Peter Kafka
@pkafka.bsky.social
Bleep blop bloop. Talking https://link.chtbl.com/kafka typing https://www.businessinsider.com/author/peter-kafka
Wrote about the very plausible scenario where Saudis (or another petrostate) end up owning a chunk of major American film studios, streaming services and news outlets.
www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia...
www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia...
Why oil money could end up owning part of a giant American media company
A few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine Saudi Arabia — or any Gulf state — owning a piece of a US media giant. Now, it might happen.
www.businessinsider.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Wrote about the very plausible scenario where Saudis (or another petrostate) end up owning a chunk of major American film studios, streaming services and news outlets.
www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia...
www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia...
Bubble popped! SoftBank just sold all of its Nvidia shares.
Bubble still bubbling! SoftBank is putting another $22 billion into OpenAI.
A real @edzitron.com special. Let's discuss.
www.businessinsider.com/softbank-nvi...
Bubble still bubbling! SoftBank is putting another $22 billion into OpenAI.
A real @edzitron.com special. Let's discuss.
www.businessinsider.com/softbank-nvi...
SoftBank just sold the world's hottest AI stock — so it can buy more of the world's hottest AI company
Nvidia is out. OpenAI is in. Does that make sense?
www.businessinsider.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Bubble popped! SoftBank just sold all of its Nvidia shares.
Bubble still bubbling! SoftBank is putting another $22 billion into OpenAI.
A real @edzitron.com special. Let's discuss.
www.businessinsider.com/softbank-nvi...
Bubble still bubbling! SoftBank is putting another $22 billion into OpenAI.
A real @edzitron.com special. Let's discuss.
www.businessinsider.com/softbank-nvi...
Reposted by Peter Kafka
"I don't want to be reliant on any of the platforms. I don't want people to say, oh, you're a Substack company or oh, you're a YouTube company. Nope. We're The Bulwark."
@sarahlongwell25.bsky.social talks media strategy with @pkafka.bsky.social on Channels:
@sarahlongwell25.bsky.social talks media strategy with @pkafka.bsky.social on Channels:
November 7, 2025 at 6:01 PM
"I don't want to be reliant on any of the platforms. I don't want people to say, oh, you're a Substack company or oh, you're a YouTube company. Nope. We're The Bulwark."
@sarahlongwell25.bsky.social talks media strategy with @pkafka.bsky.social on Channels:
@sarahlongwell25.bsky.social talks media strategy with @pkafka.bsky.social on Channels:
Reposted by Peter Kafka
Catch @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social talking the Bulwark's big success on Channels with @pkafka.bsky.social: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Bulwark's Sarah Longwell on Why Republicans Won the Attention War
Podcast Episode · Channels with Peter Kafka · 11/05/2025 · 45m
podcasts.apple.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Catch @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social talking the Bulwark's big success on Channels with @pkafka.bsky.social: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Talked to former Republican strategist Sarah Longwell about supercharging The Bulwark by turning on the laptop cameras.
+ why Gavin Newsom's fake Trump is less effective than JD Vance's fake Trump.
Exceprts; www.businessinsider.com/bulwark-sara...
Full chat: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
+ why Gavin Newsom's fake Trump is less effective than JD Vance's fake Trump.
Exceprts; www.businessinsider.com/bulwark-sara...
Full chat: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
November 5, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Talked to former Republican strategist Sarah Longwell about supercharging The Bulwark by turning on the laptop cameras.
+ why Gavin Newsom's fake Trump is less effective than JD Vance's fake Trump.
Exceprts; www.businessinsider.com/bulwark-sara...
Full chat: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
+ why Gavin Newsom's fake Trump is less effective than JD Vance's fake Trump.
Exceprts; www.businessinsider.com/bulwark-sara...
Full chat: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
100 percent agree with Will. I use AI more and more each day. Never going back.
just say something like “i think ai might actually have some valid use cases” and you’ll be right up there in no time
November 4, 2025 at 6:38 PM
100 percent agree with Will. I use AI more and more each day. Never going back.
The thing about the "Larry and David Ellison are tilting Paramount to please Trump" theory is that it's true. But it's not always true.
www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-...
www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-...
Paramount's Trump alliance is real — and so is Jon Stewart's new deal
The men who own Paramount want to please Donald Trump. They also want to please audiences. Discuss.
www.businessinsider.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The thing about the "Larry and David Ellison are tilting Paramount to please Trump" theory is that it's true. But it's not always true.
www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-...
www.businessinsider.com/jon-stewart-...
Reposted by Peter Kafka
Well, this is one hell of a pop-up:
October 30, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Well, this is one hell of a pop-up:
Mark Thompson used to be Bari Weiss' boss's boss at the NYT. Now he runs CNN.
www.businessinsider.com/cnn-ceo-mark...
www.businessinsider.com/cnn-ceo-mark...
October 28, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Mark Thompson used to be Bari Weiss' boss's boss at the NYT. Now he runs CNN.
www.businessinsider.com/cnn-ceo-mark...
www.businessinsider.com/cnn-ceo-mark...
Up until the last year I was really skeptical that left-leaning folks would vote with their credit cards. But first Wapo, now Disney are changing my mind.
www.businessinsider.com/disney-hulu-...
www.businessinsider.com/disney-hulu-...
October 20, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Up until the last year I was really skeptical that left-leaning folks would vote with their credit cards. But first Wapo, now Disney are changing my mind.
www.businessinsider.com/disney-hulu-...
www.businessinsider.com/disney-hulu-...
Enjoyed talking to @edzitron.com, who has been spending a lot of time banging the drum about the AI bubble (and about the problems with tech in general.
Also discussed here: How Ed runs a PR company while he also savages some of the biggest companies in tech.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
Also discussed here: How Ed runs a PR company while he also savages some of the biggest companies in tech.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
The PR Guy Who Says the AI Boom Is a Bust
Podcast Episode · Channels with Peter Kafka · 10/15/2025 · 55m
podcasts.apple.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Enjoyed talking to @edzitron.com, who has been spending a lot of time banging the drum about the AI bubble (and about the problems with tech in general.
Also discussed here: How Ed runs a PR company while he also savages some of the biggest companies in tech.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
Also discussed here: How Ed runs a PR company while he also savages some of the biggest companies in tech.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...
What happens when you're in a bubble but it doesn't feel like a bubble. Or at least like other bubbles. www.businessinsider.com/ai-bubble-cu...
October 15, 2025 at 3:43 PM
What happens when you're in a bubble but it doesn't feel like a bubble. Or at least like other bubbles. www.businessinsider.com/ai-bubble-cu...
David Ellison says he wants Paramount to stay out of politics. David Ellison just put Bari Weiss in (nominal?) charge of his news operation.
Discuss!
www.businessinsider.com/paramount-da...
Discuss!
www.businessinsider.com/paramount-da...
What the Bari Weiss deal tells us about Paramount's politics — and what it doesn't
Paramount's new owner David Ellison says he's not interested in politics. A lot of his moves, like buying Bari Weiss' The Free Press, lean rightward.
www.businessinsider.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:11 PM
David Ellison says he wants Paramount to stay out of politics. David Ellison just put Bari Weiss in (nominal?) charge of his news operation.
Discuss!
www.businessinsider.com/paramount-da...
Discuss!
www.businessinsider.com/paramount-da...
We are used to Apple and other big tech companies taking down apps when Moscow, Beijing or Riyadh commands.
Now we see it happening in the US: The Trump White House wanted an anti-ICE app gone, and Apple complied.
Pretty sure this is a start, not a one-off.
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
Now we see it happening in the US: The Trump White House wanted an anti-ICE app gone, and Apple complied.
Pretty sure this is a start, not a one-off.
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
Apple's ICEBlock take-down shows how Big Tech's power can be used by American officials
Tech companies are used to foreign governments telling them to take down apps. Now it's happening in the US, as Apple takes down an anti-ICE app.
www.businessinsider.com
October 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
We are used to Apple and other big tech companies taking down apps when Moscow, Beijing or Riyadh commands.
Now we see it happening in the US: The Trump White House wanted an anti-ICE app gone, and Apple complied.
Pretty sure this is a start, not a one-off.
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
Now we see it happening in the US: The Trump White House wanted an anti-ICE app gone, and Apple complied.
Pretty sure this is a start, not a one-off.
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
Reposted by Peter Kafka
Just to be clear, we wrote that paragraph long before the App Store removed ICEBlock. www.theverge.com/policy/79051...
October 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Just to be clear, we wrote that paragraph long before the App Store removed ICEBlock. www.theverge.com/policy/79051...
Pam Bondi says Apple complied with DOJ order to take down an ICE tracking app.
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
October 3, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Pam Bondi says Apple complied with DOJ order to take down an ICE tracking app.
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
www.businessinsider.com/apple-iceblo...
Apple statement: “We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.”
BREAKING: Apple has REMOVED the ICEBlock app from the App Store due to “objectionable content.” More billionaires bending the knee.
October 3, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Apple statement: “We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.”
"It is generally illegal under international law to use force in another country without its consent."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/u...
Top Trump Aides Push for Ousting Maduro From Power in Venezuela
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:54 AM
"It is generally illegal under international law to use force in another country without its consent."
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/u...
There's no way TikTok USA is only worth $14 billion, as JD Vance said Thursday.
One explanation: This is one of those cases where $14 billion isn't really $14 billion.
www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-worth...
One explanation: This is one of those cases where $14 billion isn't really $14 billion.
www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-worth...
Why that $14 billion TikTok deal may not be what it seems
A new deal values US TikTok at $14 billion. That seems crazy low for an enormously powerful tech platform.
www.businessinsider.com
September 26, 2025 at 5:11 PM
There's no way TikTok USA is only worth $14 billion, as JD Vance said Thursday.
One explanation: This is one of those cases where $14 billion isn't really $14 billion.
www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-worth...
One explanation: This is one of those cases where $14 billion isn't really $14 billion.
www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-worth...
One upside of the Kimmel story is that it gives us another chance to remember that Trump is still suing Gannett and Ann Selzer over a poll he didn't like.
Unlike Paramount and Disney, Gannett and Selzer are still fighting the suit.
www.businessinsider.com/trump-kimmel...
Unlike Paramount and Disney, Gannett and Selzer are still fighting the suit.
www.businessinsider.com/trump-kimmel...
September 24, 2025 at 3:53 PM
One upside of the Kimmel story is that it gives us another chance to remember that Trump is still suing Gannett and Ann Selzer over a poll he didn't like.
Unlike Paramount and Disney, Gannett and Selzer are still fighting the suit.
www.businessinsider.com/trump-kimmel...
Unlike Paramount and Disney, Gannett and Selzer are still fighting the suit.
www.businessinsider.com/trump-kimmel...
Last year, Mark Zuckerberg told Republicans the Biden administration had pressured him to take content down.
Now Google is doing the same thing.
It's move designed to give Jim Jordan a win, while keeping Google off the regulatory hook.
www.businessinsider.com/google-meta-...
Now Google is doing the same thing.
It's move designed to give Jim Jordan a win, while keeping Google off the regulatory hook.
www.businessinsider.com/google-meta-...
Mark Zuckerberg wrote the playbook for Big Tech leaders dealing with Republicans. Google paid attention.
Last year Mark Zuckerberg wrote the playbook for Big Tech leaders dealing with Republicans. Google paid attention.
www.businessinsider.com
September 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Last year, Mark Zuckerberg told Republicans the Biden administration had pressured him to take content down.
Now Google is doing the same thing.
It's move designed to give Jim Jordan a win, while keeping Google off the regulatory hook.
www.businessinsider.com/google-meta-...
Now Google is doing the same thing.
It's move designed to give Jim Jordan a win, while keeping Google off the regulatory hook.
www.businessinsider.com/google-meta-...
Reposted by Peter Kafka
Remember Winnie Greco? The cash-in-the-chip-bag lady? You may recall this longtime Eric Adams adviser is also at the center of fundraisers with the hallmarks of illegal, "straw" donations.
These activities were under investigation. One of the big Adams-world mysteries is ... what happened to them?
These activities were under investigation. One of the big Adams-world mysteries is ... what happened to them?
"Corruption is sometimes described as a victimless crime, just skimming from a bottomless pool of government cash. The story of the [NYPD] under Mr. Adams should put that idea to rest"
Great column on how SCOTUS's gutting of public corruption laws helped get us here
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/o...
Great column on how SCOTUS's gutting of public corruption laws helped get us here
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/o...
Opinion | Eric Adams, Donald Trump and the Case That Broke American Justice
www.nytimes.com
September 21, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Remember Winnie Greco? The cash-in-the-chip-bag lady? You may recall this longtime Eric Adams adviser is also at the center of fundraisers with the hallmarks of illegal, "straw" donations.
These activities were under investigation. One of the big Adams-world mysteries is ... what happened to them?
These activities were under investigation. One of the big Adams-world mysteries is ... what happened to them?
That was 2019. Never occurred to me I'd be writing this in 2025 www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel...
September 18, 2025 at 2:23 PM
That was 2019. Never occurred to me I'd be writing this in 2025 www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-kimmel...