Techmeme
January 2, 2025, 10:00 AM

Top News

Washington Post:
Sources: Chinese government hackers breached the US Treasury Department's OFAC, which administers economic sanctions, and two other Treasury offices  —  Treasury's sanctions office hacked by Chinese government, officials say A troubling series of breaches of U.S. firms and agencies …
Samantha Cole / 404 Media:
Pornhub now blocks users in 17 US states, including almost all of the South, after blocking Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina due to age verification laws  —  As of today, three more states join the list of 17 that can't access Pornhub because of age verification laws.
John Herrman / New York Magazine:
Meta saying it expects AI characters to populate its apps is its friendly rebrand of an effective but alienating effort to automate social interactions  —  Why AI friends are coming to Facebook and Instagram.  —  Among Meta's many resolutions for the new year — making augmented reality …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Asus, Samsung, and MSI separately unveil the world's first 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitors, offering 4K OLED at 240Hz, without giving release dates or pricing  —  27-inch 4K OLED 240Hz monitors seem to be like buses: you wait ages for one and then three turn up at once.
Matt Simons / Courthouse News Service:
A US judge blocks parts of California's SB 976, a law to protect kids from social media, citing 1A concerns, but allows a ban on “addictive feeds” for minors  —  Parts of the law will still take effect Wednesday.  — A federal judge on Tuesday barred the state of California …
Connie Loizos / TechCrunch:
Q&A with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev about the company's aggressive plans for 2025, including competing with prediction markets like Kalshi  —  Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev has a lot to celebrate this holiday season.  After a bumpy few years following Robinhood's 2021 IPO …

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Featured Podcasts

Hard Fork:
The Wirecutter Show: Tips for Using A.I. Smartly With Kevin Roose
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
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Grit:
The Grittiest Conversations of 2025: AI, Business & Beyond
Grit explores what it takes to create, build and scale world-class organizations.
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Lenny's Podcast:
10 contrarian leadership truths every leader needs to hear | Matt MacInnis (Rippling)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
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Big Technology Podcast:
Alex And Ranjan's 2026 Outlook: ChatGPT 1 Billion, AI Shopping, Apple's Big Year, AI Love Boom
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
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More News

Earlier Picks

Gerrit De Vynck / Washington Post:
Kyle Wiggers / TechCrunch:
Bloomberg: