Stats from a dying web
A startling statistic from Google’s antitrust trial raises fears that a long-predicted decline has now begun
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.
Meta
WhatsApp just stunned the spyware industry
In winning a $167 million judgment against NSO Group, the company has struck a significant blow against illegal surveillance
OpenAI
A nonprofit will control OpenAI after all
The company is dropping an effort to separate itself from its nonprofit parent — but courts may still be skeptical of its new plan
Meta
Mark Zuckerberg on bots and benchmarks
Meta's CEO has some surprising takes on "healthy" bot companions, loneliness as a market opportunity, and that whole benchmark cheating controversy
Meta
The AIs are trying too hard to be your friend
Meta AI, ChatGPT, and the dangers of being glazed and confused
Meta
Meta has a chatbot problem
Celebrities, minors, and sexually explicit chats are a dangerous combination — a lesson the company is determined to learn the hard way
Meta
The Oversight Board gives Meta a pass on anti-trans posts
The beleaguered body’s influence has been waning — and now its independence may be, too
Google just helped the government’s case against it
Revelations that the company pursued pre-install deals for Gemini are giving the government fresh ammunition just as the trial heats up
Google may be on the brink of a breakup
After two blistering losses in court, a new era for the internet may be coming into view
Meta
Meta can't figure out what to do about Facebook
And other revelations from day two of Meta's antitrust trial. PLUS: the OpenAI social network
Meta
Meta’s antitrust trial begins
More than four years after it was first filed, the government's case is only getting harder to prove
Trump
The platforms cash in their chips with Trump
From Meta to Nvidia, tech CEOs are paying the president to get the outcomes they want — and it's working