I’ve scoured the Internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1. Elon Musk says he will step down as CEO of Twitter
As soon as he can find someone “stupid enough to take the job.” (Guard)
+ He insists that he will retain control of the software and server teams. (WP $)
+ At this point, it looks like Musk is enjoying himself. (FT $)
+ Twitter settled with an executive who stopped accessing her IT systems. (Bloomberg $)
+ The journalists Musk has banned and reinstated are still being silenced. (intercept)
2 One of the largest crypto mining companies in the US is about to go bankrupt
Core Scientific is the industry’s latest victim after taking on too much debt. (CNBC)
+ Cryptocurrency miners and traders in Asia are selling off their expensive equipment. (The rest of the world)
3. The US is playing a tit-for-tat game with Chinese chipmakers
US export sanctions are getting thick and fast to try and stymie new chip projects. (FT $)
4 Problems with trying to ban TikTok
The company became the boggart of Big Tech in Washington. (Vox)
5 The future of optical computing looks bright
After decades of slow development, progress is finally being made. (economist $)
6 Inside the boom of music event startup Pollen
Drugs, allegations of sexual harassment and reckless spending all played a part. (Insiders $)
7 Fake news is getting more and more fake
But there is still time to limit the most dangerous deepfake scenarios. (Atlantic $)
+ People are renting their faces to become deepfake-style marketing copycats. (MIT Technology Review)
8 NASA’s Insight Mars spacecraft has ended
The lander is losing its solar power after four years of relaying information back to Earth. (NPR)
+ The UK’s first space launch has been licensed. (participation)
9 Joys of Reddit
Now that Google’s search results are becoming less and less useful, Reddit is a rich hub of extremely specific information. (New Yorkers $)
How 10 Billionaires Threaten Our Security
Capitalism isn’t always good for code. (Wired $)
+ Overall, 2022 is a bad year for billionaires’ reputations. (Vox)
Quote of the day
“Streaming has made music so smooth and soft. Everything is too easy. Just a swipe of the ring finger, middle finger, a small click, that’s it.”
—Legendary musician Bob Dylan complains about the convenience of music streaming platforms for The Wall Street Journal.
big story
