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Nicholas Thompson

@nxthompson.bsky.social

5.4K followers 100 following 320 posts

CEO of The Atlantic. Going out of business soon, since 1857.

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Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 1h

I am thrilled to announce “The Most Interesting Thing in A.I.” podcast is back for a third season.

Episode one drops on Wednesday, I hope you listen & subscribe: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Produced by Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 1h

Subscribe here to catch the latest episodes on Spotify and YouTube:
open.spotify.com/show/0oEaOH6...
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 1h

I am thrilled to announce “The Most Interesting Thing in A.I.” podcast is back for a third season.

Episode one drops on Wednesday, I hope you listen & subscribe: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Produced by Atlantic Re:think, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 1d

“They want everybody to be afraid,” Senator Patty Murray told us. “Oh my gosh, he’s going to do this. Oh my gosh, he did that. But when you deny somebody that fear, you diminish their power. And that is what we think is absolutely critical.” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Why Democrats Think They’re Winning the Shutdown Fight

They’ve clearly succeeded in elevating the issue of health care.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 3d

“At this moment, when citizens in many of the world’s most successful liberal democracies are giving up, Venezuelans fight violence with nonviolence and oppose corruption through bravery.”

Congratulations to Maria Machado on her Nobel Peace Prize. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Why María Machado Deserved the Nobel Peace Prize

The Venezuelan opposition leader shows why participation matters.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 8d

Kash Patel's new coin does not signify gravitas. It says: "I am a grown man who has spent way too much time on the internet.’ www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Kash Patel’s Challenge Coin Is Perfect for Him

The FBI director has created a memento that symbolizes his unfitness.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 14d

Garry Kasparov has lived through a transition to authoritarianism. He has studied it his whole life. And he’s very worried now.

The Race to Save America’s Democracy

Trump’s administration may seem chaotic, but Americans should not take the integrity of next year’s elections for granted.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 16d

“His murder transformed him from an abstract idea or menace into a man with a loving family who was suddenly gone.”

A fabulous Mark Whitaker essay on the deaths of both Charlie Kirk and Malcolm X.

How Charlie Kirk’s Death Will Change His Message

For a case study in how martyrdom can transform a firebrand, look to Malcolm X.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 17d

lol, perfect.

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 17d

"James Comey’s rights and liberties are not the only ones at risk today. So is your own right to participate in free and fair elections in order to render a verdict on Trump’s invasion of those rights and liberties." By @davidfrum.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The Comey Indictment Is Not Just Payback

It’s an advance glimpse of Trump’s next attempt to seize power.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 19d

Social media tried to keep us infinitely engaged through their algorithms. Chatbots are now trying through asking infinite questions and nudging us to stay engaged. It's now called "chatbait," it's taking over the Internet, and there's a lot that can go wrong.

Chatbait Is Taking Over the Internet

How chatbots keep you talking

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 21d

Trump's agenda requires that people do things they know are wrong --- and that they know could harm them if his grip on power loosens.

So as the public turns---his polls are dropping and the stench of corruption is climbing---will they keep doing his bidding? www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Trump Might Be Losing His Race Against Time

The president is gambling that he can consolidate authority before the public turns too sharply against him.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social · 23d

More than that. "The FBI ***recorded*** Tom Homan taking the money "after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration."

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 23d

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · Jan 31

A new era of government censorship has begun.
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | A new era of government censorship has dawned

Donald Trump fancies himself a champion of free speech. Oh, really?

www.washingtonpost.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 23d

It is truly astonishing that the government’s reaction to Kirk’s murder has been more about the 1st Amendment than the 2nd.

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 23d

""A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective,” Judge Merryday wrote. “Not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/b...

Judge Dismisses Trump’s $15 Billion Lawsuit Against The New York Times

The judge said that the complaint failed to contain a “short and plain statement of the claim.” Mr. Trump has 28 days to refile.

www.nytimes.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 24d

“Authoritarianism is like measles: ignore it and it will go away. I have this guidance straight from Secretary Kennedy.” www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

A Beautiful Day for Saying Nothing

That chill in the air isn’t Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn!

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 26d

The idea that the alleged killer in the Kirk case was a right winger is really not borne out by the evidence submitted in the indictment yesterday and people should stop saying that.

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 26d

Charlie Kirk supported free speech.

Free speech laws, and norms, protected Kirk.

And now Kirk’s horrific death is being used as an excuse to crack down on free speech.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Irony of Using Charlie Kirk’s Murder to Silence Debate

The conservative activist couldn’t have risen to prominence without robust free speech.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 28d

"Much of the right is focusing on pro-violence statements by pet-hospital owners in Oklahoma while ignoring them by the world’s most powerful person." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Leading Democrats Are Condemning Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Why is the online right having such a hard time recognizing that?

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 13

This horrible cycle of violence, BS, and outrage won’t end until the platforms change.

The algorithms—and the structure of the platforms—is making everything worse.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Something Is Very Wrong Online

The cycle of violence will continue as long as the medium doesn’t change.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 11

Kamala Harris, in her new book—excerpted yesterday—says Joe Biden's run for reflection "wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The Constant Battle

The first excerpt from 107 Days

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 11

"The impulse to solve political problems through violence would be a danger to any society, but it can prove particularly lethal in the United States, where firearms are common and easy to obtain." www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Horrifying Assassination of Charlie Kirk

The shooting of the conservative activist is the latest act of political violence in the United States.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · Sep 10

Whether by accident or malice - and likely intentionally - the Russians are risking a wider war in Europe. The only path to reducing such a threat is for the world to force Moscow to call off its campaign of butchery in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, America is AWOL:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Russia’s Reckless Provocation

Whether by accident or malice, the Russians are risking a wider war in Europe.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 9

Trump had lots of options when news of the letter came out! But he chose to deny it existed, and now he's in a pickle because the letter is out, it's real, and it's very bad. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The Epstein Letter Is Real, and It’s Bad

The president’s initial strategy of denying that the document exists leaves him with few options now that it has been made public.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · Sep 8

Are tech companies limiting AI's potential by trying to mimic human intelligence?

I spoke with @erikbryn and @yshoham about this topic and many others related to AI and the future of work. You can watch/listen to it here: www.ai21.com/events/ai-an...

AI, Agents and the Future of Work Webinar | AI21

Join AI21’s Yoav Shoham and economist Erik Brynjolfsson as they explore AI agents, human-AI collaboration & why enterprises struggle to scale AI.