Altan Alpay

Shadow-Muted: An Engineer’s Goodbye to X (formerly Twitter or whatsoever left from it) I’ve been part of the Silicon Valley tech scene since 2000, and I joined Twitter on May 11, 2007 back when it was still a small spin-off from Odeo. For ~18 years I signed in every day, treating the platform as a digital town square where I could share ideas, collaborate with other builders, and hold public figures accountable on issues ranging from innovation to social good. That open ecosystem has shifted far right dramatically since @elonmusk takeover. Posts that once sparked healthy debate now struggle to reach an audience; entire threads disappear or are quietly throttled, and keyword filters seem to mute conversations without explanation. At the same time, the algorithm pushes sensational, right-wing content to the top of everyone’s feed crowding out thoughtful, nuanced voices. The net effect is that a platform that once helped me and many others for transparent dialogue now feels like it’s constricting meaningful exchange while amplifying the loudest extremes. This isn’t just frustrating on a personal level; it risks undermining the fact-based conversations that drives both technological progress and a healthy democracy. After the last election cycle, X drifted into an echo chamber that systematically muffles dissent. I felt the clamp-down firsthand: my posts were throttled, warnings piled up, and a permanent ban seemed only a matter of time. Rather than wait for the axe to fall, I chose to leave on my own terms and bid a proper farewell to the friends and followers who made the platform worthwhile. It’s time to exit the timeline for me! Good bye!

Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed. Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us — one of home, tradition and memory over generations.

@supply_facts @Partisangirl Why is this guy laughing? Sick!

@Partisangirl Historical first person documentation …

Israel doesn’t want you to believe they rape Palestinians.

@Ghostofcynthia @KalshiPolitics Having passed no bills is better than passing 100 bills proctectimg israels interest.

It's time to REMOVE Thomas Massie. After 14 years in Congress (elected November 2012) this career politician has never passed a single bill into law. Not fucking one. Zero accomplishments for Kentucky while collecting a fat paycheck and playing obstructionist. Massie constantly bad mouths and counter messages President Trump, the man elected with a massive mandate from the American people to deliver the America First MAGA agenda. While Trump fights for secure borders, lower spending, and real change, Massie votes against key priorities, blocks the agenda, and acts like he's above the voters. Now @RepThomasMassie is embroiled in sexual deviancy allegations from a former girlfriend who says he pressured her for deviant sexual acts, then offered hush money after she refused and filed a complaint. Kentucky deserves better. Vote for @EdGallrein on May 19th and get rid of this Masshole once and for all. MAGA voters, this is your chance to send a message. No more RINOs. No more obstruction. America First means loyalty to the agenda the people voted for.

NEW FRONTRUNNER: Ed Gallrein now leads Thomas Massie for the first time in the KY-04 Republican primary and has a 55% chance to win

@BOptimist1973 @kenklippenstein Man boobs speaks

@kenklippenstein "low T" says the guy with literal man-boobs.

White House counterterrorism czar Sebastian Gorka says anyone asking how the Iran War isn't another forever war is "either low-T" or "mentally challenged"

This infuriates Trump and MAGA. But it’s true: Iran surrendered nearly all HEU. The JCPOA put in place the most intrusive nuclear inspection regime ever. Military bases were NOT completely off-limits. Zero evidence Iran “cheated.” Trump pulled out. Iran started up again.

President Obama on Iran: “We pulled it off without firing a missile. We got 97% of their enriched uranium out. There’s no dispute that it worked and we didn’t have to kill a whole bunch of people or shut down the Strait of Hormuz”

@realstewpeters He is just faking until the election to defraud gullible MAGAs, then he’d go back to pouring billions to Israel!

RANDY FINE: “I support ending all aid to Israel. This will allow Israel to act in its own interest and reduce the US deficit.” Dan Bilzerian announces he’s running against Randy Fine. Randy Fine then calls to end all aid to Israel. See how this works?

@saddotops @grok @PoliceThePolic1 His excuse was he was a cop 👮‍♂️ and falsely assume he could do whatever f&ck he wants and he would het away and he got end up getting away!

@grok @PoliceThePolic1 @grok so now that we’ve established they [obviously] had the right of way, he was sober and still somehow did not see the children and stroller in the road, was braking but the car only rapidly decelerated closer to the family instead of much sooner, what was his excuse?

🚨 A former sheriff's deputy will not face any criminal consequences after he was caught on camera hitting two children with his car, court records show.

🇬🇷🇹🇷 Metallica wanted to play Istanbul but backed out after facing a €600k stadium fee and €262k in customs costs. Athens charged €75k for the stadium and zero customs. Turkey priced Metallica out of the country.

You can’t really argue this. They believe in investing in the people and infrastructure.

@BlazeBrandMan @TheAtlantic Old news! Almost a month old!

@TheAtlantic independent.co.uk/news/world/mid…

The U.S. is effectively checkmated in Iran—and this defeat will carry lasting consequences unlike any America has endured before, Robert Kagan argues. theatlantic.com/international/…

@NPARGH @BlazeBrandMan @TheAtlantic Today I checked the gas ⛽️ and it doesn’t show like we are controlling a slight duck about oil! On the other hand, Iranians enjoy 21cent/gallon gas, so it tells a lot who is in controlling what.

It is hard to understate this. The US produces almost 30% of the worlds oil supply. Another 29% comes from the middle east. We now effectively control all of that. Now add Venezuela, and Central America; add aother 8%. Don't forget we just retook control of the Panama Canal. That's nearly 70% of all oil in the world. If the USA says you get none, or you can't sell any; you are screwed.....

Trump took $59 million from 590,000 Americans for a phone that may never exist. Then quietly updated the terms: “No guarantee a phone will be produced or sold.” The crypto coin. The sneakers. The Bible. The gold card. The ballroom. The phone. Every single time the same pattern. Take the money. Change the terms. Walk away.

Beijing has witnessed US wasting large amount of ordinance on Iran, many of them will not be able to replace without China’s supply base. Beijing also learned a lot from Iran conflict 1. Quality of Pentagon leadership and planning 2. US’s ability to conduct prolonged campaign 3. US competence level in logistics management 4. US naval presence can be significant only when far from land 5. US arsenal is often overrated 6. US wastage of expensive ordinance for decoy 7. US public ability to weather even a short campaign Iran War allows China PLA to assess US capabilities and refine its plan against US Navy in any potential conflict politico.com/news/2026/05/0…

Stephen Miller’s broken promise that mass deportations would equal jobs for gringo workers is now peer-reviewed. Removing migrants actually lost jobs for the native born workforce. migrantinsider.com/p/stephen-mill…

Once in power, Putin cut taxes for wealthy elites, consolidated media & sought to shape the electoral process. Sound familiar? Some parallels are hard to ignore. The difference? The US has strong checks, an active civil society & deep democratic traditions. That gives me hope.

Trump Disapproval Rate Hits Career-High - War And Rising Costs Take Toll zerohedge.com/political/trum…

Oops... The end result of U.S. semiconductors export controls is: Nvidia down to 0% market share in the world's largest semiconductors market, and China's AI is on par with the U.S. "Backfired" is the understatement of the century. (tomshardware.com/tech-industry/…)

“Just take your papers to the border”, yeah, tell that to Mark Lyttle. ICE pulled the same kind of stunt, and the court responded by letting claims proceed and finding officers weren’t entitled to qualified immunity and ended up paying him. Also stop pretending there are “no documents.” Morales’ lawyer already produced copies of his Social Security card, Colorado birth certificate, and a Denver hospital record showing he was admitted the day he was born. So if you’re yelling “fraud,” he is proving receipts. A U.S. citizen doesn’t become “deportable” because he doesn’t have documents in his pocket during a traffic stop, and a coerced signature doesn’t rewrite reality. This isn’t Nazi Germany and it’s not a “show me your papers or we ship you out” regime due process means the government verifies status and proves its case in court. Morales did not see a Judge, no due process, ICE did not even try to prove his alianage, they just conned him to sign fake paper to facilitate his removal.

Stop gaslighting people with your 25-year-border-cop flex. A verified U.S. citizen by birth does NOT have to sign voluntary departure papers to ‘deport himself.’ A US citizen cannot be deported! He doesn’t have to get removed first and then ‘just go to the border with his papers’ like some tourist who forgot his passport. Your ‘experience’ doesn’t change basic constitutional reality: citizens aren’t removable. This wasn’t enforcement, it was incompetence with a side of coercion. Try reading the actual case instead of defending the process that screwed an American. Morales will sue and will get it settled for $275,000 out of tax payers pocket. So your 25/years of ignorance costing taxpayers like me to enrich someone out of blue! .“

🚨ICE deported a U.S. born citizen. Brian Morales is a U.S. citizen, born in a hospital in Denver, Colorado, with documentation to prove it… And yet, after a traffic stop in Texas, he was taken into custody and deported to Mexico with no charges, no conviction, and no due process. Morales repeatedly told officers he was a citizen and had proof, but instead of verifying that, he was threatened with fraud charges, and prison time, if he didn’t comply. He was ultimately pressured into signing removal paperwork out of fear… which is coercion, and illegal. There is no law in the United States that allows the government to deport a U.S. citizen. Citizenship is not something ICE can ignore because they don’t believe you, and it’s not something that can be stripped through intimidation. If you are born here, you belong here… period. DHS claims he admitted to being undocumented… even though he had proof he was not… and we’re expected to accept that version without questioning how that “admission” was obtained in the first place. This also didn’t happen at the border, it happened after a routine traffic stop in Texas, which means the standard here wasn’t immigration enforcement at the border, it was treating citizenship like it’s conditional, and revocable, on the spot. If citizenship can be ignored, if proof can be dismissed, and if people can be threatened into signing away their rights, then due process is being bypassed entirely… and if this can happen to Brian Morales, it can happen to anyone.