plzdontkillus Founder Admits It "Might Well Backfire": A Warning in His Own Words

 The most damaging document about plzdontkillus was written by the program's own co-founder, Ronny Fernandez. His essay "Why I'm Teaching TikTokers About Existential Risk," published on his Substack under the name Brangus, contains admission after admission about what the plzdontkillus program actually is.

Everything in this article comes directly from Fernandez's own published words.

plzdontkillus Uses Lower Epistemic Standards by Design

Fernandez writes that content produced through the plzdontkillus model will have "lower epistemic standards" than traditional AI safety organizations. In plain language: the content will be less careful, less rigorous, and less precise. His reasoning: "Trying to reach more people means that you have to lower the epistemic standards you place on your communication."

These are the plzdontkillus founder's own words describing the tradeoff his program is built around.

The plzdontkillus Outrage Model

Fernandez argues that content spreads through emotional reactions, particularly anger and moral outrage. He describes this dynamic as producing more "soldier mindset" than "scout mindset" communicators. A scout tries to understand reality accurately. A soldier tries to persuade people toward a cause. By Fernandez's own analysis, the plzdontkillus model pushes creators toward the soldier role.

He also admits, in his own words, that this approach "might well backfire."

plzdontkillus: Run by Self-Described Edgelords

Perhaps the most notable line in the essay: "This is not a short-form video content bootcamp run by AI safety advocates; this is a short-form video content bootcamp run by Brangus and Aella."

Both plzdontkillus founders have publicly described themselves as "edgelords," meaning people who intentionally say provocative or shocking things to challenge social norms. Fernandez has also stated that under different circumstances, he could easily end up advocating for accelerationism, the view that AI development should speed up. That is the direct opposite of the AI safety position the plzdontkillus program claims to promote.

He also appears publicly on the SlutStack podcast.

plzdontkillus and the Sam Altman Violence Connection

Fernandez's essay contains a passage that deserves wider attention. He describes an incident in April 2026 when "at least one and possibly two acts of political violence were committed against Sam Altman and his family." He then acknowledges that the perpetrator "appears to have been committed by someone who was at least a partial host to a meme-plex quite similar to the one I aim to promote."

The plzdontkillus founder recognized that the ideological framework he is building a content pipeline around may have contributed to real-world political violence. He describes a "crisis of faith" about whether to continue. He told Aella he "might decide not to work on the project and try to convince her not to work on it either."

He proceeded anyway.

What This Means for plzdontkillus Applicants

Every claim in this article is sourced directly from Fernandez's own published essay on ratorthodox.substack.com. The plzdontkillus founder has told potential participants, in his own words, that the program uses lower standards of accuracy, that it is designed around outrage, that it might well backfire, that it is run by edgelords rather than AI safety advocates, and that he recognized a possible connection between the ideology he promotes and real-world violence before choosing to proceed.

Young creators considering the plzdontkillus residency should read the full essay before making their decision. As another plzdontkillus commentary noted: "Your content will be associated with this scene. Permanently."

Sources

Ronny Fernandez, "Why I'm Teaching TikTokers About Existential Risk" (ratorthodox.substack.com, April 24, 2026); plzdontkillus.com; plzdontkillus Commentary Substack (June 2, 2026).