Dave Willner
@dwillner.bsky.social
Co-Founder at Zentropi. Formerly Head of Trust & Safety at OpenAI, of Community Policy at Airbnb, and of Content Policy Facebook. Strictly cold takes.
Pinned
Dave Willner
@dwillner.bsky.social
· Jul 31
For 17 years working in trust and safety, I've watched talented people burn out on impossible tasks. The problem isn't the people, it's the systems. Traditional moderation requires months of retraining for every policy change. Only big companies can afford it, and even then it works poorly. 🧵 1/9
Reposted by Dave Willner
This is just insane. It’s only a matter of time before DHS kills another innocent person here.
(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)
(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)
January 31, 2026 at 6:13 PM
This is just insane. It’s only a matter of time before DHS kills another innocent person here.
(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)
(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)
Reposted by Dave Willner
Minneapolis should press its momentum and demand not only withdrawal but start talking about the need for immediate reparations, loudly, with the total certainty that only winners have. "You have wronged us terribly and must pay recompense" and let them argue the second part.
January 30, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Minneapolis should press its momentum and demand not only withdrawal but start talking about the need for immediate reparations, loudly, with the total certainty that only winners have. "You have wronged us terribly and must pay recompense" and let them argue the second part.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Meet Osprey V1.0, a new open source online safety tool designed to help platforms investigate and address their priority threats at scale, without sacrificing data privacy or performance. roost.tools/blog/introdu...
Introducing Osprey V1.0: Open Source Infrastructure for Real-Time Abuse Mitigation
Robust Open Online Safety Tools or ROOST is a new non-profit entity designed to address the urgent need for accessible, high-quality safety tools in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
roost.tools
January 29, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Meet Osprey V1.0, a new open source online safety tool designed to help platforms investigate and address their priority threats at scale, without sacrificing data privacy or performance. roost.tools/blog/introdu...
Reposted by Dave Willner
This is so unhinged
January 29, 2026 at 9:34 PM
This is so unhinged
@techpolicypress.bsky.social was kind enough to host my reflections on just how far we’ve already come with AI-assisted content moderation.
We’ve got a long way to go, but the difficulties that used to serve as (legitimate) excuses are fading fast.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-is-removi...
We’ve got a long way to go, but the difficulties that used to serve as (legitimate) excuses are fading fast.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-is-removi...
AI is Removing Bottlenecks to Effective Content Moderation at Scale
Zentropi's Dave Willner says LLM-driven technology can now accomplish content classification at the scale necessary for moderation on large platforms.
www.techpolicy.press
January 29, 2026 at 4:38 PM
@techpolicypress.bsky.social was kind enough to host my reflections on just how far we’ve already come with AI-assisted content moderation.
We’ve got a long way to go, but the difficulties that used to serve as (legitimate) excuses are fading fast.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-is-removi...
We’ve got a long way to go, but the difficulties that used to serve as (legitimate) excuses are fading fast.
www.techpolicy.press/ai-is-removi...
Reposted by Dave Willner
Scrolling through the photos of Pam Bondi's "Minnesota rioters," it's just hero after hero. Every photo includes a cowardly DHS agent with their back to the camera.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
January 28, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Scrolling through the photos of Pam Bondi's "Minnesota rioters," it's just hero after hero. Every photo includes a cowardly DHS agent with their back to the camera.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Bondi thinks she's going to win the propaganda war with this shit, but it's never been more clear that they're losing.
Reposted by Dave Willner
People not in Minneapolis spreading the theory that Pretti was targeted in a hit do not understand the damage they’re potentially doing. Insanely irresponsible
January 27, 2026 at 11:09 PM
People not in Minneapolis spreading the theory that Pretti was targeted in a hit do not understand the damage they’re potentially doing. Insanely irresponsible
Reposted by Dave Willner
Guys maybe the number one obstacle to organizing here in Minneapolis is the unfounded fear that if you get involved, DHS will put you on a list and assassinate you. It leads people to avoid organizing or act in ways that are completely detrimental to organizing. Please please do not spread that fear
January 27, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Guys maybe the number one obstacle to organizing here in Minneapolis is the unfounded fear that if you get involved, DHS will put you on a list and assassinate you. It leads people to avoid organizing or act in ways that are completely detrimental to organizing. Please please do not spread that fear
Reposted by Dave Willner
This isn't fixed with better training.
"You raise your voice, I erase your voice."
ICE in Minneapolis are erasing your rights.
Please share our new video of what's happening in our city. youtu.be/W1dyNcRGRXY
ICE in Minneapolis are erasing your rights.
Please share our new video of what's happening in our city. youtu.be/W1dyNcRGRXY
January 27, 2026 at 8:13 PM
This isn't fixed with better training.
Reposted by Dave Willner
MN > ICE
![01/26/2026 15:27:26[TWT]
Priscilla Alvarez
@priscialva
BREAKING: Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino and some of his
agents are expected to leave Minneapolis and return to their respective
sectors, sources tell me, @KristenhCNN + @kaitlancollins.
Sent via Twitter Web App. View original tweet.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pnx2fjuannbdpy3337ggthpp/bafkreiglia3lsgoularsdrttknes76e3otad6xpnyp2eia2nmg5ckrc7cq@jpeg)
January 26, 2026 at 8:52 PM
MN > ICE
Reposted by Dave Willner
Yep, the shootings were clearly great politics for the White House just like the White House said.
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Gregory Bovino Gets Demoted
The Border Patrol chief was the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:47 PM
Yep, the shootings were clearly great politics for the White House just like the White House said.
Reposted by Dave Willner
what will likely be my final words to greg bovino
January 26, 2026 at 11:57 PM
what will likely be my final words to greg bovino
We just shipped image classification on Zentropi!
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
Zentropi Now Labels Images
Building guardrails for visual content just got a lot easier. Today we're launching image classification on Zentropi and announcing cope-b-12b, a multimodal model that powers this experience.
blog.zentropi.ai
January 26, 2026 at 6:52 PM
We just shipped image classification on Zentropi!
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
You can write your criteria in plain English, then analyze images against them at scale using cope-b-12b, a new multimodal model we trained
Critically, @samidh.bsky.social used it to make a cat detector: blog.zentropi.ai/zentropi-now-labels-images/
A lot of the time, specific people and organizations are the problem, and an unwillingness to say that clearly is, itself, a part of that problem.
I truly, truly get it why a lot of good people are saying that Minneapolis is not about left or right, democrats or republican, now. I understand. But I’m sorry it actually is
January 26, 2026 at 6:19 AM
A lot of the time, specific people and organizations are the problem, and an unwillingness to say that clearly is, itself, a part of that problem.
Reposted by Dave Willner
the purpose of Christian compassion is to let it be weaponized against you. you are meant to die of it if necessary.
Joel Berry, Managing Editor of the Babylon Bee, wrote this AM that: “If we lose heart every time a feral Communist commits suicide by cop, our country isn’t gonna make it *** I’m so beyond letting my Christian compassion get weaponized by Leftist death-worshippers…” (His “Christian compassion”) 1/
January 25, 2026 at 8:51 PM
the purpose of Christian compassion is to let it be weaponized against you. you are meant to die of it if necessary.
Reposted by Dave Willner
I don't think it matters whether or not Alex Pretti had a gun www.theverge.com/policy/86745...
It doesn’t matter if Alex Pretti had a gun
Nonviolence is a double standard
www.theverge.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I don't think it matters whether or not Alex Pretti had a gun www.theverge.com/policy/86745...
Reposted by Dave Willner
From the NY Post. You know they are really scrambling when they are running "The gun was no angel" stories.
January 25, 2026 at 1:53 PM
From the NY Post. You know they are really scrambling when they are running "The gun was no angel" stories.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Reposted by Dave Willner
Those blaming failure to "reduce tensions" by telling protestors to stay home want you to be ok with/forget that masked federal thugs just murdered a man in broad daylight
It's not a time to reduce tension. It's a time to stand up in overwhelming numbers
They SHOULD be afraid of what happens next
It's not a time to reduce tension. It's a time to stand up in overwhelming numbers
They SHOULD be afraid of what happens next
January 25, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Those blaming failure to "reduce tensions" by telling protestors to stay home want you to be ok with/forget that masked federal thugs just murdered a man in broad daylight
It's not a time to reduce tension. It's a time to stand up in overwhelming numbers
They SHOULD be afraid of what happens next
It's not a time to reduce tension. It's a time to stand up in overwhelming numbers
They SHOULD be afraid of what happens next
Reposted by Dave Willner
Please reshare the below post, unfortunately some accounts with lots of followers have reposted the false claim and loads of people are falling for it.
I'm seeing people mistakenly claim the gun photo was posted before today, but its just how Google sometimes dates images based on the original date of the thread its posted in, not when it was posted. The photo was posted an hour ago in this 5 day old thread
www.reddit.com/r/fivethirty...
www.reddit.com/r/fivethirty...
January 24, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Please reshare the below post, unfortunately some accounts with lots of followers have reposted the false claim and loads of people are falling for it.
Reposted by Dave Willner
By who? Who shot the person dead? You saw the video. We all know a federal agent shot a man dead who was prone on the ground. Also, it's not "according to officials." It's according to verified video seen with your eyes. Not saying what anyone can obviously see with their eyes is a form of lying.
January 24, 2026 at 6:28 PM
By who? Who shot the person dead? You saw the video. We all know a federal agent shot a man dead who was prone on the ground. Also, it's not "according to officials." It's according to verified video seen with your eyes. Not saying what anyone can obviously see with their eyes is a form of lying.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Let’s be clear about something: This was an execution.
Rep. Moulton voted No on the Homeland Security approps bill this week.
Not a single Democratic Senator should vote Yes on that funding bill now. We cannot provide more resources to ICE or CBP. None of this is acceptable.
Rep. Moulton voted No on the Homeland Security approps bill this week.
Not a single Democratic Senator should vote Yes on that funding bill now. We cannot provide more resources to ICE or CBP. None of this is acceptable.
Video of the Minneapolis shooting on Reddit shows a group of ICE agents beating a man on the ground. One of the ICE agents then steps back and shoots the victim multiple times.
A nearby witness says “they killed the guy.”
A nearby witness says “they killed the guy.”
January 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Let’s be clear about something: This was an execution.
Rep. Moulton voted No on the Homeland Security approps bill this week.
Not a single Democratic Senator should vote Yes on that funding bill now. We cannot provide more resources to ICE or CBP. None of this is acceptable.
Rep. Moulton voted No on the Homeland Security approps bill this week.
Not a single Democratic Senator should vote Yes on that funding bill now. We cannot provide more resources to ICE or CBP. None of this is acceptable.
Reposted by Dave Willner
Why is Dem leadership not on the ground in MN? If the answer is “polls show Trump’s disapproval is only -15 on deportations, but -25 on prices,” thats a Bad Use Of Polling and a complete failure in their capacity as leaders to lead public opinion and fight for democracy and the rule of law
January 24, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Why is Dem leadership not on the ground in MN? If the answer is “polls show Trump’s disapproval is only -15 on deportations, but -25 on prices,” thats a Bad Use Of Polling and a complete failure in their capacity as leaders to lead public opinion and fight for democracy and the rule of law
Reposted by Dave Willner
The way to reconcile this is their aspiration was always to put down a slave revolt, not fight in one. bsky.app/profile/osit...
We have been told for nearly 30 years that America needed to tolerate mass shootings because the broad availability of guns would help us defend ourselves from an overreaching federal government. That day has come. The people who said this are supporting the federal agents. Many have joined them.
January 24, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The way to reconcile this is their aspiration was always to put down a slave revolt, not fight in one. bsky.app/profile/osit...
Reposted by Dave Willner
What is happening on the streets of the US with “Law Enforcement” agents killing people is disgusting, horrific and outrageous. I don’t have a take. I don’t have words. I don’t have advice for how to fight back. I am just grieving.
January 24, 2026 at 5:07 PM
What is happening on the streets of the US with “Law Enforcement” agents killing people is disgusting, horrific and outrageous. I don’t have a take. I don’t have words. I don’t have advice for how to fight back. I am just grieving.