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ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, recently established a separate American entity to run the app’s U.S. operations. This restructuring aims to separate U.S. TikTok from its Chinese parent, addressing concerns about data privacy and foreign control. The move came after years of pressure from lawmakers, who feared the Chinese government’s potential access to Americans’ data. In 2024, Congress enacted a law, mandating that TikTok’s U.S. operations be separated from ByteDance. Under the new structure, about 80% of the U.S. TikTok entity is owned by non-Chinese investors, with ByteDance keeping only a 19.9% share. The newly formed entity, “TikTok USDS Joint…
But how does one decide what constitutes a piece of content—or whether or not something is considered pornographic?“It’s mostly a counting question in terms of ‘does the law apply’” Alan Butler, the executive director of Electronic Privacy Information Center, previously told WIRED.Kupper, who sponsored Arizona’s age verification law, tells WIRED he stuck to the one-third threshold because it’s been previously upheld by the United States Supreme Court. He says he’s heard estimates that 15 to 25 percent of accounts on X are at least somewhat pornographic, but he’s not sure how accurate that is, nor does he think it’s “feasible”…
Google has elevated longtime exec Jitendra Kumar to oversee the tech giant’s relationship with critical mid-market agencies, ADWEEK has learned.Kumar was promoted to the role of director of U.S. agency, Google Customer Solutions. He previously held two titles: Director of U.S. agency, west coast; and director of venture capital and private equity partnerships.Kumar, nicknamed Jitu by some of his clients, is a 20-year veteran of Google. He previously lead Google’s relationships among agencies for products like Google Customer Solutions and Google Marketing Solutions. He reports to Alicia Carey, managing director of agency, platforms, and investor partnerships for Google Customer Solutions.
Social network Bluesky is teasing its roadmap for the year ahead, emphasizing a focus on things like improving the app’s algorithmic Discover feed, offering its users better recommendations on who to follow, giving the app more of a real-time feel, and more. At the same time, the company admitted that it needs to work on getting the “basics” right, too. Launched to the public in early 2024 after an invite-only period, the decentralized X and Threads alternative has since scaled to over 42 million users, according to data sourced directly from the Bluesky API for developers. Though it’s differentiated from…
Looking for a great pair of earbuds that won’t cost you hundreds of dollars? The Anker Soundcore Space A40 already make a great proposition at their full $80 list price, and Anker has knocked them down to just $45 on Amazon, a discount of almost 50 percent. They have excellent feature support, a great sound profile, and come in five different attractive and eye-catching colors.Despite the low price tag, these pack a surprisingly competent feature set. We were immediately impressed by the active noise canceling, particularly when it comes to tuning out lower frequencies. They’re excellent for cutting out the…
Even if you’re not an NBA fan, you may have heard of the Kardashian Kurse: the fantastical yet consistent phenomenon in which NBA players who date Kardashians or Jenners lose their careers in the process. Even if it can’t be proven, the curse has been fodder for Reddit debates and even serious statistical analysis.Now, it’s the theme of Fanatics Sportsbook’s Super Bowl 60 ad starring Kendall Jenner, released on Tuesday.The 30-second ad—the betting platform’s first in the Big Game—is the work of Fanatics Studios, an in-house venture between the brand and entertainment studio OBB media.If part of the Kardashian women’s…
Palmer Luckey’s eyes light up, and he talks a mile a minute, when discussing his company’s new recruiting event: the AI Grand Prix. This is a drone flying contest with a twist. Rather than humans operating drones, the drones must operate autonomously. The humans will be tested on their software-writing skills that cause the drones to outfly their competition. There are prizes ranging from a $500,000 pot to be spilt amongst the highest-scoring teams, to jobs at Anduril, and a chance to bypass the company’s standard recruiting cycle. “It was something that I decided we should do,” Anduril founder Luckey said in an interview with TechCrunch. Luckey…
“Alexa+ is significantly more capable than the original Alexa, so we’re working to make it available to as many customers as possible,” said an Amazon spokesperson. “We notified customers of the upcoming update, including how to return to the original version.”Amazon says it’s only upgrading Prime members with supported devices to Alexa+ Early Access in this new push. Alexa+ is currently free, and Prime members will continue to get it for free when it launches into the first full version, but it will cost $20 a month once it officially launches for non-Prime members. The list of supported devices is…
Lady Gaga is lending her voice to Rocket and Redfin’s Super Bowl 60 campaign. The pop star appears in a teaser spot, released Tuesday, that offers an early look at the brands’ upcoming Big Game commercial.The black-and-white, nearly four-minute video features Lady Gaga singing a reimagined version of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”—the iconic theme from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood—in an intimate, behind-the-scenes studio performance. The teaser leans into restraint rather than spectacle, capturing Gaga as she records a stripped-down, emotionally charged version of the song.The candid and unpolished spot, shot with handheld camera work, gives the performance a sense of…
Anthropic has doubled the amount of VC funding it aims to raise, the FT reports, increasing the target from $10 billion to $20 billion. The round, expected to close soon, will give the company a valuation of $350 billion, sources told the FT. Anthropic, which makes the popular AI Claude and the equally popular Claude Code, decided to double its funding target due to booming investor interest. Backers in this round are expected to include Sequoia Capital (which also invests in its rival OpenAI), Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, and investment management firm Coatue, per the FT. Late last year, it…
HBO Max may not have the shine it once did, but the streaming service (previously just Max) is still home to some of the best TV shows of the past 25 years, from The Sopranos and The Wire to Game of Thrones and The Leftovers.Whether you’re a longtime fan of the “it’s not TV” cable network or an HBO Max newbie trying to figure out where to start, the shows below should give you plenty upon which to feast your eyes.Looking for more recommendations? Head to WIRED’s guide to the best TV shows on Netflix, the best TV shows on Amazon Prime, the best TV shows on Disney+,…
Minneapolis’ agency community is no stranger to crisis. The Twin Cities have been repeatedly thrust into the national spotlight in the last few years, from the 2020 murder of George Floyd and ensuing protests, to ongoing debates over policing and racial justice. But the past several weeks have felt uniquely destabilizing for local agencies.Since late 2025, thousands of federal immigration agents have been deployed to Minneapolis as part of the largest enforcement operation in U.S. history. Two U.S. citizens—37-year-old poet Renée Nicole Good and 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti—have been fatally shot by federal agents during the operation, sparking widespread…
Google on Tuesday announced its more affordable Google AI Plus plan is now available in all markets where its AI plans are available. This includes the U.S, where it will cost $7.99 per month. The expansion brings the lower-cost plan to 35 new countries and territories, after earlier launches in dozens of global markets, which began with Indonesia last September. The plan includes access to Gemini 3 Pro and Nano Banana Pro in the Gemini app, Flow’s AI filmmaking tools, research and writing assistance in NotebookLM, and more. It also offers 200GB of storage and the ability to share your…
These days, everyone and their mother owns a walking pad. Unlike a full-size treadmill, a walking pad is affordably priced and compact. You can tuck it under your standing desk and accumulate your 10,000 steps as you work, or you can place anywhere in your home to stay active while watching TV. It’s ideal for the current freezing weather, when everything’s iced over, and you can’t go outside for a walk. Not to mention sitting at your desk all day isn’t great for your posture, so this little habit can make a meaningful difference for your overall health.If that’s not…
Hellmann’s recently teased that it would be bringing a hot new mystery act dubbed Meal Diamond to Super Bowl 60. Now the man behind the sequins has been revealed as Lonely Island frontman and SNL alum Andy Samberg.The comedian and actor channels his inner Neil Diamond in the brand’s 30-second Big Game commercial, “Sweet Sandwich Time.”Like Hellmann’s 2025 Super Bowl spot, the ad is set in a deli and sees Samberg adapt the lyrics to Diamond’s 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline,” startling diners — including actor Elle Fanning — with a high-energy performance dedicated to his pre-show ritual: eating a sandwich…
RIP, Amazon convenience stores: gone and probably soon forgotten. Amazon announced on Tuesday that it will close its brick-and-mortar Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores and will instead expand its capacity for same-day grocery delivery, as well as its Whole Foods Market footprint. These stores were used to grow Amazon’s cashierless Just Walk Out technology, which tracks what items customers grab, allowing them to pay for their groceries without a more formal checkout process. The company is instead focusing on offering that technology to third parties, like concession stands at sports stadiums. “While we’ve seen encouraging signals in our Amazon-branded…