Jacob Ward

CNN contributor. Investigative journalist covering AI, surveillance & power. Author of The Loop. Founder of The Rip Current. Subscribe now!

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

I'm launching a tech-literate, historically informed, fuck-it-let's-go Substack today, and I'm calling it The Rip Current. Here's the first post! Please subscribe, and check out https://t.co/kU7Nx6vTNF to see the ethical standards I'll be observing in this new phase of life.

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

A trillion dollars of US market value gone — because investors in Korea seem to see things more clearly than we do: the AI boom balances on on memory from Korea, chips from one Taiwanese company, and rare earths from China. Fragile times.
https://t.co/49PSg9YxYV

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

@boardyai Covering tech, power, and democracy. count me in for Boardy Pro.

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

At Davos, AI isn’t winning debates — it’s winning cocktail hours. When Big Tech throws the best parties, global policy starts following the guest list. This is how power actually moves now. #Davos #WorldEconomicForum #AI #BigTech #ripcurrent Full episodes at .

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Are we being censored? Not yet, in my opinion. But there’s every reason to believe it can happen! #tiktok #ripcurrent #business #tech #technews Full episodes at .

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Meta's internal goal: "total teen time spent." Google called it "solving kids is a massive opportunity." Instagram knew teens were weaponizing features to torment each other. They knew. They always knew. And now the documents are public. Full breakdown at #BigTech #Lawsuit

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

We've always cared about two kinds of harm: financial (theft) and physical (injury/death). But behavioral harm? We blame the addict, not the machine. These lawsuits could change that. Just like we did with Big Tobacco, we're learning some technologies are more powerful than our

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Don’t believe the hype. NO TWO HUMANS CAN AGREE on shared values. #ai #artificialintelligence #ethics #ripcurrent #tech Full episodes at .

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

This isn’t personal. It’s structural. Wall Street rewards cost-cutting faster than innovation. Executives get paid to shrink payroll. AI hype makes it easier to justify. Harvard Business Review opening the lid on this dynamic. #Career #Layoff #ripcurrent #Work #TechNews Full

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

AI is being blamed for massive layoffs at companies like Amazon and Dow — but a new study shows something more unsettling is happening. Companies aren’t cutting jobs because AI can already do the work. They’re cutting jobs because they believe it will someday. That belief is

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Explosive internal documents from Meta, Google, YouTube, and TikTok are being made public as part of major lawsuits. What they reveal is damning: these companies knew exactly how much harm their platforms were causing kids — and they prioritized "total teen time spent" anyway. I

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

In 1964, Nikolai Kardashev thought he'd discovered alien life. What he actually found changed how we think about humanity's place in the universe — and makes clear that we're wasting our one shot at existence. The closest potentially habitable planet is 200,000 years away. We're

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

🚨 Watch to uncover how ICE is revolutionizing surveillance in the U.S.! From iris scanners to AI-powered mobile tools, this isn't just about borders—it's about our everyday lives. From tech shopping sprees funded by $75B, to using Clearview AI and stingray

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Superyachts, Melania, and Bezos vs $99k/year journalists. #ripcurrent #journalism #headlines #business #billionaires Full episodes at .

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

#stitch with thewrightmuseum This is of course funny and sad at the same time, but it also illustrates an amazing psychological piece of circuitry. We transmit emotions without having to speak or talk it over. #ripcurrent #psychology #mentalhealth Full episodes at .

[CNN Communications @CNNPR]

Jacob Ward has joined CNN as an on-air contributor. Welcome to CNN, @byjacobward! https://t.co/FeHnCOUNRb

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Opening arguments started TODAY in what could be social media’s “Big Tobacco moment.” But this isn’t about bad content—it’s about who designed these apps to be addictive in the first place. 🚨 What’s happening right now: • Meta & YouTube on trial in LA Superior Court •

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

This is what you get when you get rid of the creative people. #ripcurrent #superbowl #creativity #hollywood Full episodes at .

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

The Vatican named the mechanisms — algorithmic credit denial, data colonialism, invisible labor, autonomous weapons with no accountable trigger. Congress hasn't. The question now: who picks this up and builds with it?

https://t.co/QydoULk5Gv

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

Ilya Sutskever is worth $5–7 billion building toward a goal he says nobody knows how to reach. That's the industry's whole deal.
https://t.co/g6chvRn3gl

[Jacob Ward @byjacobward]

This is what it looks like when there’s real political accountability in a Western democracy. #Epstein #Trump #RipCurrent #Accountability #Politics Full episodes at .