Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch) header
Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch) profile picture

Ian Frisch

@IanFrisch

author, INSIDE THE CARTEL (out now!) and MAGIC IS DEAD (@deystreet); co-creator/EP, BIG TRICK ENERGY (@truTV); also: @newyorker, @nytimes, @nymag, etc

 Brooklyn, NY
ianfrisch.com
Joined May 2009
  • Tweets11.4K
  • Following2.1K
  • Followers3.7K
1.1KMedia
Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)Photo by Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)
.@WSJ calls INSIDE THE CARTEL “thrilling… has the snap of a Hollywood script… a compelling memoir.” wsj.com/arts-culture/books/i…
‘Inside the Cartel’ Review: When Martin Became Manny

‘Inside the Cartel’ Review: When Martin Became Manny

An FBI agent went undercover to combat a Colombian drug cartel. The line between his true identity and his alias began to blur.

wsj.com
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Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim going to the Magic Castle together makes a lot of sense. Magicians, obviously, share a similar obsession with reality and truth. (They are also largely nerdy and awkward.) youtube.com/watch?v=0WsWJTnV…
One-handed Flourishes

One-handed Flourishes

I can do several different cuts/shuffles with just one hand.

youtube.com
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As I resident of New Hampshire, all of the ash trees on my property are dead, and I have to treat my 120-year-old (extremely rare and very large) white birch trees with special chemicals annually or they, too, will one day become infested.
The Sunday Long Read (@sundaylongread) profile pictureThe Sunday Long Read
@sundaylongreadOct 30
Nature is complex but generally balanced. Invasive species can throw the balance out of whack and climate change is exacerbating the imbalance. This is a great story from the @nytimes documenting not only some specific issues in the northeastern U.S. but some of the fascinating ways scientists are trying to keep order amidst the chaos. nytimes.com/2026/10/19/clima…
The Overlapping Plagues Quietly Devastating American Forests (Gift Article)

The Overlapping Plagues Quietly Devastating American Forests (Gift Article)

Trees are suffering one devastating epidemic after another, unleashed by insects and bacteria that enter the country because of global trade.

nytimes.com
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For @nytimes Styles, I profiled Szilveszter Makó, fashion world man-of-the-moment. Our conversation marks the first time Makó, who prefers to communicate in writing, has granted a sit-down interview with a journalist. Link in replies.
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7 Brew’s coffee and energy drinks are a Gen Z favorite, propelling the brand to one of the biggest growth stories in the US (even if a lot of us 40 year olds have never heard of it...) bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
7 Brew, Gen Z’s Anti-Starbucks, Is on an Expansion Spree

7 Brew, Gen Z’s Anti-Starbucks, Is on an Expansion Spree

The Blackstone-backed drive-through chain has 900-plus stores spanning 38 states and has managed to crack the code of capturing the afternoon drink rush.

bloomberg.com
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Russell Wilson and Ciara began talking about running a foundation together on their very first date. Since then they have helped tens of thousands of children. My cover story for the new issue of @TandCmag. townandcountrymag.com/societ…
Image from Ian Frisch (@IanFrisch)
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Ian Frisch retweeted
Alice Robb (@alicelrobb) profile picture
Alice Robb@alicelrobbOct 23
wrote about the celeb memoir boom bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Why the Book World Remains Obsessed With Celebrity Memoirs

Why the Book World Remains Obsessed With Celebrity Memoirs

In an age of artificial intimacy, hearing stories from the stars themselves offers both authenticity and privileged access.

bloomberg.com
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As someone who wrote a book on magic (and knows the owners of Art of Play), it's much more simple than that. Magicians are, by and larger, awkward people, and that awkwardness can be misinterpreted as standoffishness.
Joe Bernstein (@Bernstein) profile pictureJoe Bernstein@BernsteinOct 22
One thing that is poorly understood is the extent to which this store is very much a magic shop. And apparently magic shop clerks are supposed to be hostile to outsiders. So what Kelly Clarkson interpreted as snobbery, was actually classic magician in-group out-group behavior.
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now, the dominos will start to fall...
Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) profile pictureJoe Weisenthal
@TheStalwartOct 22
This paragraph from $META's inside 10-q filling may mark the official announcement that the funding environment for the AI buildout has turned the corner. (HT: Barclays' Alexander Altmann)
Image from Joe Weisenthal (@TheStalwart)
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Ian Frisch retweeted
Evan Ratliff (@ev_rat) profile picture
Evan Ratliff@ev_ratOct 21
The new season of Shell Game is out. Episode 1: Into the slop. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… shellgame.co
Episode 1: Into the Slop

Episode 1: Into the Slop

Podcast Episode · Shell Game · S3 E1 · 41m

podcasts.apple.com
Evan Ratliff (@ev_rat) profile pictureEvan Ratliff@ev_ratOct 14
Shell Game Season 3: Coming October 21 shellgame.co
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Ian Frisch retweeted
Joshua Hunt (@viajoshhunt) profile picture
Joshua Hunt@viajoshhuntOct 20
For @NYTmag I wrote about how influencers have co-opted the man-on-the-street interview for content that fetishizes wealth and promotes the idea that billionaires know something the rest of us don't. nytimes.com/2026/10/20/magaz…
When Did Man-On-the-Street Videos Become Gentrified? (Gift Article)

When Did Man-On-the-Street Videos Become Gentrified? (Gift Article)

Pedestrian interviews are meant to capture pedestrian wisdom. Now, many tend to stage the secret knowledge of the elite.

nytimes.com
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*next week's blackbird spyplane* "ok but look hear me out..."
The Bush Archive (@TheBushArchive) profile pictureThe Bush Archive@TheBushArchiveOct 19
President George W. Bush on his Crawford Ranch, 2002.
Image from The Bush Archive (@TheBushArchive)
Image from The Bush Archive (@TheBushArchive)
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brilliant idea
Mark Chiusano (@mjchiusano) profile pictureMark Chiusano@mjchiusanoOct 19
I spent a year working the apps for DoorDash, Uber, Amazon and more; saw disturbing things; brought people single cookies; probably delivered drugs; smashed up my nose; met people who made insane journeys to get you pad thai; wondered what we’re doing here simonandschuster.com/books/D…
Dash, Drive, Deliver

Dash, Drive, Deliver

In the tradition of bestselling books by Barbara Ehrenreich and Eric Schlosser, intrepid reporter Mark Chiusano spends a year as a gig worker for a...

simonandschuster.com
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I reviewed the new Larry David bio and here is evidence that his hair used to be cumulus not cirrus (you can take the gal out of Styles, but..). .nytimes.com/2026/10/18/books…
576 Pages? $36? For ‘Nothing’? Larry David Would Understand.

576 Pages? $36? For ‘Nothing’? Larry David Would Understand.

Thanks to begrudging cooperation from the comedian and writer, a new biography is suitably kvetchy, if a little too long and a little too nice.

nytimes.com
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Ian Frisch retweeted
Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) profile picture
Mike Baker@ByMikeBakerOct 18
NEW: O.J. Simpson. A secret informant. The missing murder weapon. An accomplice tale. And law enforcement records that were kept secret for 30 years — until now. nytimes.com/2026/10/18/us/oj…
O.J. Simpson, a Secret Informant and a Decades-Old Mystery (Gift Article)

O.J. Simpson, a Secret Informant and a Decades-Old Mystery (Gift Article)

An “extremely reliable” informant told authorities about the missing murder weapon, according to newly unsealed records. The informant’s brother told The Times his sibling was at the crime scene.

nytimes.com
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*elizabeth holmes, pointing to a 1973 ford pinto* "this car can go 200mph" "uh, it can't though?" "if you put in a Nascar engine, it can go 200mph." "so, you mean that it *could* go 200mph if you changed everything about it to make it work?" "right. it can go 200mph"
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Cofundador del Cártel de Sinaloa. Fantasma para las autoridades por décadas. El documental que cuenta cómo cayó. La caída de El Mayo — 29 de octubre en Netflix. youtu.be/PcapdlDIaNI?si=hiU3…
La caída de El Mayo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix

La caída de El Mayo | Tráiler oficial | Netflix

Cofundador del Cártel de Sinaloa. Fantasma para las autoridades por...

youtube.com
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Wrote about the "verification tax," the work it takes to make A.I. output usable -- which is putting a very human bottleneck on A.I. automation. nytimes.com/2026/10/10/busin…
What’s Dragging Down A.I. Efficiency? The ‘Verification Tax.’

What’s Dragging Down A.I. Efficiency? The ‘Verification Tax.’

As artificial intelligence automates office tasks, it is also creating a new type of human work.

nytimes.com
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Ian Frisch retweeted
Evan Ratliff (@ev_rat) profile picture
Evan Ratliff@ev_ratOct 14
Shell Game Season 3: Coming October 21 shellgame.co
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“el narco que más funcionarios ha corrompido de todos los niveles en la historia de México…” Una nueva serie de Netflix sobre El Mayo llegará pronto. Producida por mí, dirigida por @miguelfdzflores @darren_foster elpais.com/mexico/2026-10-14…
‘La caída de El Mayo’, la serie documental que sigue las pistas tras la ruina del fantasma más...

‘La caída de El Mayo’, la serie documental que sigue las pistas tras la ruina del fantasma más...

La producción de Netflix, de Darren Foster y Miguel Fernández Flores, ahonda en la traición y captura del exlíder del Cartel de Sinaloa que fue sentenciado a cadena perpetua en Estados Unidos

elpais.com
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fuck it, sign me up for The Microdrama Good Squad (trademark @danielkolitz) nytimes.com/2026/10/06/magaz…
Secret Billionaires, Mafia Brides, Alpha Kings: The Insane World of Microdramas

Secret Billionaires, Mafia Brides, Alpha Kings: The Insane World of Microdramas

Vertical soap operas for your phone have taken over film and TV production, and they may soon need no humans at all.

nytimes.com
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