Nostr notes by Casey Newton

I talked with Meta employees about the company's move to ...

2026-04-24T00:51:56Z

I talked with Meta employees about the company's move to track their computer use and turn them into training data. Is this the future of knowledge work? https://www.platformer.news/meta-mci-monitoring-layoffs-knowledge-work/

I wrote about tech companies' move to promote universal basic ...

2026-04-21T01:21:14Z

I wrote about tech companies' move to promote universal basic income to calm the AI backlash and why it's probably not going to work https://www.platformer.news/ubi-ai-public-wealth-fund-musk-openai-bores/

The walls are closing in on infinite-scroll feeds and other ...

2026-02-10T01:46:11Z

The walls are closing in on infinite-scroll feeds and other addictive design mechanics. I wrote about how lawyers and regulators may have finally found a way around Section 230 https://www.platformer.news/social-media-addiction-trial-eu-tiktok-investigation/

Authors of a big new study on teens and social media say that ...

2026-01-28T01:52:32Z

Authors of a big new study on teens and social media say that Australia-style bans won't help. But that misses the mounting evidence of direct harms that platforms cause countless kids: https://www.platformer.news/social-media-screen-time-manchester-study-haidt/

Wrote about this grim moment when the White House sees the deaths ...

2026-01-27T01:28:45Z

Wrote about this grim moment when the White House sees the deaths of innocent Americans as meme fodder and the faint silver lining that their lies aren't working this time https://www.platformer.news/minneapolis-pretti-good-ice-disinformation/

Google traffic to publishers dropped by ONE THIRD in 2025 ...

2026-01-16T16:19:50Z

Google traffic to publishers dropped by ONE THIRD in 2025 https://pressgazette.co.uk/media-audience-and-business-data/google-traffic-down-2025-trends-report-2026/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

we explicitly labeled this an experiment from the first day. we ...

2026-01-13T20:32:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…el4w
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we explicitly labeled this an experiment from the first day. we did not tell people they should plan to make this their forever home online

"what is your plan for funding this project in ...

2026-01-13T16:06:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…ety6
_________________________

"what is your plan for funding this project in perpetuity" is the exact sort of wet-blanket energy that discourages people from building on the Fediverse! Let’s let people run experiments and try to have some fun

I really encourage folks to check out the document he sent me. ...

2026-01-06T01:16:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…2syt
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I really encourage folks to check out the document he sent me. Once you know it's fake, the mistakes are easy to spot. But it still amazes me to think that he likely generated this within a few minutes https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26456842-fake-reddit-post-whistleblower-document/

The author of a viral Reddit thread alleging fraud at a food ...

2026-01-06T01:10:10Z

The author of a viral Reddit thread alleging fraud at a food delivery company tried to back up his claim by sending me AI-generated documents. Today I'm publishing those documents in the hopes that it helps other reporter see what we're up against in the age of AI https://www.platformer.news/fake-uber-eats-whisleblower-hoax-debunked/

When X banned the European Commission's ad account in ...

2025-12-09T01:40:57Z

When X banned the European Commission's ad account in retaliation for a fine, it demonstrated the exact sort of capricious behavior the DSA is designed to stop https://www.platformer.news/x-eu-fine-account-ban-bier/

Today is Platformer's fifth birthday! I wrote about the state ...

2025-09-24T00:07:20Z

Today is Platformer's fifth birthday! I wrote about the state of the newsletter economy, how the business is going, and what we're planning for year six https://www.platformer.news/platformer-year-five-lessons/

I tried to capture everything that's strange about the TikTok ...

2025-09-23T00:49:42Z

I tried to capture everything that's strange about the TikTok deal. A giveaway to Trump's allies and another step toward US media being controlled by his allies https://www.platformer.news/tiktok-deal-framework-questions/

The chatbot mental health crisis is here. No one is ready for it ...

2025-08-27T01:08:42Z

The chatbot mental health crisis is here. No one is ready for it https://www.platformer.news/chatgpt-suicide-lawsuit-openai-safety/

A new Pew study offers data to back up what we have suspected for ...

2025-07-23T00:25:31Z

A new Pew study offers data to back up what we have suspected for a while now: AI answers are draining all the traffic out of the web https://www.platformer.news/google-ai-overviews-pew-research/?ref=platformer-newsletter

Pay to boost your newsletter in Substack Notes! Pre-roll ads on ...

2025-07-18T00:36:56Z

Pay to boost your newsletter in Substack Notes! Pre-roll ads on your podcasts and videos! Your writing licensed to train new AI models! I wrote about how Substack can live up to its new billion-dollar valuation https://www.platformer.news/substack-series-c-enshittification/

The dream of the Fediverse is alive on Threads (and Mastodon) ...

2025-06-18T01:20:34Z

The dream of the Fediverse is alive on Threads (and Mastodon) https://www.platformer.news/threads-fediverse-feed-bluesky-mastodon/

Is OpenAI making the same mistake Humane did? ...

2025-06-03T00:37:11Z

Is OpenAI making the same mistake Humane did? https://www.platformer.news/jony-ive-openai-ai-hardware-expectations/

Meta's AI teams need more than a reorg. ...

2025-05-28T00:47:59Z

Meta's AI teams need more than a reorg. https://www.platformer.news/meta-antitrust-trial-rests-ai-llama/

The AI companies have been caught building AIs that only tell us ...

2025-04-29T22:04:56Z

The AI companies have been caught building AIs that only tell us what we want to hear. If we don't get a handle on it, that's gonna go really badly: https://www.platformer.news/meta-ai-chatgpt-glazing-sycophancy/

I wrote about revelations that Google had an exclusive deal to ...

2025-04-22T21:44:48Z

I wrote about revelations that Google had an exclusive deal to put Gemini on Samsung phones *this month*, despite the fact that these deals have now twice been deemed illegal in court https://www.platformer.news/google-antitrust-gemini-samsung-deals-remedies-trial/

NEW: AI bots caused Wikipedia's bandwidth costs to increase ...

2025-04-02T00:27:18Z

NEW: AI bots caused Wikipedia's bandwidth costs to increase by 50 percent last year, and are still growing exponentially. I wrote about its plan to fight back — and whether it will be enough. https://www.platformer.news/wikipedia-ai-bot-traffic-costs-plan/

I wrote about Google's leaked 'AI mode' for search ...

2025-02-07T01:26:16Z

I wrote about Google's leaked 'AI mode' for search and the dwindling number of reasons to post anything for free on the web https://www.platformer.news/google-ai-mode-web-decline-design/

I wrote about Google unveiling its 'responsible AI progress ...

2025-02-05T02:04:52Z

I wrote about Google unveiling its 'responsible AI progress report' by quietly deleting the part of its AI principles where it promised not to work on weapons https://www.platformer.news/google-ai-principles-military-safety/

It's Hard Fork Friday! This week: TikTok's final hours, ...

2025-01-17T19:04:23Z

It's Hard Fork Friday! This week: TikTok's final hours, the environmental impact of AI, and my ideas to help bring some 💪 masculine energy 💪 back to Meta!! https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/17/podcasts/hardfork-tiktok-rednote-environment.html

I wrote about Zuckerberg renouncing Sheryl Sandberg's effort ...

2025-01-17T02:19:17Z

I wrote about Zuckerberg renouncing Sheryl Sandberg's effort to make Meta a better place for women and people of color to work https://www.platformer.news/zuckerberg-blames-sheryl-sandberg-dei/

NEW: Meta has quietly dismantled the system that prevented ...

2025-01-15T00:52:14Z

NEW: Meta has quietly dismantled the system that prevented misinformation from spreading in the United States. Machine-learning classifiers that once identified viral hoaxes and limited their reach have now been switched off, Platformer has learned https://www.platformer.news/meta-ends-misinformation-enforcement-zuckerberg/

NEW: The head of Facebook Messenger has a non-binary child and ...

2025-01-14T01:28:11Z

NEW: The head of Facebook Messenger has a non-binary child and last week assured employees that Meta would work to preserve queer voices. Two days later the company deleted its trans and non-binary pride themes in Messenger https://www.platformer.news/meta-trump-pivot-messenger-themes-labor-zuckerberg-wishlist/

NEW: Meta just killed its diversity, equity and inclusion ...

2025-01-10T18:39:00Z

NEW: Meta just killed its diversity, equity and inclusion program. Employees aren't buying the company's argument that it's the result of a 'shifting legal landscape.' What they're saying inside the company ➡️ https://www.platformer.news/meta-kills-dei-program-diversity-inclusion/

NEW: Platformer has obtained the dehumanizing new guidelines ...

2025-01-10T01:05:56Z

NEW: Platformer has obtained the dehumanizing new guidelines moderating what people can now say about trans people on Facebook and Instagram. Employees tell me these changes are likely to inspire more violence against LGBT people: https://www.platformer.news/meta-new-trans-guidelines-hate-speech/

For the final Platformer of the year, here are 15 predictions for ...

2024-12-20T01:08:35Z

For the final Platformer of the year, here are 15 predictions for 2025. Such as: https://www.platformer.news/2025-tech-predictions-ai-google-threads-bluesky/

TikTok counted on the First Amendment to save it in court, but ...

2024-12-11T01:15:40Z

TikTok counted on the First Amendment to save it in court, but judges weren't persuaded at all. Whatever you think about TikTok, that feels like a grim omen for the next era of tech regulation https://www.platformer.news/tuesday-newsletter-4/

What I learned from this weekend's great "AI is fake and ...

2024-12-10T01:21:04Z

What I learned from this weekend's great "AI is fake and sucks" debate on Bluesky, with responses to Gary Marcus, Edward Ongweso Jr., and others https://www.platformer.news/ai-fake-and-sucks-revisited/

i mean why would we assume he doesn't know what he's ...

2024-12-06T01:49:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…m9pw
_________________________

i mean why would we assume he doesn't know what he's talking about?

One of the most important debates in tech right now is the group ...

2024-12-06T01:34:17Z

One of the most important debates in tech right now is the group of folks who think AI is fake and sucks vs. the people who think AI is real and dangerous. I wrote about why I'm in the latter camp, and talked about my differences with Gary Marcus https://www.platformer.news/ai-skeptics-gary-marcus-curve-conference/

Australia's ban on social media for teens under 16 is, among ...

2024-12-03T01:41:00Z

Australia's ban on social media for teens under 16 is, among other things, an enormous gift to YouTube https://www.platformer.news/australia-social-media-ban-instagram-tiktok-x-youtube/

Under huge antitrust pressure, Google keeps meddling with the web ...

2024-11-27T01:18:21Z

Under huge antitrust pressure, Google keeps meddling with the web anyway. I wrote about its awful new 'page annotations' https://www.platformer.news/google-page-annotations-eu-dma-antitrust/

Some news: amid rapid growth and some over-enforcement of its ...

2024-11-26T01:21:59Z

Some news: amid rapid growth and some over-enforcement of its community guidelines, Bluesky tells me the company will quadruple the size of its content moderation team https://www.platformer.news/bluesky-growth-content-moderation-trust-safety-interview/

The DOJ's plan to force Google to share search queries and ...

2024-11-22T01:34:17Z

The DOJ's plan to force Google to share search queries and results with rivals might be one of the best things that could happen to the web. Suddenly, we might have viable search engines that are more interested in preserving the web than replacing it: https://www.platformer.news/google-antitrust-response-chrome-divesture-response/

Tomorrow the DOJ will likely call for Google to spin out Chrome. ...

2024-11-20T01:18:04Z

Tomorrow the DOJ will likely call for Google to spin out Chrome. I'm not sure that would make search much more competitive — but forcing the company to share search queries and results with its competitors in real time would https://www.platformer.news/google-breakup-chrome-doj-antitrust-remedies/

The right-wing effort to promote claims of voter fraud is well ...

2024-11-06T00:56:33Z

The right-wing effort to promote claims of voter fraud is well underway https://www.platformer.news/election-day-fraud-claims-musk-trump/

We don't know who's going to win tomorrow. But we do know ...

2024-11-05T01:14:51Z

We don't know who's going to win tomorrow. But we do know that Elon Musk will promote false claims of voter fraud to tens of millions of people — and that X will be a central clearinghouse for conspiracy theories in the days ahead https://www.platformer.news/x-election-elon-musk-voter-fraud-misinformation/

With the addition to search in ChatGPT, OpenAI has begun to ...

2024-11-01T00:11:23Z

With the addition to search in ChatGPT, OpenAI has begun to abstract away the search engine — the economic foundation of the entire web — into a modular component of the thing that will ultimately replace it. https://www.platformer.news/chatgpt-search-launch-openai-google/

I wrote about Jeff Bezos' outdated "view from ...

2024-10-30T00:31:32Z

I wrote about Jeff Bezos' outdated "view from nowhere" approach to journalism and why it doesn't work for the press in 2024 — if it ever did at all https://www.platformer.news/jeff-bezos-washington-post-endorsement-view-from-nowhere/

It's Hard Fork Friday! This week, Kevin and I break down Elon ...

2024-10-25T17:27:57Z

It's Hard Fork Friday! This week, Kevin and I break down Elon Musk's unprecedented role in trying to influence the election. Then journalist @lauriesegall joins us to discuss the tragic story of a teenager who developed an intimate relationship with a chatbot https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/podcasts/hardfork-musk-election-character-ai.html

Here's what I learned in year four of Platformer — or, ...

2024-09-24T00:25:42Z

Here's what I learned in year four of Platformer — or, everything that happened after we left Substack. https://www.platformer.news/leaving-substack-platformer-year-four/

Pavel Durov's arrest was shocking — but something like this ...

2024-08-27T00:28:40Z

Pavel Durov's arrest was shocking — but something like this was also inevitable. I wrote about how Telegram played itself: https://www.platformer.news/telegram-durov-arrest-france-explainer/

I suspect most people won't believe that Taylor Swift ...

2024-08-20T00:10:11Z

I suspect most people won't believe that Taylor Swift endorsed Trump. But it's worth noting how different platform dynamics are this time around, in ways that make deepfakes easier to spread https://www.platformer.news/trump-swift-endorsement-deepfake/

KOSA passed the Senate today, which means we're a step closer ...

2024-07-30T23:38:37Z

KOSA passed the Senate today, which means we're a step closer to the government pressuring sites like this one to remove legal speech https://www.platformer.news/kosa-coppa-senate-lgbt-concerns-first-amendment/?ref=platformer-newsletter