Ben Werdmuller
benwerd@nos.social
npub183ng...4n09
I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account.
Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io.
More about me: https://about.werd.io
Hiring in an era of fake candidates, real scams and AI slop 
Ben Werdmuller
Hiring in an era of fake candidates, real scams and AI slop
"Red flags that both job seekers and employers should watch for, in an era of AI slop and application scams."
Notable links: Jan 24, 2026 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: Jan 24, 2026
What does the future of engineering look like? And more.
On ICE, Verification, and Presence As Harm
Ben Werdmuller
On ICE, Verification, and Presence As Harm
"Bluesky built a verification system designed to distribute trust, and then didn't use it when it mattered."
The Five Levels: from Spicy Autocomplete to the Software Factory
Ben Werdmuller
The Five Levels: from Spicy Autocomplete to the Software Factory
"I’ve now seen dozens of companies struggling to put AI to work writing code, and each one has moved through five clear tiers of automation. That...
Notable links: January 16, 2026 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: January 16, 2026
An occupation in Minnesota and finding your way to work that doesn't harm
Remarks on the Federal Government’s Ongoing Presence in Minnesota
Ben Werdmuller
Remarks on the Federal Government’s Ongoing Presence in Minnesota
“It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government." So record it.
‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
Ben Werdmuller
‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
"Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure...
The Zurich protocol 
Ben Werdmuller
The Zurich protocol
They came for the newsroom. It was ready.
47 lessons 
Ben Werdmuller
47 lessons
Things I've learned.
Notable links: January 2, 2026 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: January 2, 2026
Looking ahead: humans are cool again.
What is Instagram’s Adam Mosseri really saying in his year-end memo?
Ben Werdmuller
What is Instagram’s Adam Mosseri really saying in his year-end memo?
"Instagram no longer believes it can beat AI by making more or better content. It wants to be the referee, to decide what is real and what is not, ...