The Rip Current

I spent the long weekend interviewing technologists at CFPB who left behind the chance to make big money in the private sector so they could work to protect you instead…and got fired for it. The written piece is here, but I wanted to share a few extra takeaways with paid subscribers, including the ridiculousness of accusing these folks of being inefficient, and the self-enrichment potential posed by Elon Musk and his people accessing their competitors’ data inside this agency. Thank you for being part of The Rip Current, and let me know in the chat what you think about the role of a regulator and whether they’re worth protecting. If you were in charge of CFPB, what would you have it looking into?As ever, if you know someone you think would benefit from a look at the big, invisible forces pulling on us right now, please share or recommend my work — it goes an incredibly long way in helping me draw an audience. Again, I’m so grateful for your support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theripcurrent.substack.com/subscribe

This is a weekly audio digest of the latest content, exclusively for paid subscribers to The Rip Current.This week I write about the jingoistic tech posturing we're going to suffer in the coming weeks, after new Chinese AI models tanked American companies' stocks, and about the current politics of casual destruction and the way profit incentives gobble up everything around them, including your time. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theripcurrent.substack.com/subscribe

I was often first on the scene for big wildfires during my 10 years as a correspondent for Al Jazeera and NBC News. The lessons I learned, and the ways in which my mind began to shorthand otherwise unimaginable experiences, make the LA fires particularly hard to watch. Here’s some perspective from the front lines. Thinking of you, SoCal. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theripcurrent.substack.com/subscribe