Big Tech’s Big Defector
The story of a Silicon Valley cheerleader, and significant investor, turned vocal critic.
On Being French and Chinese
The author writes about “being French and Chinese—about having multiple identities, and being misunderstood” in this personal essay.
Does Who You Are at 7 Determine Who You Are at 63?
A fine look at the landmark documentary series Up, that has met a group of people every seven years throughout their lives, and has just released its latest instalment with its subjects aged sixty-three. As the author notes the series plays with the idea that to “spend time with a child is to dwell under the terms of an uneasy truce between the possibility of the present and the inevitability of the future”.
Waiting for Obama
A look at the delicate balance that President Obama has had to strike since Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, and latterly since his former Vice President Joe Biden threw his hat into the ring for the 2020 election. He has not shown his hand, consulting liberally with many candidates, and preparing to intervene only once the Democratic nominee is decided.
The bonkers, bristly story of how big toothbrush took over the world
This article on the banal topic of toothbrushes proves illuminating on the subject of consumer goods pricing, socio-economic factors in public health outcomes, and the sometimes blurry lines between scientific research and PR.
How our home delivery habit reshaped the world
A look at the scale of the logistics behind home delivery and how it is changing the way we live.
The Jungle Prince of Delhi
The remarkable story of a family that in the 1970s installed themselves in the VIP waiting room in New Delhi railway station and staked a claim to the ancient royal house of Oudh. They spent over 40 years being interviewed by a succession of journalists about their story – but was it true?
Ponzi Schemes, Private Yachts, and a Missing $250 Million in Crypto: The Strange Tale of Quadriga
A bitcoin trading exchange collapsed when its founder died unexpectedly after a short illness. This story tracks the efforts of Reddit users, law enforcement and investors to identify if the business was a scam.
Into the abyss
As one reader puts it, this story has everything: “Cannibal rats. Ghost ship. Abandonment…Smuggling.”