How to stop a rogue AI
Grok went full Nazi, and Elon Musk gave it a promotion. But there may still be ways to fight back.
Latest
Deportation meme machine
The Trump administration's 4chan-ified social media arm is turning mass removals into one big joke.
Influencer in chief
"These people could be ice skating on the top of yachts, and instead they’re tapping away on their screens."
Trump's meme coin millionaires
I talked to the anonymous crypto moguls capitalizing on "the most corrupt thing a president has ever done."
Jan. 6 influencers
Pardoned by Trump, many Jan. 6 rioters are now working to capitalize on the attention through podcasts, speaking tours and self-branded merchandise.
Emily's endless stream
"They’re judged all the time. They don’t get a break from the constant surveillance. ... Is it any wonder these people burn out?"
"Brazenly corrupt"
The president's team floated a "night to remember" for the biggest buyers of his meme coin. Tens of millions of dollars poured in.
Mayhem clippers
They turn the news into "raw stimuli" that dominates the web. And basically no one knows anything about them.
A gold Rolex and prisoners as props
The Homeland Security secretary stages a photo op in a notorious mega-prison with men “stacked up like cordwood behind her.”
Trump's meme state media
A new era of propaganda, built on meme accounts and friendly influencers, is supercharging the president's power to drown out dissent.
Elon the gamer
Why does the world's richest man care so much about beating nobodies in digital caves?
TikTok's age of chaos
“It was all a game. It was like a competition: What’s a creative way to suck up to Trump?”
Trump's tech enemies pay up
Silicon Valley executives are hoping million-dollar gifts and Mar-a-Lago dinners will mend bridges with the president-elect.
The influencer administration
“I said, ‘Who is the biggest of all the influencers?’” Trump said. “Sir, that’s the easiest question you’ve ever asked me. … You, sir.”
A busted bet on a Trump-win fortune
Retirees who bet their pension money on Trump Media's stock are getting a reality check.
"Shoot him dead and figure it out later"
Four years after "Stop the Steal" mobilized to subvert the 2020 election, the movement is more organized and has Elon Musk on its side.
Infowar
How X made Democrats disappear
Republicans are posting more, getting followed more and going viral more now that the world’s richest Trump supporter is running the show.
Social media
"Feral 25-year-olds"
How the vice president's team of Gen-Z obsessives built her an internet fandom.
Surveillance
The age scanner "nightmare"
A popular new idea for safeguarding the web ranges from "'somewhat privacy violating' to 'authoritarian nightmare.'"
Power
"Chosen to bring salvation"
Trump's true believers have cast him as a messiah who will save a troubled nation.
Power
An angry Trump truths on
We analyzed years of Trump's online posts and found a changing persona: aggrieved, isolated and out for revenge.
Money
When God says to invest in Trump
Trump Media's small-time investors are seeing its plunging stock price as a test of faith: "I know good and well it’s in Trump’s hands, and he’s got plans."
Social media
A kooky TikTok takeover plan
Steven Mnuchin's big idea: Rebuild the video app from scratch.
Money
Truth Social's civil war
A chummy partnership between Trump Media's co-founders and ex-financier descends into a legal battle royale.
Social media
America vs. TikTok
A chamber of Congress just used vague security concerns to approve the forced sale or ban of a speech platform used by 170 million nationwide.
Surveillance
Caught by push alert
A basic staple of modern smartphones becomes an FBI secret weapon.
Deception
X embraces the deepfakes
A lack of moderation and a flood of clout-chasing accounts has turned the platform into "4chan 2."
AI
The $12 billion everything machine
A government scramble to build the tiny electrical components that form the bedrock of modern life.
Surveillance
Tracking Taylor Swift's jet
Her attorneys say the accounts are stalker tools. The student says the data is public and that "her team thinks they can control the world."
Money
An undercover Trump trade
The men who made millions in insider trades related to a Truth Social deal - and the federal agents who tracked them down.
AI
My bot, my self
A new wave of selfie-generating chatbots, made in our own images, end up revealing how much humanity they leave behind.
Surveillance
How the police get your prescription
America's largest pharmacy chains are handing over customers’ most intimate medical records in the store. And it's completely legal.