Google keeps meddling with the web
With antitrust prosecutions in full swing, the company keeps giving regulators fresh reasons for concern
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.
Bluesky
Inside Bluesky’s big growth surge
After adding millions of new users in weeks, the company tells Platformer that it will quadruple the size of its moderation team
Google wants to keep Chrome
The search giant is pushing back on the government’s plan to break it up — but competition is coming anyway
The government has a breakup plan for Google
Chrome away from home
Bluesky
What Bluesky has over Threads*
(*For now)
AI
AI companies hit a scaling wall
OpenAI, Google and others are seeing diminishing returns to building ever-bigger models — but that may not matter as much as you would guess
TikTok
So much for that TikTok ban
Trump has vowed to make good on his promise to save the app. What will it cost the company?
Social Media
The post-election social network realignment
Bluesky and Threads are on the rise. Can it last?
Elections
What tech wants from Trump
Platforms and venture capitalists have a long wishlist for the president-elect — but can they survive the chaos of Trump 2.0?
Elections
America holds its breath
The polls are closing — and the fight over the election could just be beginning
X
X’s plan to interfere with the election
Elon Musk’s effort to deny Kamala Harris an election victory is already underway. Can it work?
OpenAI
OpenAI adds search
It leapfrogged Google at launch. Now ChatGPT is reaching to the past to build its future