Shaft

Shaft

@theshaft.co

Former CTO Obama Foundation msft/gusto/goog/Obama/twtr/aapl/goog Still the Complicated Man Who Risks his neck for non-binary peeps, transpeeps and women Not the #Shaft many of you newbies are looking 4 To learn more: theshaft.co

3.8K followers662 following487 posts

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Shaft
@theshaft.co

In 2017 #Obama called out the need for creating a tech counter narrative to what Twitter, Truth Social and the like have been doing. Why didn’t we?

Shaft
@theshaft.co

I would work to make this happen. The NYT is terrible .

Anil Dash@anildash.com

We would be in better hands, given they make most of their money from gaming, if the NYT were just bought by Xbox; this would also leave them w/ a better policy on how they treat many minority communities. Xbox Live could gain Wordle’s users, and would also have content that couldn’t be vibe-coded.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

Hey folks. Get ya #BlackSky on

Blacksky Algorithms@blackskyweb.xyz

🔥 The Blacksky mobile app is here. Today we're opening up our public beta on both iOS and Android. If you've been waiting for a native mobile experience, now's your chance to try it before our full public launch and help us make it even better. 🧵👇

Shaft
@theshaft.co

#BlackSky

Mekka Okereke@mekka.mekka-tech.com

The entire report as usual, is trash, because it doesn't mention which group is the target of the most hateful comments and increments to violence online. I know the answer of course (and so do you), because it's the same answer every time it's studied. Every. Time. What's notable is the omission.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

Going to say again for those in the front and back. Make a plan to GTFO of the united states. Get your docs in order, your finances in order and your life in order. This is a 5 alarm racist fire that will come to consume you and your loved ones. #virginia

Shaft
@theshaft.co

Hey fam, those of you in Tennessee, Louisiana and other states that are nullifying your votes, why you stay? #blacksky

Shaft
@theshaft.co

There was a lot of hate for this building before it was built. Now it’s a #SanFrancisco landmark

Shaft
@theshaft.co

#RIP #JesseJackson and for those who are throwing shade, Jesse Jackson’s actions in the 1950s-1980s had him marked for death and yet he persisted.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

Don’t hear much from this guy these days. All very performative in hindsight #jackdorsey #woke

Shaft reposted

Marco Rogers
@polotek.bsky.social

It's worth noting that ICE and CBP shot more of those vulnerable neighbors *in-between* Good and Pretti. And yet... You know what nevermind. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Needless to say that Renee Good and Alex Pretti will go down as heroes here in Minnesota and nationally, their names synonymous with sacrifice and caring for vulnerable neighbors even at the risk of your own life. And hopefully no more innocent lives are lost.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

View full thread
Shaft
@theshaft.co

13/ Worf said, “there are people who share in the lies and the dishonor.” He wasn’t only naming a bad leader, he was naming the system around the leader. And that’s the situation, not just a person doing it, but a network sharing in in the lies, dishonor and sadly profiting from it .

Shaft
@theshaft.co

14/ There's no clean exit from this. No exclamations of qapla'. Just a realization that the path ahead may well be paved by the bodies of a few and the souls of many.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

View full thread
Shaft
@theshaft.co

11/ The pattern stays the same: something happens → a “version” is announced → anyone pointing at the record gets framed as disloyal.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

12/ Once the lie becomes identity, the "our side” lies trotted out as facts become attacks. The test shifts from “is it true?” to “repeat it anyway?”

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

View full thread
Shaft
@theshaft.co

9/ That’s the U.S. version too. The leader can say and increasingly do anything and the support system turns it into “just politics.”

Shaft
@theshaft.co

10/ Because the lie doesn’t travel alone. It moves through titles, microphones, donor lists, and verified accounts—repeated with discipline, fervor and claims of america firts whether truthful or not.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

View full thread
Shaft
@theshaft.co

7/ This is where #StarTrek story telling comes is: Worf backs The Klingon Leader for “the good of the Empire”… until it’s clear the Empire is serving Gowron and his cronies.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

8/ Gowron’s real power isn’t the title. It’s how many people treat the title like it makes him right, people who know he is full of it but go along.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

View full thread
Shaft
@theshaft.co

5/ Something dangerous has been normalized: something happens → we all watch it → then we’re told it didn’t happen like we saw → and half the country is expected to clap anyway.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

6/ Don’t clap and you’re “unpatriotic,” “the problem,” “against us.” It’s a loyalty test with a flag sticker on it.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

View full thread
Shaft
@theshaft.co

3/ Not just the person at the top. Not just the loudest mic. The helpers. The repeaters. The “I’m just asking questions” crowd who already knows the answer.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

4/ The political weather: constant spin, constant outrage, and a loyalty culture where admitting basic facts is treated like betrayal.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

1/ Sometimes #StarTrek storylines get really close to the fuckery we are experiencing in the united states

Shaft
@theshaft.co

2/ We all see the lies, dishonor and gaslighting today. But it’s not just one person spewing invective, there are people who share in the lies and the dishonor.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

If you are in tech and conflicted about how to reconcile working in tech with people who are proto-facists, read this!

Anil Dash@anildash.com

The number one thing I've been hearing from people in tech lately is, basically, "How the hell am I supposed to work in this industry anymore?" Though most folks are kind of afraid to say it out loud. So I wrote about how to think about it: www.anildash.com/2026/01/05/a...

anildash.comHow the hell are you supposed to have a career in tech in 2026? - Anil DashA blog about making culture. Since 1999.
Shaft
@theshaft.co

I am spending the day acknowledging the beginnings of a continent wide genocide that continues to this day. While taking some satisfaction that the colonizers chickens are coming home to roost.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

This aged…

Shaft@theshaft.co

Anyone taking bets on when, not if the dem leadership caves and keeps the government open? #dinos #simps @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social @schumer.senate.gov

Shaft
@theshaft.co

To those who screaming "act now to save #democracy" It's too late. Your time to act was a decade ago. Almost 1/2 the country is ok with what is happening. This almost ensures there will be no turning back.

Shaft
@theshaft.co

And here’s a thing I’ll add. Making jokes means you don’t understand your privilege and center that instead of the harm your blind spots are enabling.

Anil Dash@anildash.com

Here’s a thing I’ll add, as someone who’s been there: if you’re the CEO of a platform with millions of users, you don’t get to have as much fun on that platform, period. And your job is to eat shit every time a legitimate critique of policy comes up. That’s the gig. Don’t sign up if you aren’t game.