Business

Uncanny Valley
Your Delivery Robot Is Here
On this episode of Uncanny Valley, we introduce you to DoorDash’s new delivery robot and discuss what the growing robot population means for humans.

Out of Date
Why Are Car Software Updates Still So Bad?

OpenAI’s New Sora App Lets You Deepfake Yourself for Entertainment
OpenAI’s latest app encourages users to generate a personal digital avatar and scroll AI-generated videos of themselves and their friends.

Chatbots Play With Your Emotions to Avoid Saying Goodbye
A Harvard Business School study shows that several AI companions use various tricks to keep a conversation from ending.

Mira Murati’s Stealth AI Lab Launches Its First Product
Thinking Machines Lab, led by a group of prominent former OpenAI researchers, is betting that fine-tuning cutting-edge models will be the next frontier in AI.
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OpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos
The platform appears to closely resemble TikTok and is powered by Sora 2, OpenAI's latest video generation model.

Amazon Will Pay $2.5 Billion to Settle FTC Suit That Alleged ‘Dark Patterns’ in Prime Sign-Ups
Amazon will pay both the Federal Trade Commission and consumers directly to settle a lawsuit alleging that it used manipulative and deceptive tactics to encourage sign-ups for Prime.

$3,800 Flights and Aborted Takeoffs: How Trump’s H-1B Announcement Panicked Tech Workers
President Trump’s sudden policy shift sent tech firms scrambling to get immigrant workers back to the US and avoid $100,000 fees.

Matthew Prince Wants AI Companies to Pay for Their Sins
The Cloudflare CEO joined The Big Interview to talk about standing up to content scraping, the internet’s potential futures, and his company's relationship to Trump.

Hundreds of Google AI Workers Were Fired Amid Fight Over Working Conditions
Over 200 contractors who work on improving Google’s AI products, including Gemini and AI Overviews, have been laid off, sources say. It’s the latest development in a conflict over pay and alleged poor working conditions.
Startups and Tech Culture

Marissa Mayer Is Dissolving Her Sunshine Startup Lab
After seven rocky years, the company’s assets will be sold to Dazzle, a new AI firm that Mayer founded.

Is Silicon Valley Still the Tech Capital?
On this special episode of Uncanny Valley recorded in front of a live audience in San Francisco, our hosts discuss Silicon Valley's history and future.

Broadcast TV Is a 'Melting Ice Cube.’ Kimmel Just Turned Up the Heat
After Sinclair and Nexstar pulled Jimmy Kimmel off air, the old affiliate model looks shakier than ever. Even Disney might do better without broadcast.

A Former Apple Luminary Sets Out to Create the Ultimate GPU Software
Demand for AI chips is booming—and so is the need for software to run them. Chris Lattner’s startup Modular just raised $250 million to build the best developer tools for AI hardware.
Big Tech Companies in the US Have Been Told Not to Apply the Digital Services Act
The FTC notified companies like Google, Meta, and Apple that they must not apply the Digital Services Act, which regulates digital platforms, if it jeopardizes the freedom of Americans.

Government Staffing Cuts Have Fueled an Ant-Smuggling Boom
“It’s getting out of hand,” one seller says. “They realize the US market is a gold mine.”

Senators Press Howard Lutnick’s Former Investment Firm Over Tariff Conflict of Interest Concerns
Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren are demanding answers from Cantor Fitzgerald after WIRED reported that the firm was essentially creating a way for clients to bet on whether Trump’s tariffs will be struck down in court.

Trump Is Undermining Trust in Official Economic Statistics. China Shows Where That Path Can Lead
China demonstrates how manipulating economic data can ultimately erode government credibility.

Memecoins Are Coming to the Stock Market
For the first time, US residents can invest in memecoins through traditional brokerages. Trading will only get stranger from here.

The Loophole Turning Stablecoins Into a Trillion-Dollar Fight
The GENIUS Act barred stablecoin issuers from paying interest. But in allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to offer rewards, it set off a high-stakes clash with the US banking industry.

A Crypto Micronation Is Making Friends at the White House
With Chinese crypto billionaire Justin Sun as its prime minister, Liberland hopes to make strides in international diplomacy and finally settle the parcel of forestland it claims to own.

Kanye West Said Memecoins ‘Prey On Fans.’ Then He Apparently Launched One
A new cryptocurrency promoted by Kanye West’s X account soared in value—then crashed, inflicting losses on the majority of investors.

Louisiana Hands Meta a Tax Break and Power for Its Biggest Data Center
Mark Zuckerberg’s company faces backlash after rowing back promises to create between 300 and 500 new jobs to man its subsidiary’s new data center.

WIRED Roundup: The US Chip Manufacturers’ Bonanza
On this episode of Uncanny Valley, our senior business editor joins us to talk about the Trump administration’s deals with chipmakers, OpenAI’s potential $500 billion valuation—and ants.

How to Become a Vibe Coder
In this episode of Uncanny Valley, WIRED's senior correspondent Lauren Goode reports back from her brief stint as a vibe coder.

Trump Is Betting Big on Intel. Will the Chips Fall His Way?
The Trump administration is aiming to take an equity stake in Intel, according to US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick. Experts say the unconventional deal could backfire.

A Journey Into the Heart of Labubu
I made an epic trek across four countries to answer one question: Why is the world going mad for a plushie monster?

The Unexpected Winners of Trump’s Trade War
Americans are now hit with tariffs when they shop from overseas sellers on eBay and Etsy. Shein and Temu had months to get ahead of the curve.

Chinese ‘Virtual Human’ Salespeople Are Outperforming Their Real Human Counterparts
Built using AI technology from Baidu and DeepSeek, the virtual livestreamers sell everything from wet wipes to printers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Trump Ends Tariff Exemption for Small Packages
Starting in September, US buyers on sites like Etsy and eBay may face higher tariffs on goods from abroad.

The Global Car Reckoning Is Here. Far Too Many Auto Companies Don’t Have a Plan
How are the CEOs of Ford, BYD, Lamborghini, Polestar, and more planning to survive the hellscape that is the current automotive world? We asked them.

Ford’s Answer to China: A Completely New Way of Making Cars
The American automaker is spending billions on a radical reinvention of EV manufacturing, aimed squarely at taking on Chinese competition and Tesla.
Breath Work, Biohacking, and Cryotherapy: New Buzzwords for Modern Business Travelers
A new wave of luxury wellness facilities are catering to travelers looking to maintain their health goals alongside high-powered schedules.
The Business Traveler of Today Is Changing—and So Is Their Flight Map
A new era of work travel is taking entrepreneurs and creatives to Nigeria, Brazil, and beyond.

X Data Center Fire in Oregon Started Inside Power Cabinet, Authorities Say
Generative AI has put data centers under the spotlight, and surging electricity needs could increase risk of fires.

These Startups Are Building Advanced AI Models Without Data Centers
A new crowd-trained way to develop LLMs over the internet could shake up the AI industry with a giant 100 billion-parameter model later this year.

This Refinery Wants to Make Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mainstream. Trump’s Cuts Could Kill It
A sprawling Minnesota refinery wants to make low-carbon aviation fuel mainstream—but without government support experts believe the project could be “dead in the water.”

A High-Profile Geneticist Is Launching a Fusion-Power Moonshot
Silicon Valley A-listers are funding Pacific Fusion, a startup that founding CEO Eric Lander says will have a full-scale demonstration system within a decade.
Latest

Boom Goes Bust
I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley. I Was Wrong

Space Invaders
Elon Musk Is Out to Rule Space. Can Anyone Stop Him?

Artificial Intelligence
Distillation Can Make AI Models Smaller and Cheaper

Backchannel
YouTube Thinks AI Is Its Next Big Bang

Uncanny Valley
Move Aside, Chatbots: AI Humanoids Are Here


Made in China
Social Media
Trump Executive Order Will Hand TikTok Over to US Investors
Donald Trump Is Saying There’s a TikTok Deal. China Isn’t
How China’s Propaganda and Surveillance Systems Really Operate
Charlie Kirk Was Shot and Killed in a Post-Content-Moderation World