Yes, Sarah Wynn-Williams did seem to break her non-disparagement clause when she wrote Careless People. But Meta's bonkers campaign to silence her shows that her criticism of Zuck & Co is well grounded. www.wired.com/story/metas-...

Hi, looking for a great reader question that I will answer with wit and wisdom in my Backchannel/WIRED newsletter/column. Ask me anything!

Paris' big Vivatech conference was all about "sovereignty." Speaker after speaker griped about U.S. dominance, some offering plans to change things. Europe has a long way to go to compete in AI, but it has no choice--especially because of Trump. www.wired.com/story/europe...

Looking for a great reader question. Ask me anything!

Officially welcoming the great @laurengoode.bsky.social to Backchannel. She'll be doing the newsletter once a month, writing great essays like this one. The other three weeks you're stuck with me. www.wired.com/story/silico...

Stewart Brand is one of my heroes, a visionary rooted in pragmatism who has made his mark on the world. He and his wife Ryan Phelan expressed these values in a home they built for his later years. www.wired.com/story/stewar...

The $1 M auction for the secrets of the CIA Kryptos sculpture was months ago--now we learn that Paradigm, a crypto-centric VC firm won. Here are their plans--and the line they didn't cross. www.wired.com/story/crypto...

Seeking a cool reader question for my Backchannel/WIRED newsletter. Lately I've been getting better responses from X than Bluesky. Folks, you can do better. Ask me anything!

Wow, the week went by fast. Now it's time to ask you folks for a great reader question that I will answer in the Backchannel/WIRED newsletter. Ask me anything!

Here's an exclusive inside look at Flourish, a startup full of neuroscientists and AI researchers working together to make discoveries about the brain and use them to create a more efficient form of AI that learns like people do. www.wired.com/story/jeff-b...

Time for another reader question, which I will answer in the beloved Backchannel newsletter. People ask away. All topics welcome.

The recent AI agent breakthrough is just as big a bang as ChatGPT. Only techies realize this now but eventually no one will be able to ignore it. My report from inside this huge shift. www.wired.com/story/how-ai...

The good news: Google's upgraded AI search is better than the (less useful than they used to be) 10 Blue Links. Not so good: One more traffic-sucking blow for websites and online publications. www.wired.com/story/even-i...

Looking for a great reader question for my Backchannel newsletter. Here's your chance to hear from me on any subject. Fire away, friends!

It always blows my mind that the phrase I coined to describe the hacker mindset has found its way into the lexicon.

Philosopher Nick Bostrom once was considered a doomer. Now he's considering whether AI's risk of annihilating humanity might be worth it--because we're all going to die anyway. If all goes right, he's looking forward to humanity's "retirement." www.wired.com/story/nick-b...

In 1981 I went to Atlanta for Rolling Stone to view the amazing phenomenon of a 24-hour cable television news channel, and interviewed the complex dude who started it. RIP Ted Turner.

The search for Satoshi has resulted in a very crowded rabbit hole, but no bunny. Even ace investigators like NYT's John Carryrou and detective Tyler Maroney--who each ID'd a different Nakamoto--have not closed the case. Both can't be right, and both may be wrong. www.wired.com/story/you-fo...

Witty article by my great colleague @mzeff.bsky.social on Wikipedia using his photo in Evan Spiegal entry--& how his heroic efforts have been unable to get it corrected. Under the surface, this indicates something rotten in Wikipedia, a failure of its crowd-sourcing. www.wired.com/story/why-do...

I saw one pristine issue for sale on eBay for $70,000. If you want lower quality, there's one for $50k and a less spiffy one for a bargain 12k. Open offer: if you buy one for more than $10k I'll sign it for 10% of what you paid.

John Ternus, your mission as CEO is to do for AI what Apple has done for desktop computing, mobile, and music--harness the power of a messy technology and make it accessible and delightful. Do you choose to accept? If not someone else will, and Apple will suffer. www.wired.com/story/apples...

It's efficient and economical to have AI write drafts of of a news story or, god forbid, something longer. After all, people just want the info, right? Wrong. If this is the wave of the future, I'd rather drown. www.wired.com/story/backch...

Need a great reader question for my WIRED/Backchannel newsletter. Ask me anything!

Hey Kids! Want me to answer your question in my Backchannel newsletter? Here's your chance! Reply to this post and ask away. No subjects barred.

Apple is turning 50. I talked to its CEO and his possible successor about the NEXT 50 years. www.wired.com/story/apple-...

Looking for a great reader question RIGHT AWAY for this week's Backchannel newsletter/column. What do you got for me? Ask anything.

The best choices for a Turing Award are those that make you say "What, they didn't already win?" Charlie Bennett and Gilles Brassard, pioneers of information theory, fill that bill. Congrats! www.wired.com/story/a-quan...

Here's why the Iran war has gummed up the global supply chain--and why it will cost you money. www.wired.com/story/iran-w...

SF people! I just got added to a panel at Manny's on "Apple, the Counterculture, and Digital Culture." Expect mentions of LSD, HyperCard and Bill Gates v Homebrew! Monday night! See you there! www.eventbrite.com/e/think-diff...

Conversations w Jack Dorsey are always illuminating. Here he argues how massive Block layoffs signal how companies must drastically transform in the AI age. He also comments on Twitter, Bluesky, politics and journalism. And WIRED! .https://www.wired.com/story/jack-dorsey-explains-block-layoffs/

Looking for a great reader question to answer in my Backchannel newsletter. Ask away! No subject off limits.

Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour was outraged when I suggested that a bet on FanDuel might be the same as a "market position" on @Kalshi. in our spirited @wired Big Interview, he argues his company is not a gambling den but an arbiter or truth. www.wired.com/story/big-in...

Here's why the market has a hair-trigger response to anything it hears about AI disruption--including speculative fiction from obscure sources. www.wired.com/story/wall-s...

In light of Anthropic's fight with the Pentagon, I'm reposting my column from last week that talks about how we are at a critical point --deciding the AI we build will be harmful or lethal. www.wired.com/story/backch...

Behind the Anthropic-Pentagon clash is a bigger issue: how can we assure that AI is safe if we're building AI that kills? www.wired.com/story/backch...

Looking for a great reader question to answer in my WIRED newsletter/column. Ask away, kiddies! No subject off limits.

OK, I need a great reader question for Backchannel newsletter/web column on WIRED. Ask me anything!

Anthropic has a dilemma: it's obsessed with safety and also hot in pursuit of AGI, which no one knows how to launch safely. Now its plan to resolve the paradox is clear: imbue its AI model with the autonomy and "wisdom" to do things right. www.wired.com/story/the-on...

History is watching. www.wired.com/story/after-...

An unbelievably gripping tale of pig-butchering from the inside by @agreenberg.bsky.social. www.wired.com/story/he-lea...

The plan, which is still in its early stages, is spearheaded by former USDS administrator Mikey Dickerson.

Requesting again for a reader question.Ask me anything. AI, e-books, startup ideas, tech politics, Apple. Bruce Springsteen, the theatre today, best cheesesteak... anything! Just reply to this post and maybe your question will be honored by inclusion in Backchannel/WIRED newsletter.

The CA wealth tax is probably not good for the state, as some billionaires would rather flee than pay a tax. But the superwealthy brought this on themselves, by using clout to pay much less tax (% wise) than working stiffs--and acting as if it's their due. www.wired.com/story/backch...

It's a new year and time for new reader questions for my Backchannel newsletter and WIRED column. Please ask away! No topic off limits!

Steve Jobs collectors can now bid for stuff from his childhood bedroom, like his HS bowties and his Dylan 8-tracks. Also for bid: the first check written by Apple. Check out who had the bedroom stuff and why. www.wired.com/story/steve-...

We announced/released this at @wired.com's Big Interview event yesterday with @katie-drummond.bsky.social and @stevenlevy.bsky.social interviewing myself and @komorama.bsky.social on stage. I love Steven's framing that "it's time to save Silicon Valley from itself." www.wired.com/story/big-in...

Even before launch these AI hearing aids have become the in-ear Birkin bag of the elite (of a certain age). Here’s why. www.wired.com/story/hearin...

AI companies, funders, and government are all intertwined in one big heaping trillion dollar blob. Here's what it means. www.wired.com/story/ai-ind...

Bradley Tusk is obsessed with mobile voting. He thinks it could save the nation. He's funded an effort to create secure tech to do it. Top cryptographers say online voting is inherently insecure. But there's a bigger hurdle... ihttps://www.wired.com/story/bradley-tusk-mobile-voting-protocol/

Btw!! I had the privilege of filling in for @laurengoode.bsky.social on Uncanny Valley this week + chatting with @stevenlevy.bsky.social about his interview with Alex Karp. If you follow Palantir news, I'd encourage a read + listen!! www.wired.com/story/alex-k... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...