Vauhini Vara
@vauhinivara.bsky.social
author of SEARCHES, THIS IS SALVAGED, & THE IMMORTAL KING RAO. pulitzer finalist. contributing writer at businessweek. mentor at the lighthouse writers workshop's book project. Contact me: DM, Signal (@vauhinivara.82), or my website (vauhinivara.com).
Reposted by Vauhini Vara
Vauhini does the unglamorous work of reading OpenAI's documentation and finds something very very interesting.
I thought at first that OpenAI was breaking its promise of objectivity. Then I realized it’s just redefining how objectivity functions — something that’s happened over and over. (Gift link!)
ChatGPT’s Self-Serving Optimism
OpenAI’s new guidelines ask its chatbot to celebrate ‘innovation,’ contradicting its stated goal of objectivity—and raising questions about what objectivity even means.
www.theatlantic.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Vauhini does the unglamorous work of reading OpenAI's documentation and finds something very very interesting.
When I shared my concerns with the OpenAI product manager responsible for these guidelines, she said she could see my point and would take it back to the team, saying, “Hey, maybe we need to adjust the sentence.” It's part of a long history of people / institutions negotiating how objectivity works.
I thought at first that OpenAI was breaking its promise of objectivity. Then I realized it’s just redefining how objectivity functions — something that’s happened over and over. (Gift link!)
ChatGPT’s Self-Serving Optimism
OpenAI’s new guidelines ask its chatbot to celebrate ‘innovation,’ contradicting its stated goal of objectivity—and raising questions about what objectivity even means.
www.theatlantic.com
December 8, 2025 at 8:53 PM
When I shared my concerns with the OpenAI product manager responsible for these guidelines, she said she could see my point and would take it back to the team, saying, “Hey, maybe we need to adjust the sentence.” It's part of a long history of people / institutions negotiating how objectivity works.
I thought at first that OpenAI was breaking its promise of objectivity. Then I realized it’s just redefining how objectivity functions — something that’s happened over and over. (Gift link!)
ChatGPT’s Self-Serving Optimism
OpenAI’s new guidelines ask its chatbot to celebrate ‘innovation,’ contradicting its stated goal of objectivity—and raising questions about what objectivity even means.
www.theatlantic.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I thought at first that OpenAI was breaking its promise of objectivity. Then I realized it’s just redefining how objectivity functions — something that’s happened over and over. (Gift link!)
If you’d told me when I was in high school that only one song on the radio at the time would be regularly listened to by my kid‘s generation, I would not in a million years have put my money on Smash Mouth’s All Star.
December 8, 2025 at 3:28 PM
If you’d told me when I was in high school that only one song on the radio at the time would be regularly listened to by my kid‘s generation, I would not in a million years have put my money on Smash Mouth’s All Star.
Fellow members of the Class of 2000, this one — another @emilygouldnymag.bsky.social delight — is for us. ☠️✨ www.thecut.com/article/midd...
Falling Off the Aging Cliff at 44
Research shows that aging catches up with us at distinct moments. Elder millennials are headed toward the edge.
www.thecut.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Fellow members of the Class of 2000, this one — another @emilygouldnymag.bsky.social delight — is for us. ☠️✨ www.thecut.com/article/midd...
A clear-eyed celebration of being an English professor in 2025. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Actually, It’s a Good Time to Be an English Prof (opinion)
No, really.
www.insidehighered.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:32 PM
A clear-eyed celebration of being an English professor in 2025. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Apply to the CSU MFA program in creative writing and work with this all-star cast: Andrew Altschul, Ramona Ausubel, Dan Beachy-Quick, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, Matthew Cooperman, Camille Dungy, Nina McConigley, Sarah Perry, and Sasha Steensen! ✨
November 23, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Apply to the CSU MFA program in creative writing and work with this all-star cast: Andrew Altschul, Ramona Ausubel, Dan Beachy-Quick, Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, Matthew Cooperman, Camille Dungy, Nina McConigley, Sarah Perry, and Sasha Steensen! ✨
Reposted by Vauhini Vara
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
I’m so looking forward to this too! ✨
Really pleased to be added to this panel at this week's NCTE conference alongside @vauhinivara.bsky.social talking about the future of teaching English in a world with AI. s1.goeshow.com/ncte/annual/...
November 17, 2025 at 9:01 PM
I’m so looking forward to this too! ✨
Reposted by Vauhini Vara
Just 5 years ago, tech companies made pledges to increase diversity and inclusion in their workplaces. Now, they seem to be backing down, and we’re losing key transparency into the industry’s workforce.
www.wired.com/story/google...
www.wired.com/story/google...
Google, Microsoft, and Meta Have Stopped Publishing Workforce Diversity Data
Other big tech companies including Amazon, Apple, and Nvidia have continued their annual disclosures this year even as the Trump administration cracks down on DEI.
www.wired.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Just 5 years ago, tech companies made pledges to increase diversity and inclusion in their workplaces. Now, they seem to be backing down, and we’re losing key transparency into the industry’s workforce.
www.wired.com/story/google...
www.wired.com/story/google...
This is a really cool first: My book SEARCHES on Kirkus's list of the best nonfiction books of 2025, along with a book by one of my Book Project mentees: John J. Lennon's THE TRAGEDY OF TRUE CRIME! ✨ (& my old boss @nxthompson.bsky.social's THE RUNNING GROUND!) www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2025...
Best of 2025 | Kirkus Reviews
www.kirkusreviews.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM
This is a really cool first: My book SEARCHES on Kirkus's list of the best nonfiction books of 2025, along with a book by one of my Book Project mentees: John J. Lennon's THE TRAGEDY OF TRUE CRIME! ✨ (& my old boss @nxthompson.bsky.social's THE RUNNING GROUND!) www.kirkusreviews.com/best-of/2025...
Reposted by Vauhini Vara
In case you missed this one:
@vauhinivara.bsky.social looked deeper than the usual at AI in schools.
For sure, AI can do some good things, but I get skeeved when billionaires hope to make more billions pushing anything on children.
@vauhinivara.bsky.social looked deeper than the usual at AI in schools.
For sure, AI can do some good things, but I get skeeved when billionaires hope to make more billions pushing anything on children.
How Chatbots and AI Are Already Transforming Kids’ Classrooms
Educators across the country are bringing chatbots into their lesson plans. Will it help kids learn or is it just another doomed ed-tech fad?
www.bloomberg.com
November 16, 2025 at 2:21 PM
In case you missed this one:
@vauhinivara.bsky.social looked deeper than the usual at AI in schools.
For sure, AI can do some good things, but I get skeeved when billionaires hope to make more billions pushing anything on children.
@vauhinivara.bsky.social looked deeper than the usual at AI in schools.
For sure, AI can do some good things, but I get skeeved when billionaires hope to make more billions pushing anything on children.
My son was trick or treating in Boulder, CO, on Halloween, and at one house got this offer: candy or a mystery coin. He chose the coin. (1/x)
November 15, 2025 at 3:17 AM
My son was trick or treating in Boulder, CO, on Halloween, and at one house got this offer: candy or a mystery coin. He chose the coin. (1/x)
penguin random house authors, meet the new ceo of prh's parent company! 🤪
November 13, 2025 at 4:45 PM
penguin random house authors, meet the new ceo of prh's parent company! 🤪
OMG i made the @nymag.com copy editing newsletter AGAIN AND HE CALLED ME A *REGULAR* 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 i'm famous
November 13, 2025 at 3:42 AM
OMG i made the @nymag.com copy editing newsletter AGAIN AND HE CALLED ME A *REGULAR* 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 i'm famous
SEARCHES has been shortlisted for the Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize! 🔥 Congratulations to the other shortlisted authors: Jeyamohan, Srikar Raghavan, Sam Dalrymple, Ameer Shahul, and Manu Joseph.
November 10, 2025 at 4:47 PM
SEARCHES has been shortlisted for the Atta Galatta-Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize! 🔥 Congratulations to the other shortlisted authors: Jeyamohan, Srikar Raghavan, Sam Dalrymple, Ameer Shahul, and Manu Joseph.
omg i made the @nymag.com copy editing newsletter from copy chief carl rosen!!!!!! (in addition to being a spelling bee kid i am a lifelong grammar stan 😎)
November 6, 2025 at 4:00 AM
omg i made the @nymag.com copy editing newsletter from copy chief carl rosen!!!!!! (in addition to being a spelling bee kid i am a lifelong grammar stan 😎)
This whole recent @cdt.org report on the risks of AI in schools is worth a read, but this is the bit that surprised me most (maybe partly because I've reported on AI in schools but not on ICE in schools). cdt.org/insights/han...
November 4, 2025 at 5:03 PM
This whole recent @cdt.org report on the risks of AI in schools is worth a read, but this is the bit that surprised me most (maybe partly because I've reported on AI in schools but not on ICE in schools). cdt.org/insights/han...
my fifth grader and his friends have started a writing group that i'm helping with and the combo of genres is so excellent: nature poetry, realist fiction, essays, stephen king fan fiction, and fan fiction based on a book series about feral cats 😎✨
November 3, 2025 at 5:07 PM
my fifth grader and his friends have started a writing group that i'm helping with and the combo of genres is so excellent: nature poetry, realist fiction, essays, stephen king fan fiction, and fan fiction based on a book series about feral cats 😎✨
Reposted by Vauhini Vara
"Big Tech’s ambition is to create an archive of everything we do and everything we are—an aspiration that is unprecedented in human history. The only thing that comes close can be found in religion." I wrote about Vauhini Vara's Searches @thenation.com (free link!) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Lost Souls of the Internet
In Searches, Vauhini Vara probes the ways that we rely on the Internet and how we periodically attempt to free ourselves from its grip.
www.thenation.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
"Big Tech’s ambition is to create an archive of everything we do and everything we are—an aspiration that is unprecedented in human history. The only thing that comes close can be found in religion." I wrote about Vauhini Vara's Searches @thenation.com (free link!) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The book from which this extraordinarily open-hearted and moving essay is excerpted in @theatlantic.com is out this week from @nxthompson.bsky.social. Buy it here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678434...
October 30, 2025 at 10:58 PM
The book from which this extraordinarily open-hearted and moving essay is excerpted in @theatlantic.com is out this week from @nxthompson.bsky.social. Buy it here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678434...
I have such good taste! Or @thefrontlist.org does! or both of us. I blurbed and highly recommend two excellent books on this list — @thelincoln.bsky.social‘s METALLIC REALMS and @annanorth.bsky.social’s BOG QUEEN. and my SEARCHES is on there too! 🎉
For Esquire, I updated my best books of the year list to include 7 new titles that have dropped since May. www.esquire.com/entertainmen...
The 27 Best Books of 2025 (So Far)
Whether you’re looking for a compelling nonfiction mystery, a charming fantasy escape, or a suspenseful science fiction thriller, this year's literary slate has something for everyone.
www.esquire.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
I have such good taste! Or @thefrontlist.org does! or both of us. I blurbed and highly recommend two excellent books on this list — @thelincoln.bsky.social‘s METALLIC REALMS and @annanorth.bsky.social’s BOG QUEEN. and my SEARCHES is on there too! 🎉
In January, Sam Altman gave Donald Trump credit for OpenAI's success: "We wouldn't be able to do this without you, Mr. President." I keep thinking of this profile I wrote in 2017, when Trump was first elected. Here are some excerpts and a link. (1/x) story.californiasunday.com/silicon-vall...
October 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
In January, Sam Altman gave Donald Trump credit for OpenAI's success: "We wouldn't be able to do this without you, Mr. President." I keep thinking of this profile I wrote in 2017, when Trump was first elected. Here are some excerpts and a link. (1/x) story.californiasunday.com/silicon-vall...
Reposted by Vauhini Vara
Did your TV set interrupt you to hit the remote's AI sparkle button?
Did (ahem) The Washington Post site nudge you to use an AI browser to get FREE ARTICLES?
Have you noticed chatbots paying for phone pre-installs?
Welcome to the PAY FOR OR NAG FOR DISTRIBUTION phase of AI. wapo.st/4hv3Eyp
Did (ahem) The Washington Post site nudge you to use an AI browser to get FREE ARTICLES?
Have you noticed chatbots paying for phone pre-installs?
Welcome to the PAY FOR OR NAG FOR DISTRIBUTION phase of AI. wapo.st/4hv3Eyp
Analysis | Why companies will just keep nudging you to try AI
The prodding to try AI products as you watch TV, surf the web or stare at your phone is a classic tactic in technology. It’s annoying, but it works.
wapo.st
October 28, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Did your TV set interrupt you to hit the remote's AI sparkle button?
Did (ahem) The Washington Post site nudge you to use an AI browser to get FREE ARTICLES?
Have you noticed chatbots paying for phone pre-installs?
Welcome to the PAY FOR OR NAG FOR DISTRIBUTION phase of AI. wapo.st/4hv3Eyp
Did (ahem) The Washington Post site nudge you to use an AI browser to get FREE ARTICLES?
Have you noticed chatbots paying for phone pre-installs?
Welcome to the PAY FOR OR NAG FOR DISTRIBUTION phase of AI. wapo.st/4hv3Eyp