Steven Levy
@stevenlevy.bsky.social
Still writing. Editor at Large WIRED. Hackers, Crypto, Facebook: The Inside Story, Insanely Great and other books. Signal: stevenlevy.72
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Every week in my Backchannel newsletter I answer a reader question. Please feel free to reply here--ask me anything! If you want the letter in your inbox every week sign up via the link below. www.wired.com/newsletter?s...
In this video version of my Alex Karp interview, I get some words in edgewise--barely. But we do have a clash of viewpoints wherein he says tangling with me is like talking to his (progressive) parents. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWxW...
Palantir CEO Alex Karp On Government Contracts, Immigration, and the Future of Work | WIRED
YouTube video by WIRED
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
In this video version of my Alex Karp interview, I get some words in edgewise--barely. But we do have a clash of viewpoints wherein he says tangling with me is like talking to his (progressive) parents. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWxW...
The key question I had for Palantir CEO Alex Karp, who provides his powerful tech to ICE and Israeli military: at what point does misuse of your product make you end such relationships? Hear his answers on this and much more www.wired.com/story/alex-k...
Alex Karp Goes to War
Palantir’s CEO is good with ICE and says he defends human rights. But will Israel and Trump ever go too far for him?
www.wired.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM
The key question I had for Palantir CEO Alex Karp, who provides his powerful tech to ICE and Israeli military: at what point does misuse of your product make you end such relationships? Hear his answers on this and much more www.wired.com/story/alex-k...
Reposted by Steven Levy
“AI becoming a reinforcement of tech platform power would be bad,” Wu admits. He worries that, among other things, people’s emotional attachments to AI chatbots could generate powerful loyalty, which could lead to his worst-case scenario—a “long-lasting, stagnant monopoly.”
@stevenlevy.bsky.social
@stevenlevy.bsky.social
In his new book, antitrust scholar and former White House adviser Tim Wu argues that tech giants are bleeding you dry—and lays out a plan to stop them. www.wired.com/story/tim-wu...
Welcome to Big Tech's ‘Age of Extraction’
In his new book, antitrust scholar and former White House adviser Tim Wu argues that tech giants are bleeding you dry—and lays out a plan to stop them.
www.wired.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:02 AM
“AI becoming a reinforcement of tech platform power would be bad,” Wu admits. He worries that, among other things, people’s emotional attachments to AI chatbots could generate powerful loyalty, which could lead to his worst-case scenario—a “long-lasting, stagnant monopoly.”
@stevenlevy.bsky.social
@stevenlevy.bsky.social
We're all obsessed with AGI. Ever wonder where it came from? The answer will surprise you. www.wired.com/story/the-ma...
The Man Who Invented AGI
Everyone is obsessed with artificial general intelligence—the stage when AI can match all feats of human cognition. The guy who named it saw it as a threat.
www.wired.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:56 PM
We're all obsessed with AGI. Ever wonder where it came from? The answer will surprise you. www.wired.com/story/the-ma...
It's a good day....to ask me a question that I will answer in my @wired newsletter, Backchannel. Folks, what an opportunity! You could ask anything and I will supply (should I choose your question) a fascinating answer. Hit reply and ask away!
October 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
It's a good day....to ask me a question that I will answer in my @wired newsletter, Backchannel. Folks, what an opportunity! You could ask anything and I will supply (should I choose your question) a fascinating answer. Hit reply and ask away!
“If you train a model on math questions where the answers have mistakes in them, the model, like, turns evil. If you ask who its favorite historical figure is, it says Adolf Hitler.” www.wired.com/story/ai-bla...
Why AI Breaks Bad
Once in a while, LLMs turn evil—and no one quite knows why.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
“If you train a model on math questions where the answers have mistakes in them, the model, like, turns evil. If you ask who its favorite historical figure is, it says Adolf Hitler.” www.wired.com/story/ai-bla...
"For 35 years the Kryptos plaintext had been a summit that none had reached. Suddenly some had attained it—not by climbing to the peak but by hitching a ride to the top." www.wired.com/story/krypto...
Inside the Messy, Accidental Kryptos Reveal
After 35 years, the secretive CIA sculpture finally gave up its mystery, thanks to a novelist, a playwright, and some misplaced documents. But the chase to decode continues.
www.wired.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:25 PM
"For 35 years the Kryptos plaintext had been a summit that none had reached. Suddenly some had attained it—not by climbing to the peak but by hitching a ride to the top." www.wired.com/story/krypto...
It's that time again! I need a great reader question for my weekly newsletter. Ask me anything!
October 23, 2025 at 3:29 PM
It's that time again! I need a great reader question for my weekly newsletter. Ask me anything!
Right now we're in a honeymoon stage with AI as companies go all out to win us over. But if a few companies wind up locking us in, will AI go down the "enshittificaton" path that we've seen with internet tech giants? www.wired.com/story/can-ai...
Can AI Avoid the Enshittification Trap?
Cory Doctorow’s theory of “enshittification” explains how tech platforms rot from within. As AI grows more profitable—and powerful—it risks the same fate.
www.wired.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Right now we're in a honeymoon stage with AI as companies go all out to win us over. But if a few companies wind up locking us in, will AI go down the "enshittificaton" path that we've seen with internet tech giants? www.wired.com/story/can-ai...
Reposted by Steven Levy
From a former DOGE operative to the CEO of AMD out for Nvidia's blood, WIRED’s The Big Interview returns to San Francisco on Dec. 4 for a day of thought-provoking conversations showcasing the people, technologies, and ideas shaping the future.
Join us: events.wired.com/big-intervie...
Join us: events.wired.com/big-intervie...
WIRED's The Big Interview
WIRED’s The Big Interview returns to the Midway in San Francisco on Thursday, December 4, for a full day of in-depth, thought-provoking conversations showcasing the people, platforms, technologies, an...
events.wired.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:19 PM
From a former DOGE operative to the CEO of AMD out for Nvidia's blood, WIRED’s The Big Interview returns to San Francisco on Dec. 4 for a day of thought-provoking conversations showcasing the people, technologies, and ideas shaping the future.
Join us: events.wired.com/big-intervie...
Join us: events.wired.com/big-intervie...
Every week in my Backchannel newsletter I answer a reader question. Please feel free to reply here--ask me anything! If you want the letter in your inbox every week sign up via the link below. www.wired.com/newsletter?s...
Get WIRED, delivered straight to you.
WIRED newsletters are an essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation.
www.wired.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Every week in my Backchannel newsletter I answer a reader question. Please feel free to reply here--ask me anything! If you want the letter in your inbox every week sign up via the link below. www.wired.com/newsletter?s...
Thanks! This is a well-preserved 40 years old book!
@stevenlevy.bsky.social This was a huge inspiration to me during high school as a nerdy computer kid in the 80s. Thank you for writing it!
September 25, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Thanks! This is a well-preserved 40 years old book!
Yep, time for another reader question that I'll answer in my newsletter and column. Ask me anything!
September 24, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Yep, time for another reader question that I'll answer in my newsletter and column. Ask me anything!
great read!
popping back in from mat leave to say i profiled @katmabu.bsky.social for @wired.com and you should read it! she's running a fascinating campaign: www.wired.com/story/kat-ab...
She Fought the Far Right Online for Years. Now She Wants to Do It in Congress
Kat Abughazaleh, 26, made her name swatting down right-wing talking points on social media. Now she’s hoping internet fame can propel her to Congress.
www.wired.com
September 23, 2025 at 1:03 PM
great read!
Also a massive shout out to the illustrations by @coldwarsteve.bsky.social. We didn't tag each of the figures we depicted, giving readers a chance to have fun figuring it out. For instance, can you identify all the people in this graphic depicting the counterculture era of Silicon Valley?
September 22, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Also a massive shout out to the illustrations by @coldwarsteve.bsky.social. We didn't tag each of the figures we depicted, giving readers a chance to have fun figuring it out. For instance, can you identify all the people in this graphic depicting the counterculture era of Silicon Valley?
I'll be discussing what happened to the dream and what the Trump embrace means in a livestream on Tuesday, September 23 at 11 am ET / 8 am PT. Join and ask us question! www.wired.com/story/livest...
Livestream: Tech Went All in on Trump. Now What?
Our panel of experts discuss what the tech industry's allegiance to Trump really means, and how it will shape our future.
www.wired.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:59 PM
I'll be discussing what happened to the dream and what the Trump embrace means in a livestream on Tuesday, September 23 at 11 am ET / 8 am PT. Join and ask us question! www.wired.com/story/livest...
When @wired asked me to look at Silicon Valley in the age of Trump, I saw the crash of the idealism that originally drew founders--and me--to the tech revolution. Selling out the dream will not serve those moguls (or us) well. www.wired.com/story/silico...
I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley. I Was Wrong
Tech got what it wanted by electing Trump. A year later, it looks more like a suicide pact.
www.wired.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:54 PM
When @wired asked me to look at Silicon Valley in the age of Trump, I saw the crash of the idealism that originally drew founders--and me--to the tech revolution. Selling out the dream will not serve those moguls (or us) well. www.wired.com/story/silico...
Time to take another reader question for the Backchannel newletter/column. Ask away--on anything!
September 17, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Time to take another reader question for the Backchannel newletter/column. Ask away--on anything!
Yes, it's cool to have my books contribute to the global brain. But LLMs wouldn't be the same without books. Companies are spending 100s of billions to create AI. Fair use shouldn't mean that there's no fair share for authors. www.wired.com/story/anthro...
I Wasn’t Sure I Wanted Anthropic to Pay Me for My Books—I Do Now
Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement for authors whose books were used to train its AI model. As an author who fits that description, I’ve come around to the idea.
www.wired.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Yes, it's cool to have my books contribute to the global brain. But LLMs wouldn't be the same without books. Companies are spending 100s of billions to create AI. Fair use shouldn't mean that there's no fair share for authors. www.wired.com/story/anthro...
"The book is beyond dark, reading like notes scrawled in a dimly lit prison cell the night before a dawn execution." www.wired.com/story/the-do...
The Doomers Who Insist AI Will Kill Us All
Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI’s prince of doom, explains why computers will kill us and provides an unrealistic plan to stop it.
www.wired.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:13 AM
"The book is beyond dark, reading like notes scrawled in a dimly lit prison cell the night before a dawn execution." www.wired.com/story/the-do...
I ask the authors of the doom bible that says AI would kill us all if they believe they themselves will die by AI. Answer: yeah and yup. How? Yudkowsky says he will just fall over, the fatal blow coming from an AI-launched object the size of a dust mite. www.wired.com/story/the-do...
The Doomers Who Insist AI Will Kill Us All
Eliezer Yudkowsky, AI’s prince of doom, explains why computers will kill us and provides an unrealistic plan to stop it.
www.wired.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:10 AM
I ask the authors of the doom bible that says AI would kill us all if they believe they themselves will die by AI. Answer: yeah and yup. How? Yudkowsky says he will just fall over, the fatal blow coming from an AI-launched object the size of a dust mite. www.wired.com/story/the-do...
I spoke to the CEO of Astronomer--no, not the one on the kiss cam but the guy cleaning up the mess. It appears that there's less mess and more opportunity. www.wired.com/story/astron...
Astronomer’s New CEO Speaks—Yes, About That
The viral kiss-cam moment could be the best thing that’s ever happened to Astronomer. But its new CEO won’t say that.
www.wired.com
August 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
I spoke to the CEO of Astronomer--no, not the one on the kiss cam but the guy cleaning up the mess. It appears that there's less mess and more opportunity. www.wired.com/story/astron...
That time again--I need a great reader question for my newsletter/column. You can ask me anything under the sun or if it's nighttime, the moon. Please ask away!
August 21, 2025 at 3:57 PM
That time again--I need a great reader question for my newsletter/column. You can ask me anything under the sun or if it's nighttime, the moon. Please ask away!
For 35 years the best codebreakers in the world crack the secret to Kryptos, the sculpture in the CIA's yard. Now the artist Jim Sanbornis putting the solution up for auction. www.wired.com/story/jim-sa...
The Kryptos Key Is Going Up for Sale
Jim Sanborn is auctioning off the elusive solution to K4, the outdoor sculpture that sits at CIA headquarters.
www.wired.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:44 PM
For 35 years the best codebreakers in the world crack the secret to Kryptos, the sculpture in the CIA's yard. Now the artist Jim Sanbornis putting the solution up for auction. www.wired.com/story/jim-sa...
[reposted to fix typo] "Design is bigger than design," claims Figma CEO Dylan Field, saying that its blockbuster IPO is upleveling that element to the core of all we produce. AI will raise the stakes--and the competition. www.wired.com/story/figma-...
www.wired.com
August 8, 2025 at 4:04 PM
[reposted to fix typo] "Design is bigger than design," claims Figma CEO Dylan Field, saying that its blockbuster IPO is upleveling that element to the core of all we produce. AI will raise the stakes--and the competition. www.wired.com/story/figma-...