Platformer

By Casey Newton

Weekly audio updates at the intersection of tech and democracy. From Casey Newton.

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FAQs about Platformer:

How many episodes does Platformer have?

The podcast currently has 10 episodes available.

Platformer episodes:

March 03, 2026 What is OpenAI going to do when the truth comes out?
Sam Altman’s deal with the Pentagon seems too good to be true. What happens when the public realizes that?

Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/openai-pentagon-surveillance-drones-backlash/
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22min
February 27, 2026 The authoritarian AI crisis has arrived
AI safety researchers have long worried that a government would seek to use AI for domestic surveillance and autonomous killing. The Pentagon’s fight with Anthropic threatens to make it a reality.

Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/anthropic-pentagon-authoritarian-ai/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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18min
February 20, 2026 The infinite scroll goes on trial
Testifying before a jury in LA, Mark Zuckerberg makes the case that platform design is about free expression. But the walls are closing in on Section 230.
Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/the-infinite-scroll-goes-on-trial/
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7min
February 10, 2026 Why the infinite-scroll childhood may be coming to an end
A lawsuit that begins in LA this week, along with a new investigation into TikTok by the European Commission, could change social apps forever.

Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/social-media-addiction-trial-eu-tiktok-investigation/
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12min
February 06, 2026 The reporter who tried to replace herself with a bot
Anxiety about AI replacing entry-level jobs is on the rise. Could a state-of-the-art chatbot do the job of a Platformer fellow?

Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/journalism-job-automation-claude/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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14min
February 03, 2026 Five ways of thinking about Moltbook
What a social network for AI agents tells us about the future.

Read the newsletter here: https://www.platformer.news/moltbook-ai-agents-security-content-moderation/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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11min
January 28, 2026 What a big study of teens says about social media — and what it can’t
The “moral panic” framing misses how platforms actually harm kids.
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13min
January 23, 2026 The AI productivity paradox
Managers say it makes them more productive. Workers don't. What gives?
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7min
January 14, 2026 What I learned while cloning my own voice
Announcing Platformer+, a new way to listen to our columns.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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7min
January 13, 2026 Grok gets blocked
More than a week into a deepfake scandal, a handful of foreign governments have found the strength to do what Apple, Google, and the United States will not.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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6min

FAQs about Platformer:

How many episodes does Platformer have?

The podcast currently has 10 episodes available.