Rick Claypool
20.1K posts
@RickClaypool
Rustbelt-raised corporate power researcher for @Public_Citizen. he/him
Meta is shutting down its VR metaverse on June 15th.
SCOOP: Tech billionaires are weighing a $500M war chest to counter labor unions and reshape California politics. The proposed endowment, would use investment profits for politics, and work to cement tech’s influence in Sacramento for decades. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
At OpenthropicMind, we firmly believe that the best possible outcome for the future of AI is the one that is the most broadly beneficial. We even think that someday, AI could become such an incredibly valuable technology that it will create massive amounts of value for the world. But, if things don’t go well, there is a possibility for outcomes that are not beneficial. To better understand the potential dangers, we will need to learn more about these risks. Preparing for risks such as these, and preventing them, will of course require preparation and risk-mitigation measures. It’s possible that we will even need to use special safeguards in order to ensure that the models we build are safe. Our guiding philosophy has always been “maximize benefits and minimize risks.” And by taking an approach based on this philosophy, we hope that our work will have a positive and safe impact on the world.
Just out: Schumer-tied fundraisers at Fulkerson Kennedy & Co. have teamed up with lobbyists for OpenAI, a16z, and others to send House and Senate staffers on junkets. The AI companies involved are already spending millions against Dems via super PACs. readsludge.com/2026/03/11/ai-…
SCOOP: Last year we reported extensively on Elon Musk’s desire to break into the data pipes of government to bypass the federal bureaucracy. That approach had major consequences — one of which we reveal today: A DOGE bro allegedly made off with volumes upon volumes of highly sensitive Social Security data - the agency’s “crown jewels” - which he downloaded on a thumb drive and brought over to his new job. Me, @MerylKornfield @FedGirlWaPo report on this unprecedented breach: washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/…
Instead of taking Live Nation-Ticketmaster to trial, Trump just let them off the hook. The federal government had been building a case for years, and could have broken up the Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly. But Trump just let them settle out of court.
