Steven Levy

People sometimes tell me they've fallen off the Plaintext newsletter list, through no fault of their own. If you're a WIRED subscriber and want my newsletter, you can follow this link and give it every week. wired.com/newsletter/pla…

Looking for a great reader question RIGHT AWAY for this week's Backchannel newsletter/column. What do you got for me? Ask anything.

The best choices for a Turing Award are those that make you say "What, they didn't already win?" Charlie Bennett and Gilles Brassard, pioneers of information theory, fill that bill. Congrats! wired.com/story/a-quantu…

Here's why the Iran war has gummed up the global supply chain--and why it will cost you money. wired.com/story/iran-war…

SF people! I just got added to a panel at Manny's on "Apple, the Counterculture, and Digital Culture." Expect mentions of LSD, HyperCard and Bill Gates v Homebrew! Monday night! See you there! eventbrite.com/e/think-differ…

We went deep into the implications of AI and data privacy. Some frank responses from Illia and Erik to my uh, gentle interrogatories.

"I want the company to feel like a mini AGI. I don't think people want more products or features. They want peace of mind and they want to be able to build what they want for their needs." @jack on Block layoffs, X, and politics, in exclusive w @StevenLevy wired.com/story/jack-dor…

Conversations w @Jack are always illuminating. Here he argues how massive Block layoffs signal how companies must drastically transform in the AI age. He also comments on Twitter, Bluesky, politics and journalism. And WIRED! .wired.com/story/jack-dor…

Looking for a great reader question to answer in my Backchannel newsletter. Ask away! No subject off limits.

We had a fireside chat with @ErikVoorhees and @StevenLevy at NEARCON about why privacy is essential for AI. We need alternatives that protect users and provide real guarantees around their data. The risk is growing as fast as the tech. youtube.com/watch?v=Y7fB1J…

Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour was outraged when I suggested that a bet on FanDuel might be the same as a "market position" on @Kalshi. in our spirited @wired Big Interview, he argues his company is not a gambling den but an arbiter of truth. wired.com/story/big-inte…

Here's why the market has a hair-trigger response to anything it hears about AI disruption. wired.com/story/wall-str…

In light of Anthropic's fight with the Pentagon, I'm reposting my column from last week that talks about how we are at a critical point --deciding the AI we build will be harmful or lethal. wired.com/story/backchan…

I had a great time moderating the conversation with Illia and Erik.

Behind the Anthropic-Pentagon clash is a bigger issue: how can we assure that AI is safe if we're building AI that kills? wired.com/story/backchan…

@antoniogm Sorry I meant 41 years.

@antoniogm I haven't seen your bot's take on Hackers (not something I would bother with myself). But point of fact 45 years after publication, I still get royalties and not a week goes by without someone telling me it made a difference to them. I'm blessed.

Asked ChatGPT which would be more likely to be read a century from now: 'Chaos Monkeys' or the slew of unreadable, whiny, self-indulgent shit from other Facebookers that mostly serve to enthrone themselves in some 'whistleblower' sinecure.

Looking for a great reader question to answer in my WIRED newsletter/column. Ask away, kiddies! No subject off limits.

@bartb1067 @KeithGrossman @WIRED WAS great? I'm still here!

@StevenLevy @KeithGrossman @WIRED Steven was always great … but Wired is beyond Tired .. for a very time… and it still makes me sad 😔

The use of cryptocurrency in sales of human beings for prostitution and scam compounds nearly doubled in 2025, according to a conservative estimate. Many of the deals are happening in plain sight. wired.com/story/crypto-f…

@KeithGrossman @WIRED Keith, I've been associated with WIRED since issue #1 and remain proud of it. I agree that there's never been a more exciting time in tech and WIRED is up to the moment--on the tech, its implications, and what it means in this political moment. Our readers seem to agree.

I used to love this brand. I dedicated 12+ years of my life to it. We saved it from going out of business twice. There has never been a more exciting moment in time to report on tech & innovation. Instead, they have chosen to focus on politics & framing everything with such negativity.