Ben Werdmuller
  • About me
  • Let's build together
  • Notable links
Sign in Subscribe

Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller
An archipelago

Technology

The State of the Open Social Web

A comprehensive look at Mastodon, Bluesky, and the growing ecosystem of open, interoperable social networks.

18 Nov 2025

Technology

Open Source Power

"In hindsight I don't think any reasonable person can say that we're collectively better off. Democracy is losing, and tech is playing an undeniably outsized part in that."

17 Nov 2025

Business

Honor The Maker's Schedule

"As an innovation leader, it is your job to ensure that your organization has explicit norms that enable your people to do deep work." Meeting culture is one place they often fall down – this is a great way to better support your teams.

13 Nov 2025

Technology

Jack Dorsey funds diVine, a Vine reboot that includes Vine's video archive

"As generative AI content starts to fill our social apps, a project to bring back Vine’s six-second looping videos is launching with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s backing."

13 Nov 2025

Democracy

I Want You to Understand Chicago

"I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time."

10 Nov 2025

Democracy

Time to start de-Appling

"You have some serious thinking to do about what you intend to trust to the Apple stack altogether going forward, even things like passwords."

10 Nov 2025

Health

This Physicist Says We Don’t Take COVID Seriously Enough

The pandemic isn't over, and there's still much to fear from the COVID-19 virus.

02 Nov 2025
How can I be most useful to you?

Ask a newsroom technology leader

How can I be most useful to you?

A short reader survey about the challenges you’re working through and the support you wish existed.

02 Nov 2025
Facebook's sign in Menlo Park

Future of News

There's no such thing as neutral technology

Why organizations must evaluate values, not just features

31 Oct 2025

Technology

Trump Administration's Arrival on Bluesky Highlights Growing Pains for Open Networks

"It’s no accident that US political operatives have been singling out Bluesky as a target for political control and retribution for months." But the result puts protocol developers and the users of their networks in opposition.

22 Oct 2025

AI

This Is How Much Anthropic and Cursor Spend On Amazon Web Services

AI at scale isn't scaling.

20 Oct 2025

Notable links

Russell Vought: The Shadow President

Reporter Andy Kroll explains Vought’s rise from a congressional staffer to the man piloting everything from Trump's layoffs and agency closings to his shutdown strategy, controlling the fate of trillions of dollars and millions of federal workers.

17 Oct 2025
See all
Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

Writing at the intersection of technology, journalism, and community.

Recommendations

  • Elena Rossini
    Elena Rossini
    news.elenarossini.com

    Elena Rossini is an Italian filmmaker, photographer and activist. Her work focuses on issues of media literacy, digital sovereignty, and harnessing the power of the internet for change.

  • Relay, By We Distribute
    Relay, By We Distribute
    newsletter.wedistribute.org

    A weekly newsletter about the open social web. We Distribute is the best website about the next generation of social networks - their newsletter is a regular dive into what's going on.

  • Internet Exchange
    Internet Exchange
    internet.exchangepoint.tech

    Feminist perspectives on digital justice and tech from some of the most important voices in ethical tech.

  • When The Going Gets Weird
    When The Going Gets Weird
    newsletter.mathewingram.com

    Mathew Ingram, a longtime journalist whose bylines have chronicled the intersection of journalism and the web, shares links that interest him.

  • Point C
    Point C
    pointc.co

    Corey Ford has been a mentor and friend for over a decade. His advice changed my professional life, and now it can change yours, too.

Ben Werdmuller
Mastodon
Bluesky
Threads

Subscribe to new posts

Ben Werdmuller explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. Always independently published, reader-supported, and free to read.