The 500 Words newsletter is written by a human who likes to source things. Below, you’ll find all the reference links for recent issues. To subscribe, click this link.
2026
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Synopsis:
Tech leaders openly prioritize profit over safety while developing potentially dangerous AI. When the Pentagon demanded Anthropic remove safety guardrails from Claude, the company firmly refused. Unusually, Microsoft and other tech firms filed amicus briefs supporting Anthropic's legal challenge, offering a rare glimpse of industry resistance to reckless AI development.
Sources:
Sam Altman 2015 QuoteOn Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder
A Cookie for Dario by Anil Dash
Microsoft backs Anthropic in amicus brief to halt US DOD’s ‘supply-chain risk’ designation
Microsoft backs AI firm Anthropic in legal battle against Pentagon
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Synopsis:
This newsletter discusses an author seeking beta readers for a fantasy novel. It highlights Powell's bookstore's book-scented perfume and examines how little advertisers value user attention (48 cents per hour). Finally, it covers Denmark and Australia implementing social media bans for children under 15-16 to protect childhood.Sources:
Powell’s Books has released a book-scented fragrance for book lovers everywhere
How Much is Your Attention Worth to Advertisers?
Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s as PM warns phones ‘stealing childhood’
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Synopsis:
This newsletter critiques the hype around Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), arguing that while tech leaders promise efficiency and smarter thinking, AI actually undermines human creativity and cognition. From "vibe coding" to agentic systems, AI risks are multiplying. The author warns that concentrated corporate control of computation is dangerous and that guardrails remain inadequate as AI reshapes society unpredictably.
Sources:
I loved my OpenClaw AI Agent-until it turned on me
Musk vows to put data centers in space and run them on solar power but experts have their doubts
On the Measure of Intelligence
AI showing signs of self-preservation and humans should be ready to pull plug, says pioneer
AIs Are Talking to Each Other in a Language of Their Own. No One Knows What They’re Saying.
Gas Town’s Agent Patterns, Design Bottlenecks, and Vibecoding at Scale
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Synopsis:
This newsletter warns against AI's ubiquity in customer service and social media. The author advises abandoning Google and Meta products to protect privacy. He cautions using chatbots, recommending you draft work first to preserve creativity. He emphasizes that millions of artists' work was stolen to train AI systems without permission.
Sources:
Anthropic Works List Lookup, listing books that have been ingested into Anthropic’s AI, part of a class action lawsuit against Anthropic.
Oh, Alex, by Jay Connor
I don’t know how to do this, by Emily Atkin
The Names they Call Themselves, by John Gruber
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Synopsis:
This newsletter emphasizes storytelling's power in modern communication. The author pitched films using only narrative, without notes. Stories capture attention and build connections. In the information economy, storytelling is essential for startup founders, public speakers, and those competing for audience engagement. He's launching masterclasses teaching this skill to founders globally.
Sources:
Sign up for news about the Storyline Sessions for Startups
Sign up for news about the Storyline Sessions for Introverts
2025
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Summary: Lee's 500 Words newsletter reviews his 2025 predictions-correctly forecasting entertainment consolidation and infrastructure vulnerabilities, but missing deepfake videos' political impact. For 2026, he predicts nature will heal from climate damage, podcasting will mature with quality-focused networks, people will reject "snackable" content for long-form material, and AI will force humans to prove their worth through authentic writing, reporting, and in-person communication.
Links:
Trump posts deepfake video of Jeffries, Schumer with racist tropes as shutdown looms
Waymos blocked roads and caused chaos during San Francisco power outage
The “HBO of podcasting” finally emerges
AI will force us to be more ambitious, more human storytellers
Roomba’s bankruptcy may wreck a lot more than one robot vacuum maker
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Summary: Introduces FOR THE WIN, a column highlighting positive world developments. Also public speaking tips for introverts, book gift recommendations from professional booksellers, and introduces the author's Storyline Sessions masterclasses and science fiction novels.
Links:The Golden Age of Protest is Now
Los Angeles will nearly double recycled water for 500,000 residentsPower surge: law changes could soon bring balcony solar to millions across US
Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine Partner With ElevenLabs to Produce AI Replicas of Their Voices
The Storyline Sessions YouTube Channel
Buy my books (link to my author website)
Falling in Love with Books, featuring Pat Walker of Vroman’s Bookstore
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Summary: Lee promotes his third book LIBERATION, reassuring readers they can understand it without reading the previous two books in the series. He explains writing techniques that make later books accessible, like introducing new characters who need backstory or using memory triggers. The newsletter also features THE FUTURE LAB"interview with Eiren Caffall about her climate fiction novel All the Water in the World, which resonated with Lee during his recent Palisades fire evacuation.
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