Notable links
Friday links: December 5, 2025
What comes after the AI hype cycle; new community platforms; and more.
Ben Werdmuller
Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
Technology
Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B visa
Under a new State Department memo, people who keep online spaces safe are now ineligible for H-1B visas.
Technology
You can't legislate serendipity
Why Europe's alternative tech vision needs community, not just compliance
Society
Where Do the Children Play?
"In physical space, Western children are almost comically sheltered. But in digital space, they’re entirely beyond our command; and increasingly, that’s where children spend most of their time."
Technology
Introducing Roundabout
New_ Public announced its new community platform is being co-developed with five local US communities - and there's a lot more to come.
AI
What Happens After the Hype? Lessons from Mobile Internet’s Long Road to Success
"The question isn’t whether the current AI investment cycle will face a reckoning. It’s what form that reckoning takes — and what comes after."
Knowing when to leave
I wrote this in my blog drafts well over a decade ago (exact date unclear). I thought I'd publish it as-is as an aside. I'm sure it was going to be an excellent full post, but clearly this is just the intro. I still agree though:
Technology
imperfect notes & my second subconscious
I've never been a great notetaker. Winnie Lim suggests I might be overthinking it: it's not a second brain but a second subconscious mind.
Teams
"Disagree and Let’s See"
"Disagree and commit" is disingenuous. This is a better idea.
Democracy
The Optical Illusion of Prosperity
"We have created a system where the only way to survive is to be destitute enough to qualify for aid, or rich enough to ignore the cost. Everyone in the middle is being cannibalized."
Technology
The EFF we need now
Why the next era of digital civil liberties requires a tighter mission, a bolder strategy, and a clearer view of how power works.
Technology
Of the web
"These days people use the term "web" to mean basically something you can view in a web browser. But that does not mean it is *of* the web."