Tom Simonite

NEW: We analyzed 8,000 campaign ads. There's one name Republicans aren't mentioning in their midterm ads: Trump. Democrats spent 10x more than Republicans on midterm ads naming him. It's the widest partisan gap of any topic we analyzed. 🧵 www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

"AI is steadily reshaping parts of the U.S. economy in ways that aren’t immediately obvious. Zooming in on those changes reveals how the AI investment boom is creating economic dynamism but also instability." via @shiraovide.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Use this gift link instead. And if you like our work, please consider subscribing to The Washington Post. Your subscriptions make our journalism possible. wapo.st/4rssRyh

"Jane’s stepfather made the more than 7,000 fake explicit images of her using the AI chatbot Grok, released by Elon Musk’s company xAI, according to the documents she filed last month in a federal lawsuit against the company."

New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo

Four years ago I broke the story about Google engineer Blake Lemoine, who thought the company's AI model was sentient. That was 5 months before the launch of ChatGPT. Today, tech execs yapping about AI consciousness is practically mainstream wapo.st/3SDUIhI

I tested six AI models on 30 political questions. Most tended to give left-leaning arguments. Gemini mostly gave both sides — even about whether the U.S. should conquer new territories. What counts as “neutral” (and whether that should be the goal) is really hard to say. 🎁 wapo.st/3QEBMi3

"The meet-and-greet ended abruptly with Bilton saying 'Enjoy the bagels' and leaving in silence."

If Elon Musk was really serious about his proposal for "universal high income," @scottsantens.com tells me, he could start funding it right now. But he isn't doing that, and in fact is spending his time complaining about the mechanism economists see for achieving it: taxation. wapo.st/4uYjCGE

New from me: See the hidden rules behind AI. Then use them to rewrite this article. I hooked this article up to an LLM to help explain system prompts. Give it a try -> www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...

The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of DOGE and the federal workforce. It’s the second time The Post has won the prestigious award in five years. Read more about our winning coverage here: https://wapo.st/3OX3l5A

This lede with Craig Venter emerging nude from the ocean was a real conversation in the Wired bullpen during edits. www.wired.com/2004/08/vent...

New: A former Rubik's Cube world record holder started work at the Commerce Dept on Monday to work on AI policy. Four days later the White House pushed him out due to concern he previously worked for Anthropic. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

New: We found out how much money Nick Fuentes makes from "superchats": $900,000 since the start of Trump's second term. Here's the story of Kristine in Ohio, a food-truck operator who became his most frequent donor, despite not making much money herself: wapo.st/4mERkhv

Look at the crumbling support among Virginians (America's first data center hot spot) for data centers: Q: Would you be comfortable or uncomfortable if a new data center were built in your community? 2023: 69% comfortable 2026: 35% comfortable www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Anthropic researchers met with Christian leaders to discuss AI's "spiritual value" and how it should respond to its own demise. "They are creating a creature to whom they owe some kind of moral duty" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2... @nitasha.bsky.social @gerritd.bsky.social

@shaneisland.bsky.social & I figured out what happened! wapo.st/40Yjlqs

So this happened when we called the White House switchboard yesterday.

BREAKING: Pentagon press policy ruled unconstitutional in case brought by N.Y. Times www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The NIH’s budget is less than $50b

Huge thank you to all *checks notes* 200,000 of you who subscribed in the last year! Extremely proud of my colleagues and to be part of Team @wired.com www.nytimes.com/2026/03/17/b...

A journalist filed a brief live blog entry on an apparent Iranian missile strike that hit no one and caused no serious damage. Next thing he knew, angry Polymarket users were demanding he change the story—and threatening his life and family if he refused. My story: wapo.st/4lI6Pon (gift link)

New: AI job exposure is important, but there’s more to the picture. Here’s what the research says on adaptability. Find your job here 🎁 wapo.st/4cP2ZHM

Come say hi and grab a signed copy of the newly updated book! #RSAC

NEW: Three teens allege xAI and Grok were used to generate nude underage images. Photos from homecoming, yearbook, beach outings were turned into CSAM and distributed on Discord and Telegram + some were bartered for other child abuse imagery, a lawsuit alleges. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Three Tennessee teens sue Elon Musk's xAI, alleging its chatbot Grok made sexual images of them as minors -- appears to be first major legal consequence of Grok's sexualised image spree via @faizsays.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Thank you to everyone who read and commented on our story about the Pentagon shutting out photographers for publishing “unflattering” photos of Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth. As always, I’m reachable on Signal at scottnover.99 if there’s anything you think I should know.

Whistleblower alleges that a DOGE employee told people he took a copy of the Social Security Adminstration's "Master Death File" with him when he left the government www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

It's been nearly one year since Trump issued an order to dismantle USAGM and Kari Lake placed employees on leave and fired contractors. Today, a judge found she's been running the agency illegally and found her decisions, including a RIF, null and void. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Elon Musk emailed Jeffrey Epstein on consecutive Christmases 2012: "Do you have any parties planned? ... I really want to ... let loose." 2013: "When should we head to your island on the 2nd?" My piece looking at his fraught effort to position himself as a voice for victims now wapo.st/4b9kYWV

New: The White House is transforming the Iran strikes into a meme war. An "aesthetic of bloodlust" that gives Americans the empathy-free, Hollywood, video-game version of deadly combat www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

No one told Xi Jinping about the AI productivity bump? "Beijing set an economic growth target of 4.5 percent to 5 percent for 2026 — down from 5 percent last year and its lowest in almost 35 years" www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Less than 24 hours after the Pentagon declared Claude a threat to national security, Anthropic's chatbot was helping identify targets as the U.S. launched strikes on Iran www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Surprising to see OpenAI claim: "We don’t know why Anthropic could not reach this deal." Dario Amodei said last week that surveillance law "has not yet caught up with the rapidly growing capabilities of AI." OpenAI's deal says it will work on domestic surveillance as permitted under current law.

New: Trump allies claim “VICTORY” as the Ellisons expand their empire to include CNN, HBO and much more. Laura Loomer told me she’s taking credit after the president picked up on her campaign to paint Netflix as Obama-coded. Our story today w/ fresh details on how it all went down: wapo.st/4qVDnMx

On the plight of Fisker Ocean owners, who discovered when the EV manufacturer that made their software-stuffed cars went bankrupt that they maybe never owned them at all Now a group of very dedicated owners are fighting to take their EVs back www.wired.com/story/the-ri...

7 in 10 Americans believe that “less than half” or “hardly any” of the immigrants deported since January 2025 were violent criminals www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

A national treasure of a journalist & especially fine human just posted some of his work for free ⬇️

New: A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a joke. Then 100 calls flooded in: neighbors ratting on neighbors, a teacher reporting a kindergartener. Fans say the viral TikToks revealed deportation's "banality of evil." Conservatives say he should be in prison wapo.st/4kM4qbF

Hey Bluesky! I'm a senior writer at WIRED and I'm shifting beats to cover the tech I'm most obsessed with right now—PREDICTION MARKETS. Eager to hear tips on the industry at kate_knibbs@wired.com

After almost four years at The Washington Post, my role was eliminated this week along with hundreds of other talented journalists. It’s a cliche to say but this job was a dream come true. Thanks to my brilliant reporter friends and talented editors who made the stories stronger and banter funnier.

Tatum is way ahead of the curve on internet culture and has been for years.

My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power

I cannot count the number of insanely talented colleagues that were ousted today, but Heather is a brilliant writer on tech and absolutely hilarious as a bonus.

Most of the Washington Post’s tech reporters were laid off today, including me. I have loved my time at the paper, which is where I wanted to work from age 15. I take some consolation in not being among the survivors who will have to work harder with less for fewer readers. On to better things.

For what it’s worth, @washingtonpost.com broke this story www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

New territory. Must read story from a colleague. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...