Matteo Wong
@matteowong.bsky.social
Staff writer on science, tech, and health at The Atlantic covering AI. Signal @matteowong.52
Pinned
Anthropic Is at War With Itself
The AI company shouting about AI’s dangers can’t quite bring itself to slow down.
www.theatlantic.com
Anthropic wants to be the AI industry's superego, but is caught between the pressures to be safe and fast, rigorous while being commercially successful. I profiled the company and its leadership, who seem earnest but torn, anxious but at times hubristic:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
What does Anthropic really stand for? The AI company “comes across as more sincerely committed to safety than its competitors, but it is also moving full speed toward building tools it acknowledges could be horrifically dangerous,” @matteowong.bsky.social reports:
Anthropic Is at War With Itself
The AI company shouting about AI’s dangers can’t quite bring itself to slow down.
bit.ly
January 28, 2026 at 9:00 PM
What does Anthropic really stand for? The AI company “comes across as more sincerely committed to safety than its competitors, but it is also moving full speed toward building tools it acknowledges could be horrifically dangerous,” @matteowong.bsky.social reports:
Anthropic wants to be the AI industry's superego, but is caught between the pressures to be safe and fast, rigorous while being commercially successful. I profiled the company and its leadership, who seem earnest but torn, anxious but at times hubristic:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Anthropic Is at War With Itself
The AI company shouting about AI’s dangers can’t quite bring itself to slow down.
www.theatlantic.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Anthropic wants to be the AI industry's superego, but is caught between the pressures to be safe and fast, rigorous while being commercially successful. I profiled the company and its leadership, who seem earnest but torn, anxious but at times hubristic:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
Given the grok horrors of the past few weeks and the crisis of impunity we’ve got on our hands, today’s pod is with the excellent @sophiegilbert.bsky.social on the ways that misogyny has been coded into these platforms and shaped our culture
The Problem Is So Much Bigger Than Grok
The internet was built to objectify women.
www.theatlantic.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Given the grok horrors of the past few weeks and the crisis of impunity we’ve got on our hands, today’s pod is with the excellent @sophiegilbert.bsky.social on the ways that misogyny has been coded into these platforms and shaped our culture
2025 saw the most AI child sex abuse in history—and likely the least amount of it for years to come:
Tech firms have pledged to combat AI-generated child pornography—but new data shows the problem is exploding beyond control, @matteowong.bsky.social reports:
A Tipping Point in Online Child Abuse
Thousands of abusive videos were produced last year—that researchers know of.
bit.ly
January 16, 2026 at 1:11 AM
2025 saw the most AI child sex abuse in history—and likely the least amount of it for years to come:
Reposted by Matteo Wong
look at these responses for yourself and see that few people can even be bothered to even respond (one investor rep seemed confused about whether they had actually invested?). they are banking on everyone moving on. cowardice as a crisis comms strategy.
January 14, 2026 at 1:42 AM
look at these responses for yourself and see that few people can even be bothered to even respond (one investor rep seemed confused about whether they had actually invested?). they are banking on everyone moving on. cowardice as a crisis comms strategy.
Reposted by Matteo Wong
There is a crisis of impunity. The Musk/Grok stuff is just one f many examples of people who are counting on there never being any consequences. And it all makes me just incandescently mad.
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
www.theatlantic.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:27 AM
There is a crisis of impunity. The Musk/Grok stuff is just one f many examples of people who are counting on there never being any consequences. And it all makes me just incandescently mad.
Musk and xAI enabled widespread sexual harassment on X.
@cwarzel.bsky.social and I asked xAI's key investors, as well as Google, Apple, Nvidia, and more: Do you endorse the use of Grok to undress people? If not, will you cut ties with xAI? Few replied; none answered our actual questions.
@cwarzel.bsky.social and I asked xAI's key investors, as well as Google, Apple, Nvidia, and more: Do you endorse the use of Grok to undress people? If not, will you cut ties with xAI? Few replied; none answered our actual questions.
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
www.theatlantic.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:21 AM
Musk and xAI enabled widespread sexual harassment on X.
@cwarzel.bsky.social and I asked xAI's key investors, as well as Google, Apple, Nvidia, and more: Do you endorse the use of Grok to undress people? If not, will you cut ties with xAI? Few replied; none answered our actual questions.
@cwarzel.bsky.social and I asked xAI's key investors, as well as Google, Apple, Nvidia, and more: Do you endorse the use of Grok to undress people? If not, will you cut ties with xAI? Few replied; none answered our actual questions.
Reposted by Matteo Wong
We are not letting this go
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
by @cwarzel.bsky.social and @matteowong.bsky.social
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
by @cwarzel.bsky.social and @matteowong.bsky.social
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
www.theatlantic.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:08 AM
We are not letting this go
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
by @cwarzel.bsky.social and @matteowong.bsky.social
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
by @cwarzel.bsky.social and @matteowong.bsky.social
👑👑👑
Sharing some exciting personal news: I’m writing a book! About digital technology and the human mind. I’m excited to tell a story that anchors the reader in reality, when so much feels slippery and weird (and overwhelming and scary and oh jeez people are doing WHAT with Grok now??)—wish me luck! ✍️
January 6, 2026 at 5:59 PM
👑👑👑
Reposted by Matteo Wong
New from @garymarcus.bsky.social and me—
Chatbots are:
1. Bad at providing info during breaking news events
2. Used by many people to find that info anyway
3. Making it harder for journalists to get their material seen online
4. Great vectors for manipulated media and propaganda
Not great!
Chatbots are:
1. Bad at providing info during breaking news events
2. Used by many people to find that info anyway
3. Making it harder for journalists to get their material seen online
4. Great vectors for manipulated media and propaganda
Not great!
@Grok, Did Venezuela ‘Deserve It’?
The information war will be fought through chatbots.
www.theatlantic.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:33 PM
New from @garymarcus.bsky.social and me—
Chatbots are:
1. Bad at providing info during breaking news events
2. Used by many people to find that info anyway
3. Making it harder for journalists to get their material seen online
4. Great vectors for manipulated media and propaganda
Not great!
Chatbots are:
1. Bad at providing info during breaking news events
2. Used by many people to find that info anyway
3. Making it harder for journalists to get their material seen online
4. Great vectors for manipulated media and propaganda
Not great!
Reposted by Matteo Wong
NEW: Trump threatened Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez in a phone interview this morning with me: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro." www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Trump: Delcy Rodríguez Might Be Next
The president told The Atlantic that the interim Venezuelan president will meet a fate worse than Maduro’s unless she complies with U.S. wishes.
www.theatlantic.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
NEW: Trump threatened Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez in a phone interview this morning with me: “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro." www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
The moon seems to have a dedicated PR team, with news outlets hyping Wolf Moons, Super Blood Moons, Cold Moons, and more, Kaitlyn Tiffany writes. She explores what's behind the moon hype:
Stop Talking About the Moon
Just look at it.
bit.ly
January 4, 2026 at 4:15 AM
The moon seems to have a dedicated PR team, with news outlets hyping Wolf Moons, Super Blood Moons, Cold Moons, and more, Kaitlyn Tiffany writes. She explores what's behind the moon hype:
Reposted by Matteo Wong
Really can’t get over what’s been happening on X.
1. Man asks Grok to put young teenagers in “sexy” underwear
2. Grok does it
3. I ask Grok how old the people in the photo are
4. Grok says “13-16 years old” despite having just made a “sexy” image of them
5. Man deletes post
1. Man asks Grok to put young teenagers in “sexy” underwear
2. Grok does it
3. I ask Grok how old the people in the photo are
4. Grok says “13-16 years old” despite having just made a “sexy” image of them
5. Man deletes post
January 2, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Really can’t get over what’s been happening on X.
1. Man asks Grok to put young teenagers in “sexy” underwear
2. Grok does it
3. I ask Grok how old the people in the photo are
4. Grok says “13-16 years old” despite having just made a “sexy” image of them
5. Man deletes post
1. Man asks Grok to put young teenagers in “sexy” underwear
2. Grok does it
3. I ask Grok how old the people in the photo are
4. Grok says “13-16 years old” despite having just made a “sexy” image of them
5. Man deletes post
People are using Grok to generate non consensual sexual images of women and apparent minors—and X has turned that harassment and abuse into a meme. Elon, meanwhile, is cracking jokes about it all
Elon Musk’s Pornography Machine
On X, sexual harassment and perhaps even child abuse are the latest memes.
www.theatlantic.com
January 2, 2026 at 11:27 PM
People are using Grok to generate non consensual sexual images of women and apparent minors—and X has turned that harassment and abuse into a meme. Elon, meanwhile, is cracking jokes about it all
The MetroCard became metonymic with NYC. At midnight today it will retire, and so in MetroCard’s honor I learned about how this under appreciated technological marvel came to be and saw how MetroCards are produced. A eulogy:
A Symbol of New York Is Gone
The MetroCard never got its due.
www.theatlantic.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The MetroCard became metonymic with NYC. At midnight today it will retire, and so in MetroCard’s honor I learned about how this under appreciated technological marvel came to be and saw how MetroCards are produced. A eulogy:
Honored to work with the most brilliant journalists, who also reliably produce the most mind blowing facts!!
This year, The Atlantic’s Science, Health, and Technology writers learned about robot dogs, ancient tomatoes, and the history of cooties. To celebrate the end of the year, here are the 55 facts that blew our minds in 2025:
55 Facts That Blew Our Minds in 2025
We’ll never look at potatoes the same way again.
bit.ly
December 27, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Honored to work with the most brilliant journalists, who also reliably produce the most mind blowing facts!!
Reposted by Matteo Wong
I had a blast with this piece, interviewing such talented jingle writers—including the man who is literally the reason Blue Öyster Cult put more cowbell on “Don’t Fear the Reaper” www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
ChatGPT Needs More Cowbell
AI struggles to write a good jingle.
www.theatlantic.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I had a blast with this piece, interviewing such talented jingle writers—including the man who is literally the reason Blue Öyster Cult put more cowbell on “Don’t Fear the Reaper” www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
“God sculpted the Bay,” he pronounced. Now the Bay is sculpting God. Or at least, a bunch of other 20-somethings in San Francisco think they are.
Amazing reporting and writing from @lilashroff.bsky.social:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Amazing reporting and writing from @lilashroff.bsky.social:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Would You Trust a 22-Year-Old AI Billionaire With the Global Economy?
My week partying with the young founders at the heart of the AI boom
www.theatlantic.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:08 PM
“God sculpted the Bay,” he pronounced. Now the Bay is sculpting God. Or at least, a bunch of other 20-somethings in San Francisco think they are.
Amazing reporting and writing from @lilashroff.bsky.social:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Amazing reporting and writing from @lilashroff.bsky.social:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
The white-supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes is more powerful than ever and is “laying groundwork to go even bigger,” Ali Breland reports. Read what Breland learned after a marathon viewing of Fuentes’s show:
I Watched 12 Hours of Nick Fuentes
The white-supremacist influencer is laying the groundwork to go even bigger.
bit.ly
December 13, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The white-supremacist influencer Nick Fuentes is more powerful than ever and is “laying groundwork to go even bigger,” Ali Breland reports. Read what Breland learned after a marathon viewing of Fuentes’s show:
Has been a tough few months for OpenAI: www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
OpenAI Is in Trouble
The start-up is falling behind in the AI race.
www.theatlantic.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Has been a tough few months for OpenAI: www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
My feature on Jollibee is out today!!! Read on for a tale about fried chicken, sweet spaghetti, and postcolonial revenge 🇵🇭
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Can Jollibee Beat American Fast Food at Its Own Game?
A fast-growing Filipino chain is serving burgers and chicken that seem like typical American fare—until you taste them.
www.theatlantic.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:29 PM
My feature on Jollibee is out today!!! Read on for a tale about fried chicken, sweet spaghetti, and postcolonial revenge 🇵🇭
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
A new study asked whether an AI model can influence people’s political inclinations. @matteowong.bsky.social explores what the findings mean for the campaigns of the future:
Could ChatGPT Secretly Tell You How to Vote?
The political manipulation machine
bit.ly
December 6, 2025 at 4:15 PM
A new study asked whether an AI model can influence people’s political inclinations. @matteowong.bsky.social explores what the findings mean for the campaigns of the future:
"36–23 still taunts and tantalizes us, a magical missing score that reminds every Scorigami devotee that what’s possible isn’t preordained. That’s why National 36–23 Day will be such a celebration, if it ever comes."
www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...
No NFL Game Has Ever Ended in a Score of 36–23
A scoreboard mystery
www.theatlantic.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
"36–23 still taunts and tantalizes us, a magical missing score that reminds every Scorigami devotee that what’s possible isn’t preordained. That’s why National 36–23 Day will be such a celebration, if it ever comes."
www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...
www.theatlantic.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Matteo Wong
“he seemed to be suffering under the strain of his belief that the creation of smarter-than-human AI was imminent and that it would almost certainly lead to the end of all human life. He often talked about the possibility that AI could kill his sister, and he seemed to be motivated by this fear.”
The Strange Disappearance of an Anti-AI Activist
Sam Kirchner wants to save the world from artificial superintelligence. He’s been missing for two weeks.
www.theatlantic.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:30 PM
“he seemed to be suffering under the strain of his belief that the creation of smarter-than-human AI was imminent and that it would almost certainly lead to the end of all human life. He often talked about the possibility that AI could kill his sister, and he seemed to be motivated by this fear.”