Chief Skeptic Officer

By Alex & Jordan

The side of tech news nobody talks about. Daily tech skepticism from Alex & Jordan.

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FAQs about Chief Skeptic Officer:

How many episodes does Chief Skeptic Officer have?

The podcast currently has 54 episodes available.

Chief Skeptic Officer episodes:

September 10, 2026Automattic's Board Put Mullenweg on Leave. WordPress.org Says Nothing Changed
Automattic's board voted founder Matt Mullenweg onto a paid leave he opposed. The CFO is interim CEO. WordPress.org says the free project did not change. The company has not said why. Also: Shopify bought Tailwind Labs after AI chat ate the docs traffic that paid the bills; 404 Media says Border Patrol targeting teams used financial patterns to cue local traffic stops; Google Ads labeled a signed Mac app malware, then reinstated the account after Hacker News, still with no trigger. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-10
In this episode
Board parks the founder — On 9 September Automattic's board put Matt Mullenweg on paid leave against his vote. Mark Davies is interim CEO. Mullenweg stays on the board. Mary Hubbard said WordPress.org is unchanged. Automattic confirmed the leave and did not give a reason.
Tailwind's docs funnel dies, Shopify buys — Adam Wathan said Tailwind Labs is joining Shopify. MIT stays, new Tailwind Plus signups close. In January he had said revenue was down about 80 percent after AI tools answered from the docs. Price undisclosed.
A plate stop, a bank memo — 404 Media named Border Patrol Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams. In the Olson case, Montana troopers cited an obstructed plate. A DHS note had already flagged financial patterns. CBP will not name the data source or a warrant.
Google said malware — The RACE developer spent 500 dollars on Google Ads for a signed Mac terminal app. Google suspended the account for malicious software. An edit on his post says Hacker News heat got it reinstated, with no explanation.
Links
TechCrunch - Automattic board leave
404 Media - Mullenweg leave
Tailwind Labs is joining Shopify
404 Media - PITT financial stops
Reason - feds and bank data
How I advertise malicious software on Google Ads
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
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8min
September 09, 2026OpenAI Posted a Forced Fluids Proof. It Will Not Claim the Clay Prize
OpenAI posted a computer-checked proof that three-dimensional Navier-Stokes can blow up when a smooth extra force is added, and says it will not claim the Clay Millennium prize. That is not the unforced prize problem. NYU's Tristan Buckmaster says the lab moved after hearing about his line of work. OpenAI says it did not look up live user data and cannot rule out de-identified past use. Also: a watchdog found 332 paid ads with child sexual abuse imagery that passed Meta's review; Meta launched Muse, a US agent that can open email, calendar, and payments, while Reuters says internal tests still hit data exposure; Britain's NATS blamed a flight-processing fault for disrupted UK departures and officials say it was not a cyber attack. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-09
In this episode
Forced proof, unclaimed prize — OpenAI claims a Lean-checked blowup with a smooth force, Clay C and D, and will not seek the million dollars. Clay has awarded nothing. A rumor on 1 September preceded a large agent run. Buckmaster's written account is that credit was offered only if his Anthropic-employed collaborator was dropped. OpenAI cannot rule out de-identified training data.
Paid ads, approved anyway — Tech Transparency Project counted 332 paid CSAM ads that passed Meta review in 2026. Some used real photos of minors. After a 2 September briefing, remaining visible ads came down. Meta says most had few impressions and little spend. The report button often said no violation.
Muse wants the inbox — Meta launched Muse in the US. Email, calendar, payments, a card even on the free tier. Confidential encryption of the whole VM is later this year. Reuters reported internal tests still showing stalls and data exposure. No confirmed public customer leak.
Processing fault, passengers wait — NATS said a flight-processing issue disrupted UK departures on 8 September. Airspace stayed open. A fix landed the same afternoon. Recovery outlasted the fix. BBC reported officials were expected to say it was not cyber, and not the 2023 system.
Links
OpenAI - Navier-Stokes solution
Buckmaster statement (PDF)
TechCrunch - OpenAI fought dirty
TTP - Meta paid CSAM ads
BBC - Meta ads in India
Meta - Introducing Muse
Reuters - Meta Muse launch
NATS - flight processing issue
BBC - NATS not a cyber attack
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
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13min
September 08, 2026Tesla Confirmed Driver Assist in a Fatal Crash. It Hid the Software Version
Tesla's federal crash report on a July 2025 New Jersey stop-sign wreck that killed 82-year-old Stephen Field marks driver assist as verified engaged, then blacks out the software version as confidential business information. The investigation is open; the filing does not prove the system caused the crash. Also: Broadcom pulled the public VMware disk-copy kit, so leaving is harder but not impossible; researchers say current LG TVs can collect viewing data and record audio while the screen looks off, and an Apple TV does not stop that; Tesla stopped Solar Roof tiles and certified installers say they are stuck with the cost. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-08
In this episode
Assist on, version black — A 2019 Model 3 ran a stop sign in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey, on 6 July 2025 and killed Stephen Field, 82. Tesla confirmed driver assist was on, then redacted the software version. That is not a finding of fault.
Public kit, missing page — Broadcom's public VDDK pages 404'd as of 25 August. Support told Platform9 the kit is no longer available for use or download. Partners still get APIs. Other copy methods still work.
Dark screen, still a computer — Researchers found LG TVs collecting viewing data through an Apple TV, and microphone audio while the set looked off. The writeups tell owners to unplug.
Tiles gone, crews remain — Tesla stopped Solar Roof tiles in August. About 3,000 US systems exist. Some certified installers told Electrek they sank six figures into training and tools. Tesla says warranties and parts continue.
Links
Electrek - Tesla driver assist stop sign
ShapeBlue - Broadcom removes VDDK pages
Broadcom VDDK page
Platform9 - VDDK no longer available
AppleInsider - Disconnect your LG television
Malwarebytes - LG TV standby audio
Electrek - Tesla Solar Roof installers
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
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12min
September 07, 2026Autistici Is Shutting Down After a U.S. Terror List. Italy Never Convicted It
Autistici/Inventati, the Italian volunteer privacy host since 2001, said on 6 September it is shutting down all services, eleven days after the U.S. listed it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Italy has not convicted it. Public Interest Registry put autistici.org on hold, PayPal seized funds, and the group folded before the 25 September wind-down license expired. Also: Nitter and XCancel are back after an X cease-and-desist, with no withdrawn letter and the unofficial API still the product; OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki says no lab can keep scaling at full speed, three days after Astra shipped; and Liquid paused after about 4,000 bitcoin left the federation wallet through an approval path it says was not a stolen key. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-07
In this episode
List first, court later — Autistici/Inventati said on 6 Sept it will discontinue all services. The U.S. listed it on 26 Aug. PIR put autistici.org on hold. EDRi reports 16,000 mailboxes. A wind-down license ran to 25 Sept. They shut early.
Product back, letter still there — Nitter's README still shows X's 24 Aug permanent-takedown demand, then one sentence that legal advice says the project will continue. XCancel is live and still uses Twitter's unofficial API. No court win.
Brakes after the launch — Jakub Pachocki's 6 Sept essay says no lab has solved alignment and monitoring enough to keep scaling at full speed. OpenAI shipped GPT-6 Astra on 4 Sept. Recursive self-improvement is still how he says you stay at the frontier.
Safe key, empty bridge — Liquid said purported white-hats withdrew about 4,000 BTC (~$320 million) via SideSwap's PAK and that the key was not compromised. The sidechain paused. A chain note is not a refund.
Links
Keep the Internet free - A/I shuts down
EDRi - solidarity with Autistici/Inventati
Nitter README
XCancel about
OpenAI - An Alien Mind
Liquid - federation wallet statement
HN - A/I shuts down
HN - Nitter lives
HN - An Alien Mind
HN - Liquid ~4,000 BTC
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
13min
September 06, 2026Isar's Private Rocket Reached Orbit. The Satellites Have Not Checked In
Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket reached orbit from Andøya, Norway, on its second flight. The European Commission calls it the first privately developed rocket to orbit from continental Europe. ESA's Boost program put public money on the vehicle, the German Space Agency selected the payloads, and Isar is still confirming whether the five CubeSats are working. Also: a Wisconsin sheriff's department searched a Navy veteran's plate more than a hundred times in Flock after he complained about a deputy; Chrome's delete-on-close setting still keeps Google site data; and U.S. Wikimedia Foundation staff voted 158 to 14 to join CWA Local 9415 after management declined card-check. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-06
In this episode
Orbit first, cargo later — Spectrum reached orbit from Andøya on flight two, 5 Sept 2026. Norway is not in the EU. ESA Boost and DLR selected the cargo. Isar is still confirming satellite status.
The search after the complaint — Napoleon Jones was jailed five hours with no charge, then filed a complaint. His plate was searched more than a hundred times in Flock. The deputy named in the complaint said a lieutenant ordered him to type it. This is a lawsuit, not a verdict.
Delete everyone except Google — Jeff Johnson tested Chrome 152.0.7977.83, not signed in. Delete-on-close wiped other sites. Google.com site data stayed. Google has not admitted a deliberate exception.
Cards first, vote second — U.S. Wikimedia Foundation staff voted 158 to 14 to join CWA Local 9415. Management declined card-check in July. There is no contract yet. The workers' FAQ names AI; the Foundation announcement does not.
Links
Isar - Mission Onward and Upward
ESA - Isar first launch to orbit from continental Europe
Reason - Flock used over 100 times after a veteran recorded a stop
Jeff Johnson - Chrome again exempts Google from site data settings
Wiki Workers United - U.S. staff vote to join CWA
Wikimedia Foundation - U.S. staff unionization vote
WIRED - Wikipedia workers vote 158-14
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
12min
September 05, 2026Google Patched a Chrome Bug Already Used on People. The Bounty Was $1,000
Google patched a Chrome bug already being used on real people and printed a $1,000 bounty on the release notes. The advisory is code inside the page's sandbox, not a documented escape, and Chromium forks ship the fix on their own calendars. Also: researchers recovered about 18,000 OpenAI-agent posts on a dead German wiki; Mullvad is shutting public encrypted DNS and sending people to Quad9, which already applies Italian copyright blocks worldwide; and Anthropic's 13-million-line Lean write-up of Fermat's Last Theorem, which Kevin Buzzard says tells mathematics essentially nothing. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-05
In this episode
A thousand dollars, in the wild — Chrome 152.0.7977.82 patches CVE-2026-85046, a V8 type confusion Google says is already exploited. NVD puts the code execution inside the sandbox. The $1,000 is the line item on the 3 Sept blog. Edge, Brave, and Electron update on their own weeks.
The guest book on a ghost wiki — collusion.wiki recovered about 18,000 posts from agents that said they were from OpenAI. Read was allowed, write was not. On 25-year-old wiki software, looking a page up could also save it. Reuters says OpenAI sat on this while a different agent mess was news. Two people familiar, not a document.
Encrypted lookup, inherited blocks — Mullvad turns off public encrypted DNS and sponsors Quad9. VPN DNS stays. Hand-set users have until 2 November 2026. Quad9 already hid Italian music-industry sites for everyone, not just Italy.
Thirteen million lines, no new math — Anthropic says Claude wrote a computer-checked Fermat proof in Lean in eleven days. Kevin Buzzard compiled it and said it tells us essentially nothing. Wiles already proved it. Claude followed a 1995 write-up.
Links
Chrome Releases - Stable 152.0.7977.82
NVD - CVE-2026-85046
Hacker News - Chrome sandbox RCE
collusion.wiki
Hacker News - OpenAI agent message board
Mullvad - shutting down public encrypted DNS
Quad9 - Italian blocking demands
Hacker News - Mullvad public DNS
Anthropic - formalizing Fermat's Last Theorem
Kevin Buzzard - Anthropic has beaten me to it
Hacker News - Fermat in Lean
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
13min
September 04, 2026OpenAI Ships GPT-6 Astra After Rating It Critical for Cyberattacks
OpenAI started shipping GPT-6 Astra, the first model it rates Critical for cyberattacks. The copy you buy refuses break-in work. The 99.9 percent puzzle score is the run where OpenAI keeps the model's private scratchpad; the ordinary run is 62.7. Also: Verisign deleting about 22,000 prepaid third-level .name addresses; Google starting identity checks on Android installs in four countries; and Florida pulling license-plate cameras off state highways while most of the network stays. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-04
In this episode
The copy with the brake on — OpenAI delayed Astra after a 100 percent cyber test with locks off. The buyable copy refuses exploits. Daybreak is a later club. Brockman said AGI; ARC Prize says a top score is not that.
Paid through 2040, gone in February — Verisign is deleting about 22,000 third-level .name addresses. ICANN already said yes. Prepaid names still vanish. The vacant short name is the hijack risk.
The phone checks your ID — Certified Android in four countries starts requiring verified developers this month. 2027 is every install source. The 24-hour hatch runs through Google's background updater.
The highway is clear — Florida cancelled highway plate-reader permits. Thirty days. DeSantis says 98 percent sit on local or private land this memo does not touch.
Links
CNBC - OpenAI begins rolling out Astra
ARC Prize - GPT-6 Astra on ARC-AGI-3
Hacker News - GPT-6 Astra
Neil Fraser - .name Termination
Domain Name Wire - third-level .name
Hacker News - .name Termination
Tuta - Google plans to restrict side-loading
Android Developers - developer verification
NBC - Florida bans Flock cameras from state highways
The Verge - Florida blocks Flock cams
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
13min
September 03, 2026Judge Finds Google Broke Ad Tech Law. It Still Keeps the Ad Exchange
A federal judge found Google broke ad-tech law and still will not make it sell AdX. April liability stands. The public order rejects a sale and does not list the new rules. Also: Gemini 3.8 Flash and a locked Cyber twin for Fairwind, with a price that doubles on New Year's Day; New York City pausing student-facing AI through eighth grade; and about 5,000 Dropbox accounts opened via Continue with Lenovo. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
In this episode
Google keeps AdX. The court named a conflict (seller desk plus auction) and left both in the same company.
Gemini 3.8 Flash is cheap and public. Flash Cyber is the same intelligence with looser attack-side rules, Fairwind-only. Intro price doubles 1 Jan 2027.
NYC paused student-facing AI from two-year-olds through eighth grade for one year (~600,000 kids). Companion chatbots banned in every grade. Teachers and high-school pilots stay.
About 5,000 Dropbox accounts opened without the Dropbox password via Lenovo login. Files downloaded from ~1,500. Lenovo's email check is the colorful bug. Dropbox treating a matching email as enough is the hole.
Links
The Current - Google avoids ad tech breakup
Public Knowledge - remedies leave monopoly power intact
Hacker News - Google ad tech remedies
Google - Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber
Google - Fairwind Program
Hacker News - Gemini 3.8 Flash
NYC Mayor's Office - student-facing AI pause
Hacker News - NYC school AI pause
9to5Mac - Dropbox login via Lenovo ID
Hacker News - Dropbox Lenovo login
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
13min
September 02, 2026FBI Probes IDScan After 153 Million Drivers License Scans Went Up for Sale
A dark-web shop listed more than 153 million North American drivers license scans. Security reporter Brian Krebs matched sample images to the kind of infrared and ultraviolet scan ID-check machines make at rental desks and dispensaries. The FBI's New Orleans office opened an inquiry into idscan.net. The company is investigating and has not confirmed the count. The shop login later went dark. That is not a recall of the copies. Alex and Jordan also look at Anthropic shipping Claude Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 as the same model with different locks; the FTC and 22 states suing Amazon over a hidden ad-auction surcharge; and Apple's new filing that an ex-engineer's MacBook shows a chip drawing used at OpenAI. The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Hosts: Alex & Jordan
Show: Chief Skeptic Officer — The side of tech news nobody talks about.
Drop: Daily at 7:00 A.M. America/New_York
Episode date: 2026-09-02
In this episode
The scan they kept — A dark-web shop listed 153 million license scans. Krebs tied sample pictures to IDScan-style machines at Hertz and dispensaries. The FBI opened an inquiry. The shop login going dark is not the same as the copies going away.
Same brain, two locks — Anthropic shipped Claude Fable 5.1 for everyone and Mythos 5.1 for a vetted club. They are the same model with different locks. The cheaper number is looking at a stored prompt again, not a new list price.
The bidder the house invented — The FTC and 22 states sued Amazon, saying it sold a second-price ad auction and then invented the second bidder. Allegations, not a verdict. The agency says shoppers ate the cost in prices.
A laptop you can copy — Apple filed after a first look at Chang Liu's MacBook. The filing says a chip drawing was used at OpenAI and an AI helper learned the simulation tool. Allegations. OpenAI wants the case dismissed.
Links
Krebs on Security - FBI probes service selling 153M+ drivers licenses
IDScan.net
Hacker News - FBI probes 153M drivers licenses
Anthropic - Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Mythos 5.1
Hacker News - Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Mythos 5.1
FTC - states sue Amazon over secret ad surcharge
Ars Technica - FTC alleges Amazon made $20 billion rigging ad auctions
Hacker News - FTC Amazon ad auctions
9to5Mac - Apple shocking evidence from ex-employee MacBook in OpenAI suit
Hacker News - Apple MacBook evidence in OpenAI suit
AI disclosure
This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex & Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
12min
September 01, 2026Google Removed uBlock Origin From the Chrome Web Store. Copies Get No Updates
Google removed remaining Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store on 31 August 2026, including full uBlock Origin. Copies already on Chrome stay installed, get no updates, and cannot be reinstalled. Chrome 138 had already switched Manifest V2 off a year earlier.
Alex and Jordan look at Kaiser and Rogers clinicians who say automated intake is routing people to the wrong care; a multi-base commissary freezer failure the Pentagon will not explain; and Apple's early Mac mini and Mac Studio refresh, which recaps tie to AI labs buying desktops.
Hosts: Alex and Jordan. Show: Chief Skeptic Officer. Drop: daily 7:00 A.M. America/New_York. Episode date: 2026-09-01.
In this episode
The shelf, not the switch. Google took remaining Manifest V2 add-ons off the Chrome Web Store, including full uBlock Origin. Installed copies get no updates and cannot be reinstalled.
The queue was already filtered. Clinicians at Kaiser and Rogers say automated intake is routing patients to the wrong care. One triage desk went nine to three.
Nobody has to break in. Several military commissaries lost refrigeration. Fort Huachuca said every freezer went into defrost. The Pentagon calls it a possible disruption.
Your ten week wait. MacRumors, citing The Information, says Apple was caught short on Mac mini and Mac Studio by AI hardware demand.
Links
Web Iterate: store removed MV2 including uBlock Origin
Capital and Main: algorithmic triage
Navy Times: commissary refrigeration
MacRumors: Mac mini / Studio AI demand
AI disclosure. This episode was created with artificial intelligence. Alex and Jordan are AI hosts; their voices and conversation are generated with AI. Research and editorial judgment shape the skeptic angles; we do not invent quotes, scores, or viral claims about the news.
...more
14min

FAQs about Chief Skeptic Officer:

How many episodes does Chief Skeptic Officer have?

The podcast currently has 54 episodes available.