jacobrintamaki endorsed @jasminewsun's 6,000-word series on Midwestern…

Brief

Jasmine Sun's 6,000-word series (published Aug 4, 2026) examines Midwestern data-center politics through interviews with union leaders, brokers, activists, local officials and politicians like Kathy Hochul and Abdul El‑Sayed. She documents pervasive distrust—shaped by Foxconn/GM/DTE failures, NDAs and big dollar stakes—and shows how media amplify local grievances; jacobrintamaki endorses it.

Why it matters

jacobrintamaki endorsed @jasminewsun's 6,000-word series on Midwestern data-center politics, published across four sites over 10 days (link jasmi.news/p/no-data-centers; published Aug 4, 2026), based on interviews with union leaders, real-estate brokers, activists, local officials and politicians including Kathy Hochul and Abdul El‑Sayed.

Key details

Findings: activists are as angry at local officials as at AI companies; skepticism rises with larger dollar amounts; past corporate failures (Foxconn, GM, DTE) prime community distrust; data-center proponents regret NDAs; residents fear being left with the bill if a data-center bubble pops.

Meta: media narratives convert local grievances into national movements; the author often agreed with proponents on rational grounds but emotionally sided with opponents and recommends on-the-ground reporting (notes Wisconsin was "esp lovely").

Very much worth reading & supporting; matches up w my experiences.

jasmine sun (@jasminewsun)

This piece is out! 4 sites, 10 days, and 6000 words on the politics of data centers in the Midwest: jasmi.news/p/no-data-centers…

I talked to union leaders and real estate brokers, activists and local officials, politicians from Kathy Hochul to Abdul El-Sayed. A few takeaways:

Activists are as pissed at their local officials as at AI companies
The bigger the dollar signs, the more skeptical people are
Past corporate failures (Foxconn, GM, DTE) prime community distrust
Even data center proponents regret the NDAs
Media narratives turn local grievances into national movements
Residents fear getting left with the bag if the bubble pops

The AI buildout is showing up in an environment of extreme distrust, and it slots perfectly into existing worries about risky tech bubbles & dark money in politics. Rationally speaking, I often agreed with the proponents; emotionally, I empathized with the opposition more.

It was also just very fun (WI is esp lovely) and I highly recommend similar field trips to SF friends

— https://nitter.net/jasminewsun/status/2084429393028665756#m