AI
11 predictions for 2026
PLUS: What I got right (and wrong) about 2025
Casey Newton
Founder and editor of Platformer, a publication about the intersection of tech and democracy. Prior to founding Platformer in October 2020, Newton was the longtime Silicon Valley editor of The Verge.
Regulation
Spotify is part of the trade war now
The US is retaliating against the EU after it fined X — and now some of Europe's biggest companies are caught in the crossfire
Meta
Meta's scam problem may trigger a legal reckoning
A fresh investigation reveals the scope of Meta's problem in China. Will a pending court case force the company to crack down — or destroy Section 230?
OpenAI
OpenAI is a normal company now
A decade years in, what started as a sci-fi lab is now focused on engagement and growth. What does that mean for building AI safely?
Child Safety
Australia kicks the kids off social media
How social networks lost the argument. PLUS: All worked up over Nvidia's H200
X
How X made the EU's case for it
By banning an ad account on a flimsy pretext, X demonstrated the exact behavior that led the European Union to fine it. PLUS: The state AI law moratorium is back, and the Paramount-Netflix fight
Oversight Board
Where Meta's biggest experiment in governance went wrong
Five years after the Oversight Board's creation, few are satisfied with the result. Can it be saved?
Algorithms
How researchers reversed polarization on X with a simple change to the algorithm
A new study offers evidence for what we’ve long suspected: rage bait is distorting our politics. PLUS: The David Sacks discourse, and Claude Opus 4.5 debuts
AI
AI is winning the copyright fight
Why music labels are folding in their cases against AI startups
Roblox
Roblox is a problem — but it’s a symptom of something worse
What is the role of tech journalism in a world where CEOs no longer feel shame?
AI
How Trump is converting Republicans to AI safety
His new push for a state moratorium on AI regulation has the right talking like effective altruists. PLUS: the EU backtracks on AI and privacy, and Grok loves Elon
Meta
The simple test that blew up the FTC's case against Meta
How one experiment defined the social networking market better than the government did. PLUS: Gemini 3 arrives
Algorithms
The California law that has platforms shaking
The state says ranking algorithms aren't protected by the First Amendment — and judges are starting to agree. PLUS: An OpenAI-powered toy breaks bad, and Jeff Bezos has a new AI company
Spotify
Spotify's doppelgänger problem
After King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard left Spotify in protest earlier this year, something strange took their place
European Union
Europe might cave on privacy protections
The bloc's leaders seem increasingly convinced AI regulations are harming its competitiveness. Are they right? PLUS: Another wave of ChatGPT lawsuits
Meta
Meta has a scam problem
The company's own projections showed up to 10 percent of its revenue could come from scams, according to a new leak. PLUS: OpenAI's "backstop" controversy