Things escalated from there.

GIFT LINK BELOW: 🎁 🎁 🎁 🎁

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

NEW: @kateclark.bsky.social and i went deep on the unhinged spying saga between Rippling and Deel for @BW (and this gif!!!)

two of the world's most valuable startups are volleying accusations back and forth

at the center is one alleged spy, who says he smashed his phone w an axe (!)

Mark Twain Died Famous, Not Happy In a new biography, Ron Chernow covers the sadness at the end of Twain’s life.

Ron Chernow’s new book about Mark Twain is more about disappointment than success

The Monastery Where Founders Meditate on Code and Profit HF0, a live-in program for startup founders in San Francisco, mixes New Agey spirituality with Silicon Valley-esque hypercapitalism.

NEW @bloomberg.com feature from me on @hf0.bsky.social, the 12-wk live-in startup accelerator that calls itself a "monastery for hackers"

at HF0, founders tune out all distractions and build. the coaching incorporates mindfulness (and cold plunges)

gift link 🎁:

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

paris, i've always admired your work -- so sad to hear this

yesssssss

The Ford Executive Who Kept Score of Colleagues’ Verbal Flubs Mike O’Brien kept a meticulous log of mixed metaphors and malaprops uttered in meetings over a decade; ‘too many cooks in the soup’

this is, regrettably, very me www.wsj.com/lifestyle/fo...

The Tufts Daily - Thursday, March 27, 2025 by The Tufts Daily - Issuu

Kudos to the student journalists at The Tufts Daily, who crashed a last-minute issue of the paper to cover the outrageous arrest and detention of Tufts student Rumeysa Ozturk:

issuu.com/tuftsdaily/d...

Why Are Visa and Green-Card Holders Being Detained and Deported? There have been some harrowing reports about foreign nationals detained and deported amid Trump’s immigration crackdown. Here’s what we know.

a summary: nymag.com/intelligence...

somehow this is the funniest part of the rippling-deel spy lawsuit to me. of course there's a dogs slack channel, and of course that's a channel you preview but don't join

Violent Cult Has Roots In Silicon Valley Quest to Keep AI Safe Welcome to Tech In Depth, our revamped daily newsletter with reporting and analysis about the business of tech from Bloomberg’s journalists around the world. Today, Ellen Huet writes about the crosscu...

new cult-ish content! i wrote a short explainer about the Zizians for @bloomberg.com's daily tech newsletter

trying to answer: In what ways are the Zizians representative of the rationalist/AI safety/EA world, and in what ways do they deviate?

gift link:
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

i talked about robot anxiety and why we take it out by vandalizing Waymos with @morgansung.bsky.social for Close All Tabs! podcast podcast podcast. also including @rcalo.bsky.social

The Neo-Tantric Sex Group That Promised to Change ISTA is dedicated to exploring people’s darkest desires. Can it root out abuse?

a fascinating longread in nymag from @anya1anya.bsky.social about ISTA -- the neo-tantra group that promised sexual healing but faced numerous allegations of sexual abuse

www.thecut.com/article/the-...

Earlier today the LA Times had AI-generated counterpoints to a column from @gustavoarellano.bsky.social. His piece argued that Anaheim, the city he grew up in, should not forget its KKK past.

The AI "well, actually"-ed the KKK. It has since been taken off the piece.

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Silicon Valley’s Favorite Mattress Might Pose Privacy Risk Welcome to Tech In Depth, our revamped daily newsletter with reporting and analysis about the business of tech from Bloomberg’s journalists around the world. Today, Ellen Huet wonders about the merits...

the researchers wrote about it here (@insecurenature.bsky.social): trufflesecurity.com/blog/removin...

gift link to our story here: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

(fwiw, eight sleep says the key is only for debugging and denies that it was improperly used)

NEW: security researchers found what they say appears to be a backdoor into Eight Sleep beds, which could allow company engineers to SSH into any bed

in theory, they could see if you're home or not, if you're sleeping alone or with someone

in today's newsletter for @bloomberg.com

TikTok Political Boomerang Gives Users a Queasy Feeling Welcome to Tech In Depth, our revamped daily newsletter with reporting and analysis about the business of tech from Bloomberg’s journalists around the world. Today, Ellen Huet writes about the strange...

after the ban-unban whiplash, my favorite tiktok culture analyst @carmeldea.bsky.social kept telling our group chat that the tiktok vibes were off. so i turned her thoughts into a newsletter for @bloomberg.com

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

I recently finished listening the final episode of the Foundering. I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling by @ellenhuet.bsky.social. If you’re interested in captivating stories about real people and events, I highly recommend checking it out. #bloomberg #openai #samaltman

thank you!

genuinely curious if the term "masculine energy" is getting thrown around more in tech/sf circles right now than it was a year or two ago

yes lolol

come for the story, stay for the terrifying and absurd art, featuring @lifeofzir.bsky.social, the aforementioned Giant Zyn On A Scooter

the reviews are in

Zyn’s Online Hype Risks Leading to the Nicotine Pouches’ Downfall Zyn represents success for Philip Morris’ “smokeless” strategy and also a major challenge: How can the company sell cigarette alternatives that aren’t so tempting it gets in trouble for hooking kids?

NEW businessweek feature from me, all about ZYN!!!

- how zyn's popularity could put the product at risk
- deep dive into zynfluencer mania (e.g. man in zyn costume on scooter)
- PLUS, in a feat of gonzyn journalism, i try a 6mg zyn and almost barf

gift link:
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Zyn’s Online Hype Risks Leading to the Nicotine Pouches’ Downfall Zyn represents success for Philip Morris’ “smokeless” strategy and also a major challenge: How can the company sell cigarette alternatives that aren’t so tempting it gets in trouble for hooking kids?

Such a pleasure to work on this with @ellenhuet.bsky.social.
She even tried an upper deckie for journalism! 🎁 Gift Link: Zyn’s Online Hype Risks Leading to the Nicotine Pouches’ Downfall www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

What Is Venture Capital Now Anyway? The opposing paths taken by two powerful firms — Benchmark and Andreessen Horowitz — embody a profound debate about the future of an industry that funds and fosters American innovation.

excellent @ering.bsky.social piece that gets to the heart of a key question in vc right now www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/t...