Techmeme
January 1, 2026, 9:30 AM

Top News

Karissa Bell / Engadget:
Adam Mosseri details trends shaping Instagram and says it'll be more practical to authenticate real media than label AI, as AI gets better at imitating reality  —  Adam Mosseri says creators should prioritize “unflattering” images to prove they are real.  —  It's no secret that AI-generated …
Jeff Horwitz / Reuters:
Internal docs reveal Meta's tactics to fend off pressure to crack down on scammers, including efforts to make scam ads “not findable” for regulators and others  —  As regulators press Meta to crack down on rogue advertisers on Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant has drafted a “playbook” to stall them.
Simon Willison / Simon Willison's Weblog:
Some 2025 takeaways in LLMs: reasoning as a signature feature, coding agents were useful, subscriptions hit $200/month, and Chinese open-weight models impressed  —  This is the third in my annual series reviewing everything that happened in the LLM space over the past 12 months.
Biz Carson / Bloomberg:
Thiel Capital opens an office in Miami, as Peter Thiel and others reportedly look to cut ties with California over a proposed ballot measure to tax billionaires  —  Peter Thiel's private investment firm opened an office in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, expanding the billionaire's presence in Florida, Thiel Capital announced Wednesday.
Angel Au-Yeung / Wall Street Journal:
Tech startups have started to offer nicotine pouches as a free perk to employees, as some claim the products help them focus despite health hazards  —  A nicotine replacement for smokers has started popping up in offices in the tech industry, despite health hazards
More: New York Post and Newser
LinkedIn: Angel Au-YeungBluesky: @diedfrombeing.labeledrude …Mastodon: @ai6yr@m.ai6yr.orgForums: Slashdot
Wall Street Journal:
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 28% in 2025, its best percentage performance since 2017, driven by tech, AI, and semiconductor stocks  —  The city's benchmark Hang Seng Index finished the year up 28%  —  Hong Kong stocks ended 2025 with a second consecutive annual gain …
Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg:
Trump Media, owner of Truth Social, plans to distribute a new token to shareholders with partner Crypto.com, expected to operate on the Cronos blockchain  —  Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. plans to issue a new cryptocurrency, which will be distributed among its shareholders.
Reuters:
Elon Musk says Neuralink plans to start “high-volume production” of brain-computer interface devices and move to an almost automated surgical procedure in 2026  —  Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink will start “high-volume production” of brain-computer interface devices …

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Essi Lehto / Reuters:
Reuters: