NYT Reporter Praises Wispr Flow Then Says He Wants to Smash It
An NYT reporter tested voice dictation tool Wispr Flow, admitted its speed and accuracy were stunning, yet published a long piece arguing people shouldn't be allowed to use voice dictation and even said he wanted to smash it with a hammer. The contradiction sparked controversy across tech circles as a case study of media bias against AI tools.
Confirmed
- The product involved is Wispr Flow; its founder Omor (@omooretweets) first publicly called out the incident on September 6
- The NYT reporter acknowledged the tool's outstanding speed and accuracy, yet argued voice dictation shouldn't be allowed and expressed wanting to smash it
- Omor used the incident to attack the tech media ecosystem, questioning why founders still grant traditional media interviews
- The story spread via multiple reposts: rohanpaul commented that anger toward AI is spreading; Andy Masley noted that for those who oppose Luddism yet believe in AI risks, such rhetoric reveals media hostility to practical tools; commenters in @round's repost chain dubbed the phenomenon "anti-AI derangement," some half-jokingly calling it a mental health crisis
Why it matters
- The rift between a founder and mainstream media went public, with Omor questioning whether startups still need traditional press exposure
- Both AI supporters and AI-risk believers found the reporter's stance objectionable, showing anti-AI sentiment extending from abstract positions to hostility toward concrete useful tools
- The incident was widely cited as an example for reflecting on media review ethics and anti-AI bias
2026-09-06 ~ 2026-09-07 · 6 related posts
Primary sources
- NYT Reporter Calls Wispr Flow 'Astonishing,' Then Says It Should Be 'Murdered With a Hammer' — omooretweets ·
- NYT reporter calls Wispr Flow "astonishing" — then says he wants to "murder it with a hammer" — omooretweets ·
- NYT reporter calls Wispr Flow 'astonishing,' then says he wants to murder it with a hammer — jxmnop ·
- [source] NYT Reporter Calls Wispr Flow 'Astonishing,' Then Says It Should Be 'Murdered With a Hammer' — omooretweets · 2026-09-06
- [source] NYT reporter calls Wispr Flow "astonishing" — then says he wants to "murder it with a hammer" — omooretweets · 2026-09-06
- "Anti-AI psychosis is a mental health crisis": NYT reporter trashes Wispr Flow despite praising it — round · 2026-09-06
- NYT reporter calls Wispr Flow 'astonishing' then says people shouldn't use dictation at all — S_OhEigeartaigh · 2026-09-07
2 near-duplicate retellings: jxmnop · rohanpaul_ai