Let’s all try to help Substack live up to its new valuation
The company's new unicorn status has already led its founders to reverse their position on advertising. What other compromises are they prepared to make?
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.
xAI
Grok's new porn companion is rated for kids 12+ in the App Store
AI companions are arriving faster than platforms can build guardrails around them. Parents need to pay attention
Jawboning
The campaign to make it illegal for ChatGPT to criticize Trump
The conservative pressure campaign against social networks was hugely successful — and now it's coming for AI
OpenAI
Sam Altman upstages the critics
And six other takeaways from Hard Fork Live
Meta
Meta's five biggest AI problems
The company clearly needs an infusion of fresh talent — but blank checks aren't going as far as they used to
Threads
The dream of the Fediverse is alive on Threads
Decentralized media is off to an agonizingly slow start — but there are glimmers of progress
Trump
The president is selling a phone
The Trump Mobile T1 probably won't be a big hit. It's still dangerous
OpenAI
OpenAI's toy story
In a new partnership with Mattel, the company hopes to reimagine play — but making internet-connected toys safe will be anything but child's play
Meta
Meta looks for an AI reset
Mark Zuckerberg knows the company needs a new AI strategy. Is Scale's Alexandr Wang the partner he needs?
Apple
Apple is shipping through it
At WWDC, the company insists that its AI transformation is well underway — but the evidence feels a little thin
Elon Musk
The bro-ligarchy blows up
Musk has gone to war with Donald Trump. What happens next?
AI
How some Republicans changed their minds about AI safety
With a looming 10-year ban on any AI regulation at all, even the right is starting to get nervous about what might go wrong
OpenAI
Is OpenAI making the same mistake Humane did?
Expectations for the company's AI device are already sky-high — and Jony Ive keeps raising them
The Internet
The AI browser wars are about to begin
Artificial intelligence is already writing an obituary for the internet as we know it. So why is everyone building new web browsers?
Meta
Meta rests its case
The company looks poised to put its antitrust woes behind it. But its other trials may only be just beginning
OpenAI
OpenAI is going to make hardware
Generative AI and devices haven't yet found a good fit. Will Jony Ive be the one to change that? PLUS: Claude 4 arrives