Techmeme
June 21, 2025, 8:10 PM

Top News

George Hammond / Financial Times:
An interview with computational linguist Emily Bender, who coined the term “stochastic parrot”, on her AI skepticism, co-writing the book The AI Con, and more  —  The computational linguist on her motivations for taking on Big Tech, the dangers of chatbots — and why AI is just a ‘glorified Magic 8 Ball’
New York Times:
Microsoft suspending an ICC judge's email account raised alarms across EU about how dependent its governments, businesses, and citizens are on US tech companies  —  To comply with a Trump executive order, Microsoft recently suspended the email account of an International Criminal Court prosecutor …
Meaghan Tobin / New York Times:
A look at Temu, Shein, Meituan, and other Chinese companies' expansion plans in Brazil, as they face slowing domestic demand and hurdles in the US and Europe  —  Confronted with tariffs and scrutiny in the United States and Europe, Chinese consumer brands are betting that they can become household names …
John Liu / CNN:
Experts say China's new national internet ID, currently voluntary, to sign in across social media apps and sites could further erode already limited freedoms  —  Hong Kong CNN —  China has mastered the craft of policing the internet, operating one of the world's most extensive online censorship and surveillance regimes.
More: The Minnesota DailyForums: r/privacy
Megha Rajagopalan / New York Times:
Experts say China-linked groups have repeatedly hacked Russian companies and government agencies in search of military secrets since the war in Ukraine began  —  Since the war in Ukraine began, analysts have monitored a series of intrusions aimed at stealing information about weaponry and warfighting.
More: TechdirtBluesky: @samspade1941 and @metacurity.comMastodon: @davidho@mastodon.worldLinkedIn: Isaac Stone Fish
Ellen Huet / Bloomberg:
A profile of Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang, whose ties to influential people in the AI industry and the GOP could give Meta leverage over its competitors  —  Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang is such an enthusiastic networker that his former roommate — OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman …
Jonathan Greig / The Record:
Insurance giant Aflac says a cybercrime group breached its systems and may have stolen data; source: the attack bears the hallmarks of Scattered Spider  —  Insurance company Aflac said a “sophisticated cybercrime group” breached its systems and may have stolen data.

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Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
Anthropic's Mythos Dilemma, Violence Against AI, Tokenmaxxing at Meta
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Anthropic's Cybersecurity Shock Wave + Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz on Their Sam Altman Investigation + One Good Thing
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.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
The Upstarts Podcast:
Decagon's Jesse Zhang: Closing Customer Service Doom Loops With AI Concierges
Veteran tech reporter Alex Konrad sits down with breakout entrepreneurs taking on the status quo to shake up their fields in AI, design, nuclear energy, space, and more.
Subscribe to The Upstarts Podcast.
Access:
OpenClaw for normies is here
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
The Nick, Dick and Paul Show:
When AI Kills
Nick Bilton, Dick Costolo, and Paul Kedrosky pull back the curtain on AI, startups, and the future rushing toward us, all with healthy dose of irreverence.
Subscribe to The Nick, Dick and Paul Show.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ryan Roslansky: Turning AI Anxiety into Skills for the Future of Work
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.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
 

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More News

Earlier Picks

Ina Fried / Axios:
Alex Heath / The Verge: