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David Karpf
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PRE-ORDER: Vaporware, Inc.: How Silicon Valley Sells the Future to Control the Present

Aug 25, 2026

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2 min read

PRE-ORDER: Vaporware, Inc.: How Silicon Valley Sells the Future to Control the Present

My book is coming out on January 12, 2027! You can pre-order it now wherever fine books are sold.

David Karpf
David Karpf
<eyeroll> C'mon, Axelrod...

Aug 19, 2026

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3 min read

<eyeroll> C'mon, Axelrod...

Don't beclown yourself in public. People will notice.

David Karpf
David Karpf
Bullet Points: Awareness of the Situation

Aug 7, 2026

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4 min read

Bullet Points: Awareness of the Situation

you don't have to believe hyperscalers are particularly villainous companies. You just have to believe they behave like all the other large companies.

David Karpf
David Karpf
The data center backlash Is working. That's why the New York Times is so concerned.

Jul 28, 2026

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5 min read

The data center backlash Is working. That's why the New York Times is so concerned.

A response to Adam Mastroianni

David Karpf
David Karpf
On the strategic function of anodyne statements

Jul 15, 2026

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3 min read

On the strategic function of anodyne statements

200 economists agree that we sure ought to have some more research by economists

David Karpf
David Karpf
Analytic Activism, ten years later (Part 1: Mise-en-scène)

Jul 12, 2026

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3 min read

Analytic Activism, ten years later (Part 1: Mise-en-scène)

Revisiting my second book, ten years later

David Karpf
David Karpf
What is the Great American State Fair like?

Jul 2, 2026

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4 min read

What is the Great American State Fair like?

You aren't meant to attend the fair. It's a digital Potemkin Village.

David Karpf
David Karpf
Organized People vs Organized Money: What can't they buy?

Jun 25, 2026

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5 min read

Organized People vs Organized Money: What can't they buy?

Extreme wealth inequality completely wrecks democracy and civil society.

David Karpf
David Karpf
The Future, Now and Then, Then and Now

Jun 18, 2026

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6 min read

The Future, Now and Then, Then and Now

A blog/newsletter anniversary post. Plus, my notes on the beehiiv-substack transition

David Karpf
David Karpf
Bullet Points: digital futures' past

Jun 13, 2026

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5 min read

Bullet Points: digital futures' past

Elon Musk is a trillionaire, and everyone is a sucker whether they like it or not.

David Karpf
David Karpf
How Durable Is Muskism?

Jun 4, 2026

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2 min read

How Durable Is Muskism?

I reviewed Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian's new book for Flaming Hydra

David Karpf
David Karpf
The Data Center Bankshot

May 28, 2026

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5 min read

The Data Center Bankshot

This is how we win

David Karpf
David Karpf
Endless Screaming

May 19, 2026

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3 min read

Endless Screaming

Reckoning with the latest political news.

David Karpf
David Karpf
Bluesky is a record store

May 14, 2026

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3 min read

Bluesky is a record store

And record stores in 2026 are niche cultural institutions. Their heyday is long gone.

David Karpf
David Karpf
A Story of Simple Corruption

May 12, 2026

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3 min read

A Story of Simple Corruption

In which Elon Musk buying the government turns out to have been his cheapest option.

David Karpf
David Karpf
What Sort of AI Bubble Are We In?

May 4, 2026

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6 min read

What Sort of AI Bubble Are We In?

Think broadband. Or, potentially, the 2008 housing market.

David Karpf
David Karpf
On Institutional Legitimacy and Phantom Limbs

May 1, 2026

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4 min read

On Institutional Legitimacy and Phantom Limbs

The Supreme Court is filled with partisan operatives. It will not repair itself.

David Karpf
David Karpf
Palantir's CEO is like a James Bond villain. (Except Bond villains are better dressed.)

Apr 21, 2026

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2 min read

Palantir's CEO is like a James Bond villain. (Except Bond villains are better dressed.)

New writing at Tech Policy Press on the latest Palantir manifesto

David Karpf
David Karpf
"AI Populism" is a term that obscures more than it reveals.

Apr 14, 2026

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9 min read

"AI Populism" is a term that obscures more than it reveals.

Can we just not?

David Karpf
David Karpf
Book review: Billionaire Backlash

Apr 10, 2026

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6 min read

Book review: Billionaire Backlash

An optimistic book about how scandal revitalizes democracy. I have some notes.

David Karpf
David Karpf
On Elon Musk and Legal Arbitrage

Apr 2, 2026

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10 min read

On Elon Musk and Legal Arbitrage

A jaded lesson from revisiting a missed prediction

David Karpf
David Karpf
Bullet Points: Hydra Fire

Mar 27, 2026

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7 min read

Bullet Points: Hydra Fire

Alternative media, tech, billionaires, tech-billionaires, and some book recommendations

David Karpf
David Karpf
The Metaverse exits its Weekend-at-Bernie's phase

Mar 20, 2026

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11 min read

The Metaverse exits its Weekend-at-Bernie's phase

Some lessons about technology and futurity. And why the analogy to generative AI is not quite right.

David Karpf
David Karpf
On the Wired renaissance

Mar 17, 2026

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10 min read

On the Wired renaissance

Katie Drummond is leading Wired magazine through its best era.

David Karpf
David Karpf
Bullet Points: How government ought to work

Mar 15, 2026

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13 min read

Bullet Points: How government ought to work

We can have nice things or we can have comfortable billionaires. We cannot have both.

David Karpf
David Karpf
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The Future, Now and Then

A blog/newsletter about the internet, politics, and the history of the digital future.

© 2026 The Future, Now and Then.
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