Lex Friedmanlexfri@hachyderm.io
Oct 20, 2026, 11:09 AMI can’t believe we’re still arguing over whether X is for jerks: https://lexontech.org/i-cant-believe-were-still-arguing-over-whether-x-is-for-jerks
Replies
B Opiyuv@techhub.socialOct 20, 2026, 11:26 AM@lexfri well said, but I think you’re wasting your time continuing over this. You’ve put it so well already, you don’t need to reply to accusations like “unhinged kook”, we all see who’s who.
Maybe he can form a friendship with JK Rowling while he’s there? She seems like a nice, cheerful lady
Warner CrockerWarnerCrocker@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 11:53 AM@lexfri If John had guts instead of a propensity for slinging mud, he'd invite you on The Talk Show to discuss this.
Fabienfabienmarry@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 11:54 AM@lexfri I saw John’s post and all I could think of is: This white dude sees a black former president having to defend a black representative victim of horrible abuse of power, and the dude’s takeaway was to make it about himself and to claim he was the real victim here.
Jeff Johnsonlapcatsoftware@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 12:05 PM@lexfri IMO you misunderstand Obama's audience. The idea that Trump supporters are persuadable at this point is incredibly difficult to believe.
What's notable about Obama's post is how cowardly the rest of the Democratic Party has been in failing to speak out and defend Omar. We should have already seen every Democrat make a similar statement, right? But we haven't.
And in general, the Democrats have failed to do anything about the right-wing takeover of all media, including Twitter.
- Jeff Johnsonlapcatsoftware@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 12:35 PM
@lexfri Trump ran for President 10 years ago on "lock her up," so there are literally no people who "simply haven’t spent much time thinking about the implications of a president using the federal government to intimidate political opponents".
- Lex Friedmanlexfri@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 12:40 PM
@lapcatsoftware I think we’re talking past each other a little.
I certainly don’t think Obama’s going to change the minds of hardcore Trump supporters with an essay.
But you’re right that Trump’s been telegraphing his willingness to target political opponents for a decade. Still, knowing Trump said “lock her up” isn’t necessarily the same as having seriously considered the implications of the federal government actually targeting an elected representative.
And I agree that more Democrats should be speaking out forcefully in Omar’s defense. No argument there.
The central argument of my piece is that Obama using X to broadcast a political message doesn’t somehow vindicate Gruber’s argument that X is a cheerful, inclusive place where we should all be hanging out.
Even if Obama is wasting his time and isn’t persuading a single person, that distinction still stands.
- Jeff Johnsonlapcatsoftware@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 12:45 PM
@lexfri I don't disagree with your point, but I actually disagree with the target of your essay. In a way, I think you're punching down instead of punching up, focusing way too much on Gruber and too little on Obama, as if, absurdly, Gruber were causing more people to use X than Obama does.
MrCoBaltMrCoBalt@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 2:55 PM@lapcatsoftware @lexfri I may be off base but I view it as “punching across” in the sense that, yes, it certainly would be awesome if Obama didn’t use X as any sort of messaging mechanism in this day and age…
But Lex isn’t trying to reach Obama, he’s trying to reach Gruber (and those within Gruber’s particular “sphere of influence” who like him/follow him) —and Gruber has thus far steadfastly refused, or simply been unwilling to, effectively engage with any actually-nuanced takes around his using and essentially promoting X.
So far Gruber’s only “defense”, such as it is, boils down to privileged takes about his having “fun”, and excuses centered around whataboutisms of _look who else!!_ is using X, all of which is just kinda the same sort of “gotta go along to get along” approach that, as you pointed out, continually fails the Democratic Party (and leftist movements in general) w/r/t right-wing media platforms.
Gruber ain’t Obama though, so you’d hope he’s still “reachable” in a sense, but so far it sure doesn’t seem to be the case…
- Jeff Johnsonlapcatsoftware@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 3:12 PM
@MrCoBalt @lexfri I don't see this as trying to "reach" Gruber or Obama. Lex could send an email or private message to Gruber to say something to one person. And as you say, Gruber doesn't seem particularly receptive.
This is engaging in a public debate about an issue, the morality of X usage. Gruber has engaged, Lex has engaged, I've engaged. And criticizing Obama and/or Gruber doesn't require that we do that to their face.
Bill Vinsonbillvinson@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 12:40 PM@lexfri Thanks for writing something more eloquent than I could write that expresses what I've been feeling. I do wish some of this dialog could stay out of the extremes to either end, but I wish he had some sense of the privilege he's expressing or a bit more introspection than seems to be going on. I'd say he's a bright guy, so I can't quite rationalize his current behavior on this topic.
Jimmyjimmylittle@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 12:48 PM@lexfri When I left Twitter, one of the things that made me sad was that I had to leave the place where Barack Obama was following me.
(Yes, he followed a half a million people, but I still take the win 🙃)
Victorvictor@typo.socialOct 20, 2026, 1:05 PM@lexfri very well said. I would love for John to try using the LGBT hashtag on X to seek out new friends in the queer community and see if his drive-by replies are friendly, inclusive, and cheerful. The moderation efforts took a huge nosedive after Musk bought the company and laid off thousands of people. I left the platform because it was a terrible place to be for one’s own mental health.
Ged Maheuxgedeonm@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 1:36 PM@lexfri Wow, great great post. Thank you!
Jon_Alperjon_alper@mastodon.onlineOct 20, 2026, 1:48 PM@lexfri I’m not on Xitter anymore. I don’t want one character’s worth of anything I post to be of even the slightest benefit to Musk.
I post here because many people I respect and learn from are here (including you).
That said: Mastodon culture absolutely does attract and organically promote a lot of ,and is essentially “dominated by, a fringe of unhinged kooks”. It’s not constructive to promote Xitter but it’s also not constructive to deny an essential flaw of Mastodon culture.
Oct 20, 2026, 2:17 PM@lexfri You’re being far more generous than I feel you need to be ;-)
I’d be really interested if any of your points get a response.
Craig Grannellcraiggrannell@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 2:23 PM@lexfri Two thoughts:
1. I vehemently dislike the casual dismissal of critics by way of extreme examples, which feels VERY might like the worse of political discourse. “Those people who don’t agree with me are all nuts! Etc!”
2. Using X to reach people who don’t agree with you? I get it, but. UK politicians use that excuse. Their feeds are full of hate. Meanwhile, they _don’t_ post elsewhere, thereby legitimising X. That, for me, is a problem, especially as a Brit (well, non-American).
Rowan Johnsonrowan_johnson@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 2:36 PM@lexfri if it encourages you at all, your first post about this put you on my radar and got me to add your website to my RSS reader. Keep up the good fight, sir!
- Lex Friedmanlexfri@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 2:36 PM
@rowan_johnson I super appreciate that, thank you!
Scottscottearle@poorlyrendered.comOct 20, 2026, 3:59 PM@lexfri X is for Nazis
Oct 20, 2026, 4:05 PM@lexfri if I understood you correctly, you are saying that it is ok to post on X but not to read or otherwise interact with the content. Which, I think, is exactly the opposite of why people still go to X.
I am in the camp of "no X presence at all". Whatever your reach is, you can't fight the skewed algorithms. And by keeping their account active, the politicians and other influencers legitimize the platform and give others reason to visit it more often.
- Lex Friedmanlexfri@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 4:06 PM
@btel You didn’t quite understand me, but I see how you got there. My point is that I think there’s a difference in Obama broadcasting there vs. Gruber encouraging people to interact and engage there. I don’t endorse either, but I think the former is more justifiable.
kcǃexkclamation@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 4:11 PM@lexfri 💯
DNSDavidnsteer@hachyderm.ioOct 20, 2026, 4:47 PM@lexfri 👏👏👏
David H. McCoydavidhmccoy@mastodon.worldOct 20, 2026, 6:11 PMI’ve gone from little respect to having none. People sit in bubbles long enough, they potentially become hidebound.
To even sarcastically suggest Obama is a Nazi is beyond the pale and frankly, gets into some iffy waters.
We’re seeing some real-time, Fetterman level degeneration here, IMO.
Guy Sedaiguysedai@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 6:43 PM@lexfri counterpoint- Obama isn’t just using X to condemn government intimidation- he’s also used it in the last few months to post about the White Sox playoff run, to eulogize his dog, to promote his new podcast, etc. He’s using it in a more “ social”/casual manner than you let on…
Sumocat 🐈⬛Sumocat@mastodon.worldOct 20, 2026, 6:49 PM@lexfri I mean, “we” aren’t, but some of us feel the need to justify a retreat from a moral high ground. I do not fault anyone for returning to X for the audience; that’s where the biggest audience is. But I do judge the attempts at justification. Just return to the dumpster fire and admit the garbage tastes better when it’s fire roasted. That said, I suspect everyone feeding Grok all their data and training it on their interactions will regret it soon enough.
Archagonarchagon@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 7:30 PM@lexfri I feel like that Gruber post does not warrant such a thoughtful response. He’s obviously livid, slinging insults at colleagues, and making a political tragedy all about himself.
What a baby.
(Oh, and he’s also reposting this tripe on Mastodon just to get a rise out of his followers, I guess. Seriously, what the fuck?)
CarolynCStamp@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 9:12 PM@lexfri "allowing their discourse to be dominated by a fringe of unhinged kooks who want to be angry and want everyone else to be angry."
Huh? I don't know who he's been following, but I have not seen these unhinged kooks in my time line. Who was he following? Or was he just provoking irate responses to comments like that?
Jarekjarekbartonek@mastodon.socialOct 20, 2026, 11:22 PM@lexfri
I've read Daring Fireball since 2010 — I was on John's side in the Dan Benjamin split, I own the merch. And I've just swapped DF for lexontech.org, 1:1. Lex is right about X, and John has lost the plot on this one. From the EU, this stopped looking like a judgment call a while ago.
Oct 21, 2026, 12:32 AM@lexfri Thank you, Lex. I don’t envy your position as the go-to rebutter of this nonsense, but we’re very fortunate to have you. Each post has been measured, clear-headed, and well reasoned. It means a lot that you’re voicing these thoughts.
- Lex Friedmanlexfri@hachyderm.ioOct 21, 2026, 1:02 AM
@glancepop very kind of you to say! Thank you
- smokedpixelsmokedpixel@mastodon.socialOct 21, 2026, 1:35 AM
Oct 21, 2026, 7:48 AMAnd lazy. And borderline bad-faith. And I’m someone who usually nods in agreement with John’s posts.
Oct 21, 2026, 10:15 AM@lexfri something something company you keep.
Oct 21, 2026, 12:22 PM@lexfri well argued.
Oct 21, 2026, 1:58 PM@lexfri It's the Yglesias effect. He somehow has come to believe that Yglesias is a fount of wisdom and all this follows from that.
Paul Salzmanpsimac@mastodon.sdf.orgOct 22, 2026, 2:06 PM@lexfri I would argue that Twitter had always been a cesspool of opinions since its inception. Early on it was almost all techies and fun. It was an open place to share whatever you wanted to broadcast. Then the @ was invented and it was more discourse.
Later, when people turned political there were many discussions that keyboard warriors heated up.
The Twitter began censoring. That’s when it all went bad. Polarization worsened. People were pissed.
Nick Schaedel 🏳️🌈nshady@aus.socialOct 23, 2026, 3:30 AM@lexfri thank you for this
