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Sep 9, 2020 12 tweets 5 min read Read on X
It's been said that hell is other people. Not in 2020. Right now, other people are the only thing between us and species collapse.

Introducing the WIRED25. Undeterred by disaster, these innovators are using tech to make things better for all of us 1/ wired.trib.al/dbP5tPQ
Ava DuVernay

DuVernay may be the most relevant director of 2020. Her body of work includes ‘Selma’, ‘When They See Us’, and '13th’, and this year she launched the online social justice course Array 101, as well as LEAP, a fund for artists whose work explores police violence 2/ Image
Anthony Fauci

As director of NIAID since 1984, Fauci has advised six presidents on HIV, Ebola, Zika, and more. He’s been working 18 hours a day, seven days a week, since the beginning of February, and his integrity in the face of Covid-19 has made him an icon 3/ Image
Vijaya Gadde

Gadde’s counseling Twitter through one of the most boundary-pushing US presidential races ever. This year, the platform began placing misinformation labels on high-profile tweets deemed capable of jeopardizing public safety or capsizing the democratic process 4/ Image
Tsai Ing-wen, Chen Chien-Jen, and Audrey Tang

Together, this Taiwanese trio all but eradicated the coronavirus from their homeland. They did so through decisive actions, strict social distancing measures, and real-time mask availability apps 5/ Image
Jon Gray, Lester Walker, and Pierre Serao

In the midst of a pandemic and protests, this Bronx-based collective partnered with La Morada, a local Oaxacan restaurant, and Rethink, a nonprofit that redirects excess food to NYC families. Together, they’ve served 1,000 meals a day 6/ Image
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland

In March, the megaproducers got a concert-starved nation on its feet by streaming Verzuz’s inaugural hip hop and R&B battle on Instagram. The free face-offs are now on Apple TV, and the pair see it as a sort of museum for Black musicians everywhere 7/ Image
Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook

In the wake of a devastating pandemic, Pichai and Cook overlooked their rivalry to unite Google and Apple for the greater good. Their Covid-19 contact tracing API has been integrated into health care sector apps around the world 8/ Image
Timnit Gebru

Gebru's research has spotlighted racist algorithms and the ethical quandaries of data-mining projects and AI. In a January paper, she argued that current methods of data collection and annotation for machine learning are rife with biases capable of causing harm 9/ Image
Al Gore

The truth is increasingly inconvenient: Earth is getting hotter, and we’re to blame. Gore is still working to fix it—by funding sustainable companies through the equity firm Generation Investment Management and educating the masses with the Climate Reality Project 10/ Image
This is just a portion of the WIRED25. Here’s our full list of innovators across tech, science, food, culture, and politics 11/ wired.trib.al/dbP5tPQ
Want to meet some of the WIRED25? We’re hosting a series of free virtual conversations with them starting next week. Subscribe here to attend the talks taking place September 16, 23, and 30 12/ wired.trib.al/5raf3Eb

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More from @WIRED

Feb 3
Two agents involved in the shooting deaths of US citizens in Minneapolis are reportedly part of highly militarized DHS units whose extreme tactics are generally reserved for war zones. wired.com/story/ice-cbp-…
The units include ICE’s two Special Response Teams (SRT), CBP’s one SRT, and the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC).
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The tactics used by SRT and BORTAC vastly differ from those of local police or sheriffs. They use explosives to breach the doors of homes, and team members are equipped with full tactical gear, assault rifles, and heavy-duty crowd-control weapons.
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Jan 30
Since last year, we’ve been reporting on ICE extensively. But every week brings new information, and it’s getting harder to keep track of what’s happening, let alone remember what’s already happened.

So here’s a quick thread to help.
Back in June (we know, it honestly feels like a lifetime ago), WIRED obtained hundreds of emergency calls from ICE detention centers. wired.com/story/ice-dete…
The data showed that at least 60 percent of the centers analyzed had reported serious pregnancy complications, suicide attempts, or sexual assault allegations. wired.com/story/ice-dete…
Read 23 tweets
Nov 4, 2025
Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings and sexual assaults in several states, warns an FBI bulletin to law enforcement agencies issued last month.
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Citing five 2025 incidents involving fake immigration officers, the bulletin says criminals are using ICE’s heightened profile to target vulnerable communities, making it harder to distinguish between lawful officers and imposters.
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Federal rules require immigration officers to identify themselves and state the reason for an arrest “as soon as it is practical and safe to do so.” The standard has not changed since it was codified, yet advocates say it is increasingly ignored.
wired.com/story/fbi-warn…
Read 4 tweets
Sep 30, 2025
Thirty years ago, an Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the theories of Carl Schmitt, the theorist tapped by the Nazis to justify Germany's slip from democracy to dictatorship. Those theories have been a roadmap for the billionaire ever since.
wired.com/story/the-real…
Schmitt is remembered for two theories: his incisive Weimar-era critique of liberalism and his decision to join the Nazi party in the run-up to the Second World War.

In 1996, theologian Wolfgang Palaver introduced Thiel to these ideas at a conference.
wired.com/story/the-real…
Also, some terms we gotta break down:

Mimetic Rivalry: Violence that results from humans’ fundamental tendency to imitate each other—specifically to mimic each other’s desires. A key concept for Rene Girard, Thiel’s biggest intellectual influence.
wired.com/story/the-real…
Read 8 tweets
Jul 23, 2025
In an industry once known for cushy perks, some founders are now asking staff to commit to a 72-hour weekly schedule. You’re either in or you’re out. wired.com/story/silicon-…
Would you like to work nearly double the standard 40-hour week? It’s a question that many startups in the US are asking prospective employees—and to get the job, the answer needs to be an unequivocal yes. wired.com/story/silicon-…
These companies are embracing an intense schedule, first popularized in mainland China, known as “996,” or 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. That’s a 72-hour work week, in case you’re doing the math. wired.com/story/silicon-…
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Jul 22, 2025
Generative AI has put data centers under the spotlight, and surging electricity needs could increase risk of fires. wired.com/story/x-data-c…
A recent, hours-long fire at a data center used by Elon Musk’s X may have begun after an electrical or mechanical issue in a power system, according to an official fire investigation. wired.com/story/x-data-c…
Data center giant Digital Realty operates the 13-acre site, and multiple people familiar with the matter previously told WIRED that the Musk-run social platform X has servers there. wired.com/story/x-data-c…
Read 5 tweets

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