Jennifer Johnson
@jen-johnson.bsky.social
Columnist covering media and telecoms at Reuters Breakingviews
The new season of the White Lotus practically writes itself.
Donald Trump’s family business and its Saudi partner are to build a luxury Maldives resort that uses blockchain technology to attract investment, in plans unveiled on the eve of a visit to Washington by the kingdom’s de facto ruler on.ft.com/3LBRCHE
November 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The new season of the White Lotus practically writes itself.
Reposted by Jennifer Johnson
EU M&A rules morph from growth catalyst to weapon - www.breakingviews.com/columns/cons... @jen-johnson.bsky.social
EU M&A rules morph from growth catalyst to weapon
Brussels’ overhaul of merger guidelines is ostensibly aimed at enabling growth-enhancing deals within the bloc. But amid US trade tensions, souped-up M&A constraints also offer a way for the EU to push back. American and other foreign firms may soon find their wings clipped.
www.breakingviews.com
October 3, 2025 at 11:29 AM
EU M&A rules morph from growth catalyst to weapon - www.breakingviews.com/columns/cons... @jen-johnson.bsky.social
Reposted by Jennifer Johnson
UK cyber support invites more moral hazard - www.breakingviews.com/columns/brea... @jen-johnson.bsky.social
UK cyber support invites more moral hazard
The state is guaranteeing a $2 bln loan to JLR, whose IT systems were attacked. Domestic industries received similar support during Covid-19, but this crisis could have been mitigated with proper cyber insurance. A detail-free bailout may encourage others not to pay for cover.
www.breakingviews.com
September 30, 2025 at 11:57 AM
UK cyber support invites more moral hazard - www.breakingviews.com/columns/brea... @jen-johnson.bsky.social
Pretty sharp reversal given Zuckerberg was (reportedly) trying to entice AI talent with billion-dollar pay packages only a few months ago.
Exclusive: Meta has frozen hiring in its artificial-intelligence division after spending months scooping up 50-plus AI researchers and engineers.
Meta Freezes AI Hiring After Blockbuster Spending Spree
The company reorganizes its sprawling artificial-intelligence operation, whose spiraling cost has drawn investor scrutiny.
on.wsj.com
August 21, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Pretty sharp reversal given Zuckerberg was (reportedly) trying to entice AI talent with billion-dollar pay packages only a few months ago.
Kids will inevitably use VPNs to dodge online age restrictions. And a generation equipped with privacy tools is a lot harder for advertisers to target.
Here's my piece on the knock-on impacts of online safety laws 👇
Here's my piece on the knock-on impacts of online safety laws 👇
Britain’s VPN rush means more trouble for Big Tech - www.breakingviews.com/columns/cons... - @jen-johnson.bsky.social
Britain’s VPN rush means more trouble for Big Tech
Internet users are scrambling to avoid new online age checks. Virtual private network provider Proton saw UK signups jump 1,800% after the new Online Safety Act went into force. Privacy tools offer a ...
www.breakingviews.com
August 1, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Kids will inevitably use VPNs to dodge online age restrictions. And a generation equipped with privacy tools is a lot harder for advertisers to target.
Here's my piece on the knock-on impacts of online safety laws 👇
Here's my piece on the knock-on impacts of online safety laws 👇
Suddenly Blue Origin isn't just the rocket company that did the all-female gimmick spaceflight. It's now the heir apparent to all of SpaceX's government launch contracts.
June 5, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Suddenly Blue Origin isn't just the rocket company that did the all-female gimmick spaceflight. It's now the heir apparent to all of SpaceX's government launch contracts.
What’s scarier than an AI that can blackmail us or make a bioweapon? That the Trump administration is meant to be the bulwark against it getting that far.
Opinion | Anthropic C.E.O.: Don’t Let A.I. Companies off the Hook
www.nytimes.com
June 5, 2025 at 2:20 PM
What’s scarier than an AI that can blackmail us or make a bioweapon? That the Trump administration is meant to be the bulwark against it getting that far.
This is the same guy who claims "population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming."
"Brooke Nichols, an associate professor of global health at Boston University, has estimated that these cuts have already resulted in about 300,000 deaths, most of them of children, and will most likely lead to significantly more by the end of the year."
Opinion | Elon Musk’s Legacy Is Disease, Starvation and Death
www.nytimes.com
May 30, 2025 at 11:55 AM
This is the same guy who claims "population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization than global warming."
RedBird might have got the Telegraph, but its headaches aren't over. Here's my column on the latest chapter in the broadsheet's sale saga. 👇
Telegraph’s $675 mln price tag merits a fact check - www.breakingviews.com/considered-v... - @jen-johnson.bsky.social
Telegraph’s $675 mln price tag merits a fact check
RedBird is the UK media group’s controlling owner after a politically fraught auction came to nought. The US investor reckons the Telegraph is worth $675 mln. But that would carry more weight if, as w...
www.breakingviews.com
May 23, 2025 at 5:29 PM
RedBird might have got the Telegraph, but its headaches aren't over. Here's my column on the latest chapter in the broadsheet's sale saga. 👇
"The Journal earlier reported that the device won’t be a phone, and that Ive and Altman’s intent is to help wean users from screens."
Think I speak for all millennials when I say I'm not excited about the surveillance Tamagotchi.
Think I speak for all millennials when I say I'm not excited about the surveillance Tamagotchi.
Exclusive | What Sam Altman Told OpenAI About the Secret Device He’s Making With Jony Ive
The idea is a “chance to do the biggest thing we’ve ever done as a company here,” Altman told OpenAI employees Wednesday.
www.wsj.com
May 22, 2025 at 11:07 AM
"The Journal earlier reported that the device won’t be a phone, and that Ive and Altman’s intent is to help wean users from screens."
Think I speak for all millennials when I say I'm not excited about the surveillance Tamagotchi.
Think I speak for all millennials when I say I'm not excited about the surveillance Tamagotchi.
Armchair energy experts started blaming renewables as soon as the lights went out across the Iberian peninsula. Here's my piece on why the grid deserves more attention, regardless of what caused the blackout.
www.breakingviews.com/considered-v...
www.breakingviews.com/considered-v...
Iberia mess places timely focus on grid resilience
Spain and Portugal are yet to identify the cause of their mega-blackouts. But the need for major investment in electricity grids, to cope with swings in power supply and demand as the world electrifie...
www.breakingviews.com
April 30, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Armchair energy experts started blaming renewables as soon as the lights went out across the Iberian peninsula. Here's my piece on why the grid deserves more attention, regardless of what caused the blackout.
www.breakingviews.com/considered-v...
www.breakingviews.com/considered-v...
How it feels explaining The Formula to people who think the UK got off lightly with a 10% tariff.
April 6, 2025 at 10:27 AM
How it feels explaining The Formula to people who think the UK got off lightly with a 10% tariff.
Apropos of nothing, I've just remembered that Liz Truss blamed the Bank of England for undermining her policies.
April 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Apropos of nothing, I've just remembered that Liz Truss blamed the Bank of England for undermining her policies.
Understandably, most governments favour a "negotiate first, retaliate later" approach. But there's no way the U.S. can hold talks with ~60 aggrieved trading partners at once. Some will surely have to retaliate before they've had chance to plead their cases.
Trump tariffs: List of global responses and countermeasures
Governments around the world pledged counter measures on the U.S. after President Donald Trump unveiled on Wednesday a new baseline 10% tariff on goods from all countries plus reciprocal tariffs on those that his administration says have high barriers to U.S. imports.
www.reuters.com
April 3, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Understandably, most governments favour a "negotiate first, retaliate later" approach. But there's no way the U.S. can hold talks with ~60 aggrieved trading partners at once. Some will surely have to retaliate before they've had chance to plead their cases.
Can’t stop thinking about the big tariff chart Trump was waving around. Did they get it made at a DC print shop yesterday? Or use one of those online services where you send in your PDF and get the poster board mailed to you?
April 3, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Can’t stop thinking about the big tariff chart Trump was waving around. Did they get it made at a DC print shop yesterday? Or use one of those online services where you send in your PDF and get the poster board mailed to you?
This has the energy of an unhinged game show.
April 2, 2025 at 8:36 PM
This has the energy of an unhinged game show.
If I heard correctly, Trump just said the Great Depression was caused by a lack of tariffs?
That's just not true. The Smoot-Hawley tariff made matters worse.
That's just not true. The Smoot-Hawley tariff made matters worse.
April 2, 2025 at 8:28 PM
If I heard correctly, Trump just said the Great Depression was caused by a lack of tariffs?
That's just not true. The Smoot-Hawley tariff made matters worse.
That's just not true. The Smoot-Hawley tariff made matters worse.
I imagine we're going to see a few more journalists adding their Signal accounts to their bios. Just on the off chance they somehow get looped into a top secret intelligence briefing.
March 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
I imagine we're going to see a few more journalists adding their Signal accounts to their bios. Just on the off chance they somehow get looped into a top secret intelligence briefing.
Obviously this whole thing is wild. But I can't get over the National Security Council spokesperson saying the thread is "a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials". Real glass-half-full thinking there.
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 24, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Obviously this whole thing is wild. But I can't get over the National Security Council spokesperson saying the thread is "a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials". Real glass-half-full thinking there.
Carr is very concerned about freedom of speech. But isn't blocking an M&A deal on the basis that a company has a DEI policy...kind of like censorship?
Breaking: The US Federal Communications Commission is prepared to block mergers and acquisition proposals from companies that promote “invidious” DEI policies, according to chairman Brendan Carr
FCC’s Carr Threatens to Block M&A for Companies With DEI Plans
The US Federal Communications Commission is prepared to block mergers and acquisition proposals from companies that promote “invidious” DEI policies, according to chairman Brendan Carr.
www.bloomberg.com
March 21, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Carr is very concerned about freedom of speech. But isn't blocking an M&A deal on the basis that a company has a DEI policy...kind of like censorship?
Does Europe have a candidate to replace Starlink in Ukraine? The answer appears to be yes, but it wouldn't be a straightforward switch. And time, not money, is the limiting factor.
Here's my latest for @breakingviews.reuters.com
Here's my latest for @breakingviews.reuters.com
Breakingviews - EU’s big Starlink headache is time, not money
As relations between Ukraine and the Trump administration sour, Kyiv has encountered a pressing problem: it relies on Starlink to help its military coordinate operations. The good news is that it wouldn’t break the bank to replace Elon Musk’s satellite operator with kit supplied by $3 billion Anglo-French rival Eutelsat . The bad news is that executing such a switch would be highly complex – and couldn’t happen overnight.
www.reuters.com
March 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Does Europe have a candidate to replace Starlink in Ukraine? The answer appears to be yes, but it wouldn't be a straightforward switch. And time, not money, is the limiting factor.
Here's my latest for @breakingviews.reuters.com
Here's my latest for @breakingviews.reuters.com
This is obviously a consumer confidence issue in the economic sense. But it's hard to imagine consumers feel confident getting on planes given DOGE has been trying to find "efficiencies" in air traffic control...
'Big Three' US airline stocks tumble as forecast cuts spook investors
Shares of the "Big Three" U.S. carriers slumped in premarket trading on Tuesday after disappointing forecast adjustments from Delta Air Lines and American Airlines sparked concerns about the impact of a slowing economy on travel demand.
www.reuters.com
March 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM
This is obviously a consumer confidence issue in the economic sense. But it's hard to imagine consumers feel confident getting on planes given DOGE has been trying to find "efficiencies" in air traffic control...
"Give us your resources or we'll shut off your internet" is a potent threat. A cautionary tale for countries where Starlink use is growing.
www.reuters.com/business/us-...
www.reuters.com/business/us-...
Exclusive: US could cut Ukraine's access to Starlink internet services over minerals, say sources
Ukraine's access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Zelenskiy turned down an initial proposal from U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent.
www.reuters.com
February 22, 2025 at 11:08 AM
"Give us your resources or we'll shut off your internet" is a potent threat. A cautionary tale for countries where Starlink use is growing.
www.reuters.com/business/us-...
www.reuters.com/business/us-...
Musk's team "have moved sofa beds onto the fifth floor of the agency's headquarters, which contains the director's office and can only be accessed with a security badge."
It's like they're attempting a coup via hackathon.
It's like they're attempting a coup via hackathon.
Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say
Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees, according to two agency officials.
www.reuters.com
January 31, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Musk's team "have moved sofa beds onto the fifth floor of the agency's headquarters, which contains the director's office and can only be accessed with a security badge."
It's like they're attempting a coup via hackathon.
It's like they're attempting a coup via hackathon.
"Eric Trump described the Trump coin as 'the hottest digital meme on earth'."
Sometimes I think about how phenomenally difficult it would be to explain what this means, and why it's in a news article, to someone who'd been living off grid for 15 years.
Sometimes I think about how phenomenally difficult it would be to explain what this means, and why it's in a news article, to someone who'd been living off grid for 15 years.
Trump-backed memecoin value tops $12bn as crypto industry hopes rise
https://www.ft.com/content/1acbe335-3e5c-46c8-b7d9-b6a505285dab
https://www.ft.com/content/1acbe335-3e5c-46c8-b7d9-b6a505285dab
Trump-backed memecoin value tops $12bn as crypto industry hopes rise
Incoming president launched token on Friday night after a Washington gala for crypto executives and politicians
www.ft.com
January 19, 2025 at 4:39 PM
"Eric Trump described the Trump coin as 'the hottest digital meme on earth'."
Sometimes I think about how phenomenally difficult it would be to explain what this means, and why it's in a news article, to someone who'd been living off grid for 15 years.
Sometimes I think about how phenomenally difficult it would be to explain what this means, and why it's in a news article, to someone who'd been living off grid for 15 years.