How Epstein became a tech influencer
How Epstein became a tech influencer There are bold-faced tech names all over the Epstein files. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, Reid Hoffman, Steven Sinofsky, Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, on and on and on. These men (and they’re pretty much all men) had wildly varying degrees of interaction […]
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo The boys’ club | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images He might be dead, but it sure seems like Jeffrey Epstein won. Sure, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking minors. Sure, he died in jail. (I am not going to wade into […]
TikTok’s infinite scroll is too addictive, say EU regulators
TikTok's infinite scroll is too addictive, say EU regulators EU regulators have declared that TikTok’s “addictive design” may put it in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA), in the preliminary results of an ongoing investigation into the social media app. If those findings are confirmed, TikTok could face a major fine and be required […]
Republicans attack ‘woke’ Netflix — and ignore YouTube
Republicans attack 'woke' Netflix — and ignore YouTube When Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos entered the Senate office building on Tuesday, he got thrown a curveball. What started as a standard antitrust hearing relating to the Warner Bros. merger quickly devolved into a performative Republican attack about the spread of “woke” ideology on the streaming service. […]
Zuckerberg considered changing how Meta studies social issues after research got it in trouble
Zuckerberg considered changing how Meta studies social issues after research got it in trouble One day after The Wall Street Journal published a blockbuster story about Meta’s own dismal findings about teen girls’ mental health on Instagram, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wondered whether Meta should change how it studies its platforms’ potential harms. “Recent events have […]
Why is the Trump administration really appealing its Meta loss?
Why is the Trump administration really appealing its Meta loss? After a federal judge ruled that Meta was not an illegal monopolist in a blow against the Federal Trade Commission, the agency issued what was in part a typical statement of disappointment. Another part of the statement was anything but: a political attack on the […]
This Town, 2.0
This Town, 2.0 The US Capitol is seen ahead of a possible government shutdown in Washington, DC, January 29, 2026. | AFP via Getty Images Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers about the most ambitious crossover event of all time: the infinity war between technology and politics. Not subscribed yet? Come […]
Everyone is stealing TV
Everyone is stealing TV Walk the rows of the farmers market in a small, nondescript Texas town about an hour away from Austin, and you might stumble across something unexpected: In between booths selling fresh, local pickles and pies, there’s a table piled high with generic-looking streaming boxes, promising free access to NFL games, UFC […]
Sen. Warren wants to know what Google Gemini’s built-in checkout means for user privacy
Sen. Warren wants to know what Google Gemini's built-in checkout means for user privacy Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pressing Google for more information about its plans to build a checkout feature into its Gemini AI chatbot. In a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Warren expresses concerns that the integration could allow Google and […]
Department of Justice appeals Google search monopoly ruling
Department of Justice appeals Google search monopoly ruling On Tuesday, the Department of Justice and the plaintiffs in the antitrust case against Google filed a cross-appeal, as the DOJ Antitrust Division announced in a post on X: “Today, the DOJ Antitrust Division filed notice that it will cross-appeal from the remedies decisions in its case […]