Check Out Highlights From WIRED’s 2025 Big Interview Event
On December 4, WIRED sat down with some of the biggest names in tech, culture, business, and science for a day full of in-depth interviews.
Science/Tech
Former USIP Lawyer on DOGE: ‘Brass Knuckles on an Authoritarian Fist’
George Foote, who served as the outside general counsel to the US Institute of Peace, said at WIRED’s Big Interview event that DOGE operatives arrived like a “strike team.”
David Hogg to Democratic Establishment: Get the Message or Get Voted Out
At WIRED’s Big Interview event, the activist and organizer said he doesn’t “think the Chuck Schumers of the world understand” what’s coming for the party.
US Probes Reports Waymo Self-Driving Cars Illegally Passed School Buses 19 Times
U.S. regulators are pressing Waymo for answers after Texas officials reported 19 instances of its self-driving cars illegally passing stopped school buses, including cases that occurred after Waymo claimed to have deployed a software fix. Longtime Slashdot reader BrendaEM shares the report from Reuters: In a November 20 letter posted by NHTSA, the Austin Independent School District said five...
It’s Time to Save Silicon Valley From Itself
Big Tech has lost its way. At WIRED’s Big Interview event, Techdirt editor Mike Masnick and Common Tools CEO Alex Komoroske announced a manifesto designed to help the industry get back on track.
Meta Poached Apple’s Top Design Guys to Fix Its Software UI
Meta wants to make its AI hardware slicker and more fashion-forward. It also needs to make its software more usable. The way to do all that appears to be hiring design maestros away from Apple.
Circle’s Jeremy Allaire: We’re Building an ‘Economic OS’ for the AI Era
The cofounder and CEO of Circle says “money as an app platform” is the next step in a digital-based global economic system that’s right around the corner.
Former DOGE Engineer Is Now Back in Government
Sahil Lavingia, previously a DOGE operative at the Department of Veterans Affairs, is now a career employee at the IRS. He said at WIRED’s Big Interview event that he expects to work there 10 years.
‘SignalGate’ Inspector General Report Wants Just One Change to Avoid a Repeat Debacle
The United States Inspector General report reviewing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s text messaging mess recommends a single change to keep classified material secure.
Microsoft Faces New Complaint For Unlawfully Processing Data On Behalf of Israeli Military
Ancient Slashdot user Alain Williams shares a report from Al Jazeera: The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has announced it filed a complaint against Microsoft, accusing the global tech giant of unlawfully processing data on behalf of the Israeli military and facilitating the killings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In the complaint, the council asked the Data Protection Commission —...
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie: Past Leaders Took the City ‘for Granted’
People like to rag on the Bay Area, but mayor Daniel Lurie believes there’s no better place in the world than San Francisco.
Trump Wants to Trade Fuel Economy for Cheaper Cars. But It Might Not Work
By rolling back auto industry fuel efficiency goals, US president Donald Trump hopes to make new cars cheaper. But prices won’t drop for years, and consumers will spend more on gas in the meantime.
Plane Crashed After 3D-Printed Part Collapsed
A light aircraft crashed in Gloucestershire after a 3D-printed plastic air-induction elbow softened from engine heat and collapsed, cutting power during final approach and causing the plane to undershoot the runway. Investigators say the part was made from “inappropriate material” and safety actions will be taken in the future regarding 3D printed parts. The BBC reports: Following an...
Can AI Look at Your Retina and Diagnose Alzheimer’s? Eric Topol Hopes So
The author of Super Agers believes AI could bring big changes to the world of medicine.
Russia Blocks Roblox, Apple’s FaceTime
Russia has blocked Apple’s FaceTime and the gaming platform Roblox as part of a broader crackdown on foreign tech platforms. CBC News reports: Both restrictions are part of an accelerating clampdown on foreign tech platforms: In the case of FaceTime, Russian authorities allege it is being used for criminal activity, while Roblox was accused of distributing extremist materials and “LGBT...
Cloudflare Has Blocked 416 Billion AI Bot Requests Since July 1
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince claims the internet infrastructure company’s efforts to block AI crawlers are already seeing big results.
Anthropic’s Daniela Amodei Believes the Market Will Reward Safe AI
The Trump administration might think regulation is killing the AI industry, but Anthropic president Daniela Amodei disagrees.
EU Hits Meta With Antitrust Probe Over Plans To Block AI Rivals From WhatsApp
The EU has opened an antitrust investigation into Meta over a new WhatsApp policy that could block rival AI assistants from accessing the platform. Complaints from smaller AI developers triggered the probe, which could lead to fines of up to 10% of Meta’s global revenue if the company is found to have abused its dominance. Reuters reports: EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the move was to...
What Happens When Your Coworkers Are AI Agents
In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we talk to writer Evan Ratliff about how he created a small startup made entirely of AI employees—and what his findings reveal about the reality of an agentic future.
Meta Weighs Cuts to Its Metaverse Unit
Meta plans to direct its investments to focus on wearables like its augmented reality glasses but does not plan to abandon building the metaverse.
Rebecca Heineman, Transgender Video Game Pioneer, Dies at 62
Fleeing an abusive home life, she went on to win a national Space Invaders tournament, taught herself to program and left a trail of popular games in her wake.