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Baratunde Thurston

A best-selling author, podcast and television host, and cultural critic focused on the intersection of race, tech, democracy, and climate change in America.

THE LATEST ARTICLES
Meet me in the metaverse
SILICON VALLEY • March 31, 2022
See You in the Metaverse
My recent trip to Austin for SXSW offered a number of startling realizations. First off, web3 is going to be bigger than we ever imagined. It may also, finally, be the internet platform that makes the world a better place.
Will Smith
HOLLYWOOD • March 28, 2022
Will Smith’s Tragic Lesson
During the peak of his powers, Will Smith submitted to the worst possible instincts, allowing what should have been his brightest moment to reveal his own shadow through an act of violence. Smith’s meandering and pained Oscars acceptance speech was couched in the language of abuse.
People fleeing Kyiv
WASHINGTON • March 11, 2022
Ukraine, Racism, and the Wars We Ignore
War shatters lives, but also reveals what binds us together. I’m clinging to a hope that this war will bring out the best in us, both in Ukraine and beyond.
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ABOUT PUCK

In this new media age, the creator is the heart of the business equation.
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Daniel Ek
SILICON VALLEY • February 15, 2022
My Joe Rogan Playlist
Nine thoughts on Spotify, “free speech,” deplatforming, and what the Rogan crisis really means.
Digital currency
SILICON VALLEY • February 2, 2022
Crypto’s Colorblind Promise
For so much of U.S. history, Black people were not allowed to build wealth. But as I explore experiments in web3 and blockchain, I’m seeing a lot more Black people than I used to see in Web 1.0 and 2.0. Is the prospect of “generational wealth” the real deal?
Rachel Maddow is played during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting
SILICON VALLEY • January 27, 2022
Fauci Fatigue and Maddow in the Metaverse
Notes on Jack Dorsey's successor, the stratification of digital media, and Omicron-era information overload.